The Biochemistry of Movement > 9.7.2. Carbohydrates are an important part of an athlete’s diet > Humans Store Carbohydrates as Glycogen Granules >
Explain that humans store carbohydrates as glycogen granules in our muscles and liver
- Glycogen is the main form of carbohydrate storage in animals and is mainly found in liver and muscle tissue. It is made of long chains of many units of glucose. It can be converted into glucose when the energy is needed.
- Humans typically store enough glycogen for 12-14 hours of energy.
- When glucose levels in the body are too high, it is stored in the muscles and liver for later use. In the muscles, glycogen is stored in the cytoplasm, and in liver cells, it is stored in granular form.
- Glucose is used first before glycogen.