The main form of carbohydrate stored in the body, found mainly in the liver and in muscles.
When there is too much glucose in the blood, the excess is converted to glycogen by the action of insulin and corticosteroid hormones.
When the blood glucose level is low, glycogen is converted back to glucose (a process regulated by adrenaline and glucagon) and released into the bloodstream.
Glycogen, or animal starch, is a CARBOHYDRATE substance found specially in the liver, as well as in other tissues. It is the form in which carbohydrates taken in the food are stored in the liver and muscles before they are converted into GLUCOSE as the needs of the body require.
n. a carbohydrate consisting of branched chains of glucose units. Glycogen is the principal form in which carbohydrate is stored in the body: it is the counterpart of starch in plants. Glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles and may be readily broken down to glucose.
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