Glycogen

Glycogen is a molecule that stores long-term energy in animal cells. Glycogen is mostly made in the liver and the muscles; however, it can also be made in the stomach and the brain by gylcogenesis. Glycogen is similar to starch in plants. Glycogen is made in the form of granules in the structural fluid of cells, called the cytosol. Glycogen is an energy store that can be quickly used to meet the needs of glucose. Glycogen can make up about eight percent of an adults fresh body weight after a meal. Glycogen can only be accessed by other organs in the body if it comes from the liver. There is a much smaller amount of glycogen in the muscles. The amount of glycogen in the body depends on three things: physical training, eating habits, and metabolism. Small amounts of glycogen are found in other parts of the body as well. It can be found in the kidneys, glial cells in the brain, white blood cells, and in the uterus during pregnancy.

Glycogen is a polysaccharide. A polysaccharide is a type of carbohydrate that is made up of molecules of chains of monosaccharide molecules. A monosaccharide is the simplest group of carbohydrates. It is a sugar, like sucrose, that does not change to make other sugars. Animals and humans store glucose in the form of glycogen. This is similar to starch in plants. The liver and muscles house and synthesize glycogen. Structurally, glycogen has thousands and hundreds of thousands glucose molecules.

Function of Liver Glycogen

When a meal with carbohydrates is eaten, blood sugar levels rise and insulin is created by the pancreas. Glucose enters the liver cells and insulin helps to encourage many enzymes to act. Glucose can be added to glycogen as long as there is enough glucose and insulin in the body.

Once the body is nourished, the liver will bring in more glucose than it releases from the blood. Once the meal is digested, the production of glycogen stops. If the body needs energy, the glycogen is then turned back into glucose. Glycogen comes from glucose, which is a simple sugar, or a simple carbohydrate. The change of glucose to glycogen is what makes it so our body can store the extra energy calories for the future. Usually there is enough glycogen stored to last a person through the day. The change of glycogen to glucose is what helps the body keep normal levels of blood sugar. Glycogen can then be changed back into glucose. This is called glycogenolysis. This process helps the body recover the glucose molecules when the body needs the extra energy. When the blood sugar falls below normal amounts, glucagon, another hormone made by the pancreas, is made to fuel the glycogen into glucose.

Carbohydrates can be the best and most important source of energy when exercising. The carbohydrates break down into smaller sugars called glucose, fructose, and galactose. These sugars are absorbed by the body and used as energy to fuel the metabolism. Glucose that is not used right away is then stored in the liver as glycogen. When there is too much glycogen, it is then turned to fat.

Glycogen in Muscle

Glycogen in the muscles will become an immediate source of energy for muscle cells. Muscle cells do not have an enzyme to pass glucose to the blood; therefore, the glycogen that is stored in the muscles is used only in the muscles and not in other cells. Glycogen is insoluble in water, so it is not affected by the amount of water that is in the muscles.

Glycogen can move quickly through the skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle is one of the three main types of muscle in the body. It is the muscles that are attached to the bones with tendons. This type of muscle is made up from muscle fibers. Not all the skeletal muscle fibers are the same. They are categorized depending on their color, red or white, and their capabilities, fast or slow twitching.

When the muscles are working, they need oxygen to work and burn calories. Your muscles get this oxygen from the blood. When there is not enough oxygen, the muscles will begin to use glycogen for their energy. Since muscles have a store of glycogen, the muscles uses non-oxygenated metabolism to get its energy. Once the glycogen is used, lactic acid is created causing soreness in muscles during and after exercising.

Diabetes

Diabetes is the most common disorder when the metabolism of glycogen becomes abnormal. It becomes abnormal because the glycogen in the liver can be abnormally accumulated or depleted by abnormal amounts of insulin. By fixing the levels of glucose in the blood, the amount of glycogen normalizes also. The term diabetes was coined back during the Greeks when they noticed a sweet taste of the urine. This sweet taste was also noticed by the Chinese, Egyptians, Indians, and Persians. It was not until 1776 an English physician evaporated two quarts of urine from a diabetic patient and noticed granulated residues that smelled and tasted like sugar.

Diabetes is a condition in the body when a person has too high of blood sugar because not enough insulin is produced or the blood cells are not responding to the insulin that is being produced. There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational Diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes happens when the body does not produce insulin and a person needs to add insulin themselves. Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes include frequent urination, increased thirst, increased hunger, tiredness, and weight loss. The environment and genetics can be two causes of Type 1 diabetes. One study showed that with identical twins, one twin had Type 1 diabetes and the other had it only thirty to fifty percent of the time. The study found that environmental factors can also influence if a person gets diabetes. Many different genes contribute to Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes can be dominant, recessive, or somewhere in between.

Type 1 diabetes has been known to depend on the genetics of a person, unknown environmental triggers, and an uncontrolled autoimmune response that attacks insulin producing cells. Some research has found that breastfeeding can possibly decrease the risk of Type 1 diabetes later on in life. Also is has been found that giving children vitamin D during their first few years of life can possibly reduce the risk of Type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes happens when insulin is not used properly by the cells. Sometimes this is combined with an insulin deficiency. Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes are similar to Type 1 diabetes: frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger. A person’s lifestyle and genetics are two causes of Type 2 diabetes. There are many lifestyle factors that can contribute to the contraction of Type 2 diabetes. One study showed that people who were physically active, ate a healthy diet, did not smoke, drank alcohol in moderation had an eighty-two percent lower rate of diabetes. This study defined a healthy diet as one that is high in fiber, high polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat ratio, and a low glycemic index, which measures the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. It is found that being overweight and obese can increase the chances of getting Type 2 diabetes. By lowering the amount of saturated fats and trans fatty acids in the diet, the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes. It is also believed that environmental toxins can contribute to the increase in the rate of Type 2 diabetes.

There are also many medical conditions and factors that can give rise to or worsen Type 2 diabetes. These conditions include obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, Cushing’s syndrome, and chronic pancreatitis. Other factors include old age, high-fat diets, and a sedentary life style. There is also a strong connection in genetics and Type 2 diabetes. Having relatives with Type 2 diabetes also increases your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes. It was found that almost fifty-five percent of patients who were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes were obese when they were diagnosed. Being obese increases the chance of insulin not being used properly by the cells. A person’s diet and weight along with genetic composition play a part in the development of Type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can be delayed with a healthy diet and regular exercise. It has also been found that diets high in low fat diary may possibly reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes in men. Making changes in a person lifestyle can also reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends that a person maintain a healthy weight, get at least two and one half hours of exercise a week, eat fiber from whole grains, and limit the fat intake. Studies have shown that eating foods with a low glycemic index can possibly help the prevention of diabetes. People who have diets that are low in fat reduce the risk of becoming diabetic.

Gestational Diabetes happens when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have high blood sugar levels during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes can possibly come before the development of Type 2 diabetes. There are few symptoms of Gestational diabetes. Tests during pregnancy show that blood sugar levels are inappropriately high. Also there may be symptoms of increased thirst, increased urination, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, bladder infection, yeast infection, and blurred vision. Gestational diabetes can affect three to ten percent of pregnant women. No causes have been found; however it is believed that the hormones that are produced during pregnancy can increase a women’s resistance to insulin.

Babies born to women who have Gestational diabetes have increased risk for being large, having low blood sugar, and jaundice. It is treatable and women who have control of their blood sugar levels can decrease the risks.

There are two types of Gestational diabetes: Type A1 and Type A2. Type A1 means that there is an abnormal oral glucose tolerance test, but there are normal blood sugar levels during fasting and two hours after eating a meal. With this type of Gestational diabetes, modifying the diet is an adequate way to control blood sugar levels. Type A2 means that there is an abnormal oral glucose tolerance test and abnormal blood sugar levels during fasting and after eating a meal. With this type of Gestational diabetes, additional therapy with insulin or other medications is required.

There are some risk factors for developing Gestational diabetes. Some of them include a previous diagnosis of Gestational diabetes, a family history with a relative with Type 2 diabetes, an increase in age of the mother, ethnic background, being overweight or obese, a previous child having a high birth weight, and previous poor obstetric history.

Glycogen and Exercise

Most often in exercise we use glycogen to fuel our bodies. Glycogen is used for many short and intense exercises. When exercising for long periods of time, fat is used to fuel the body; however, glycogen is still used because it breaks down the fat so the muscles can use it. Getting enough carbohydrates is important for energy when exercising. If there are not enough carbohydrates to fuel the body for exercise, the body will start to break down the proteins to make glucose for energy. This is not good because protein is what makes muscles, bones, hair, and skin. If you rely on protein for your stores of energy, this can make creating muscle difficult because the protein is being used for energy and not muscle building.

Eating carbohydrates is good for getting energy while exercising. It is equally important to replenish the carbohydrates used during exercise. Replenishing the store of carbohydrates will replenish the store of glycogen in the body so your body will be ready for the next workout. The glycogen that the body receives comes from simple carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are absorbed easily and quickly into the body.

Long-distance athletes will often use up their entire store of glycogen after long periods of exercise and not getting enough energy. In marathon runners, this is known as “hitting the wall”. This usually happens around the twenty mile point, and it depends on the runner and the race. In order to delay this, runners will eat a lot of carbohydrates, or carbohydrate load, before the race. When an athlete experiences the glycogen debt, it becomes difficult to move and they are extremely fatigued. One study found that glycogen can be refilled more quickly if an athlete eats carbohydrates and caffeine after intense exercise.

Using Whey Protein with Exercise

Whey protein can especially help with diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem because of the rise of obesity. By practicing good healthy eating habits, Type 2 diabetes can be managed. Whey protein is a good choice because it provides high quality proteins that are low in fat and cholesterol. Whey protein also helps control blood sugar levels and is beneficial for managing weight.

Whey protein has many different amino acids. Our body uses amino acids to build, repair, and maintain different tissues in the body. The skin, bones and muscles are some of the main tissues that use amino acids. Whey protein amino acids are part of muscle protein. It can help to keep the glycogen stored and also help the amount of protein that is used during exercise to be reduced.

After an event, you will want to eat a meal that is balanced with carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Athletes especially need protein after an event to help their muscles grow and get stronger. A great way to get the added protein is to drink a whey protein isolate supplement. Whey protein builds lean muscle. Whey protein isolate is easy to digest compared to soy based supplements because it is diary based. An isolate also contains 90% pure protein and less fat and carbohydrates than concentrates. You can also find protein in lean meats, fish, eggs, bean, and nuts.

The body uses amino acids to restore itself after a difficult workout. Whey protein is a good supplement that will add protein and amino acids to the diet. The amino acids that are in whey protein will quickly move through the digestive systems, thus creating a rise in amino acids in the blood and encourage the creation of protein and muscle.