Glycogen is such a beautiful molecule

When you hit that sugar low, do you know actually what is happening in your body?

Do you know how and where your body stores its energy?

Glycogen - a ball of glucose molecules

Its pretty simple . . .

Your body stores sugar in your liver as balls of glucose, macro-molecules called glycogen. This glycogen "forms an energy reserve that can be quickly mobilized to meet a sudden need for glucose"

The carbs you eat are stored in your liver as glycogen

When the carbohydrates you eat (sugars and starches) are digested, they are ultimately broken down into glucose and released into the blood. As blood glucose levels rise, the pancreas secretes insulin. Inside the liver, this insulin prompts the release of enzymes which make glucose accumulate on glycogen molecules.

glucose + glucose + glucose + ............ ==> glycogen

A glycogen molecule can grow to be a granule of 60,000 glucose units. (Glycogen is a highly-branched polymer of glucose)

"After a meal, for the next 8–12 hours, glucose derived from liver glycogen will be the primary source of blood glucose to be used by the rest of the body for fuel." (a quote from Wikipedia)

When it is needed for energy, glycogen is broken down and converted again to glucose. Enzymes in your liver work on the glycogen to release glucose into the blood, as required.

You get a sugar low when most of the glycogen molecules have been used up.

Have a closer look at the glycogen molecule - click on it - isn't it beautiful!