According to Ibim (51) glycogen, which is also known as animal starch refers to a branched polysaccharides stored in the liver or muscle cells of animals after ignition of food excess in starch content. The body converts the extra glucose to glycogen, which react to prevent blood sugar from increasing more than the required level of the body that is 300mg/dl of blood. Therefore, when the body sugar level is low, glycogen is then broken down to glucose as a source of energy in a process known as glycolysis. It is the main energy supplier in the body during exercise when oxygen consumption is low (Heyden 23). It is usually an analogue of starch; it acts as energy reserve, which is easily mobilized to meet the unexpected need for glucose in the body. In simple terms the glycogen is called as macromolecules concentration of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen elements found in glucose.
It is the storage of carbohydrates that consists of a long, profusely branched chain of glucose molecules linked by 1-4 or 1-6 glycoside links (McArdle and Katch 42). Glycogen is carbohydrates stored in human cells, 80% of the produced glycogen is stored in the skeletal muscles. As a result, enzymes glycogen synthase activates the conversion of glucose to glycogen, and insulin is the enzyme that prevents conversion of glycogen to glucose in the body.
The glycogen separating enzyme, the amylo (α1-4) to (α1-6), which speeds up the process of the transfer of a station fragment of about 6 to 7 glucose remains form a non-reducing end of the 6 carbohydrates hydroxyl groups of glucose remains, which are far into the interior of the glycogen molecules. According to McArdle and Katch (46) he explains that the branching enzymes have the ability to act upon only a branch having no less than 11 remains, and the enzymes might move to the same glucose adjacent or chain of glucose.
Polysaccharides act as the main storage form of glucose in the human body. It is found in the muscles and live, liver glycogen is converted into glucose for consumption in the body including the central nervous system.
There are some diseases in which glycogen metabolism takes place in an abnormal way. These diseases include diabetes, in which there is too much production of insulin that leads to the condition. Liver glycogen can also have some abnormalities or depletion. The restoration of normal glucose takes place through metabolism, which also normalizes glycogen processes as well.
Moreover, it is the polysaccharides that maintain physiological blood glucose concentration. The liver directly contributes to the blood level in the body because of the presence of glucose-6-phosphate. Glycogen in the skeletal muscles is broken down to transport glucose to the liver to help in maintaining euglycemia (Heyden 37).
Hypoglycaemia is a condition which is caused by excessive insulin. In this case the liver glycogen level is high but the amount of insulin acts as a barrier to the glycogenolysis, which is necessary to sustain normal blood sugar levels. Hypoglycemia is treated through a process known as Glucagon. Glucagon is body hormone that is produced by the pancreas, which in many ways acts as a reducing agent to insulin in the body. This function in response to in case of an increase insulin levels go high above the normal levels, the glucagon is secreted to deal with this situation (McArdle and Katch 63).
Work Cited
Robin J. Heyden. Biology: Exploring Life. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Prentice Hall. 2009
William D. McArdle, and Frank I. Katch. Exercise physiology: energy, nutrition, and human performance (6 ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2011; 12. ISBN 978-0-7817-4990-9
The client to include the Ibim reference
