Logan Steele
Glycogen is a vital energy source for athletes and recreational exercisers alike. It is the body's stored form of glucose, which is derived from the carbohydrates in our diets. Glycogen is stored in the muscles and liver, and it is broken down to supply the body with glucose during exercise. The rate of glycogen depletion depends on the intensity of the workout, with high-intensity exercises depleting glycogen stores more rapidly. Restoring glycogen after exercise through carbohydrate-rich meals or snacks is essential for recovery and performance, and consuming high-glycemic index foods can speed up muscle glycogen restoration. Athletes should pay close attention to their carbohydrate intake to ensure optimal glycogen levels and avoid the negative consequences of glycogen depletion, such as decreased performance and muscle damage.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What is it? | Glycogen is the body's stored form of glucose, which is sugar. |
| Where is it stored? | Glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles. |
| How is it stored? | Glycogen is supplied through the carbohydrates in your diet. |
| What is it used for? | Glycogen is used to power your brain and athletic pursuits as well as many other bodily functions. |
| How does it affect exercise? | Muscle glycogen particles are broken down during intense, intermittent exercise and throughout prolonged physical activity, freeing glucose molecules that muscle cells then oxidize to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules required for muscle contraction. |
| How does it affect muscle? | When glycogen runs out, muscle tissue breaks down protein and amino acids to convert into glucose, which can lead to undue muscle damage. |
| How can it be restored? | Restoring glycogen after exercise is a vital part of the recovery process. Eating a carb-rich recovery shake or snack within 30 to 60 minutes of finishing a workout can help restore glycogen. |
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What You'll Learn
Carbohydrates and muscle glycogen
Carbohydrates are essential for athletes and those engaging in physical activity. Carbohydrate-rich foods provide the body with an energy source that keeps you going through long periods of physical activity. This energy source is glycogen.
Glycogen is the body's stored form of glucose, which is a sugar. It is made from several connected glucose molecules and is the body's primary and preferred source of energy. Glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles and comes from carbohydrates in food and drink. Most of the carbohydrates we eat are converted to glucose. When the body doesn't need fuel, the glucose molecules are linked together in chains of eight to 12 glucose units, forming a glycogen molecule. Eating a meal containing carbohydrates raises blood glucose levels, which signals to the pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that helps the body's cells take up glucose from the bloodstream for energy or storage. Insulin causes the liver and muscle cells to produce an enzyme called glycogen synthase, which links chains of glucose together.
During intense, intermittent exercise and throughout prolonged physical activity, muscle glycogen particles are broken down, freeing glucose molecules that muscle cells then oxidize through anaerobic and aerobic processes to produce the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules required for muscle contraction. The rate at which muscle glycogen is degraded depends on the intensity of the physical activity. High-intensity activity, such as sprinting, can quickly lower glycogen stores in active muscle cells, even if the total time of activity is brief.
Restoring glycogen after exercise is a vital part of the recovery process. In the hours after exercise, consuming high-glycemic index (GI) foods can speed muscle glycogen restoration. Carbohydrate-rich pre- and post-workout drinks and snacks can help athletes exercise longer, recover quicker, and replenish glycogen stores.
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Muscle glycogen and protein
Glycogen is a form of glucose that is stored in the liver and muscles. It is the body's primary and preferred source of energy. The body converts glucose to glycogen through a process called glycogenesis. During glycogenesis, the body breaks down glycogen in a process called glycogenolysis, which the body can then use. The liver and muscles store glycogen, with the liver storing a greater ratio of glycogen than skeletal muscle. However, since muscle mass is greater than the liver, about three-quarters of the body's total glycogen is in the muscles.
Glycogen is supplied through the carbohydrates in food. Carbohydrates are converted to glucose, which is the body's main source of energy. When the body doesn't need fuel, glucose molecules are linked together in chains of eight to 12 glucose units, forming a glycogen molecule. Eating a meal containing carbohydrates will raise blood glucose levels, which signals to the pancreas to produce insulin. Insulin helps the body's cells take up glucose from the bloodstream for energy or storage. Insulin also causes the liver and muscle cells to produce an enzyme called glycogen synthase, which links chains of glucose together.
During intense and prolonged exercise, the glycogen in active muscle cells can substantially reduce. The rate at which muscle glycogen is degraded depends on the intensity of physical activity. High-intensity activity, such as sprinting, can quickly lower glycogen stores in active muscle cells. The glycogen stored in the muscles is primarily used by the muscles themselves, while the glycogen stored in the liver is distributed throughout the body, mainly to the brain and spinal cord.
Restoring glycogen after exercise is a vital part of the recovery process. Consuming a high-glycemic index (GI) meal or snack within 30 to 60 minutes of finishing exercise can speed up muscle glycogen restoration. It is recommended that this meal or snack contains at least 20 grams of protein, which may help speed up glycogen storage and muscle fibre repair.
Protein, broken down into amino acids, is rarely used as a main energy source except during starvation or a glycolytic crisis. However, protein does play a role in muscle glycogen synthesis. For example, multiday supplementation with creatine monohydrate and an adequate amount of carbohydrates has been reported to increase muscle glycogen synthesis compared to carbohydrate ingestion alone.
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Muscle glycogen and athletic performance
Muscle glycogen is an important factor in athletic performance. It is the body's stored form of glucose, which is sugar, and is derived from the carbohydrates in our diets. Glycogen is stored in the muscles and liver and is the body's primary and preferred source of energy.
During exercise, muscle glycogen particles are broken down, releasing glucose molecules that are then oxidised by muscle cells through aerobic and anaerobic processes to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, which are required for muscle contraction. The rate at which muscle glycogen is broken down depends on the intensity of the physical activity. High-intensity exercises, such as sprinting, can quickly deplete glycogen stores, while endurance training will also significantly deplete glycogen, but at a slower rate.
The ability of athletes to train continuously depends on the restoration of muscle glycogen stores, which requires the consumption of sufficient carbohydrates and rest. Consuming high-glycemic index (GI) foods after exercise can speed up muscle glycogen restoration, while low-GI foods are associated with greater oxidation of fatty acids and reduced degradation of muscle glycogen.
In addition, pre-exercise carbohydrate ingestion has been shown to increase total work capacity, which can benefit athletic performance. For example, a study by Yeo and colleagues found that after 10 weeks of training, the leg that commenced 50% of sessions with low muscle glycogen demonstrated a superior increase in the maximal activity of certain enzymes and almost double the exercise capacity of the leg that trained with high muscle glycogen.
Therefore, understanding and managing muscle glycogen levels through diet and training regimens is crucial for athletes to optimise their performance and recovery.
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Muscle glycogen restoration
The rate at which muscle glycogen is degraded depends on the intensity of the physical activity. High-intensity exercise, such as sprinting, can rapidly deplete glycogen stores, but endurance athletes will also experience a marked decline in muscle glycogen, albeit at a slower rate. Therefore, athletes who train day after day must adequately restore their muscle glycogen stores through the consumption of sufficient dietary carbohydrates and ample rest.
To maximise the rate of muscle glycogen synthesis, it is recommended to consume a carbohydrate supplement immediately post-exercise and to continue to supplement at frequent intervals. Research has shown that supplementing at 15 to 30-minute intervals is preferable to longer intervals, with a rate of approximately 1.0 to 1.2 g·kg-1 body wt·h-1. This can be further enhanced by adding protein to the carbohydrate supplement. Consuming a carb-rich recovery shake or snack within 30 to 60 minutes of finishing exercise is ideal, as this is when the body is primed to restock glycogen stores.
Additionally, consuming high-glycemic index (GI) foods in the hours after exercise can speed up muscle glycogen restoration. High-GI foods are digested and absorbed more quickly, leading to a faster rise in blood glucose and insulin levels. It is also beneficial to ingest carbohydrates during exercise to improve performance and speed up recovery.
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Muscle glycogen and insulin
Glycogen is the body's stored form of glucose, which is a type of sugar. Carbohydrates in the food we eat are converted to glucose, which is our main source of energy. When the body doesn't need fuel, glucose molecules are linked together in chains of eight to 12 glucose units, forming a glycogen molecule. Eating a meal containing carbohydrates raises blood glucose levels, signalling to the pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that helps the body's cells take up glucose from the bloodstream for energy or storage. Insulin causes the liver and muscle cells to produce an enzyme called glycogen synthase, which links chains of glucose together.
During intense, intermittent exercise and throughout prolonged physical activity, muscle glycogen particles are broken down, releasing glucose molecules that muscle cells then oxidize to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, which are required for muscle contraction. The rate at which muscle glycogen is degraded depends on the intensity of the physical activity. High-intensity activity, such as sprinting, can quickly deplete glycogen stores in active muscle cells.
Exercise physiologists consider glycogen's main function to be an energy substrate. Glycogen is the main energy substrate during exercise intensity above 70% of maximal oxygen uptake (Vo2max). Fatigue sets in when glycogen stores in the active muscles are depleted. After exercise, the rate of glycogen synthesis increases to replenish glycogen stores, with blood glucose acting as the substrate. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis are elevated after exercise, favouring glycogen repletion and preparation for new "fight or flight" events.
The reduction of skeletal muscle glycogen after exercise allows for the healthy storage of carbohydrates after meals and prevents the development of type 2 diabetes. Insulin activates protein kinase B (PKB) through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and two upstream kinases, phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) and the mammalian target of rapamycin complexed with Rictor (mTORC2). The activated PKB phosphorylates Akt substrate (AS160), which inhibits Rab GTPase activity and promotes GTP binding to Rabs, allowing GLUT4 translocation.
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Frequently asked questions
Glycogen is the body's stored form of glucose, which is sugar. It is made from several connected glucose molecules and is the body's primary and preferred source of energy.
Glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles and comes from carbohydrates in food and drink. The amount of glycogen stored can vary depending on how active you are, how much energy you burn at rest, and the types of food you eat.
During exercise, muscle glycogen particles are broken down, freeing glucose molecules that muscle cells then oxidize through anaerobic and aerobic processes to produce the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules required for muscle contraction.
Glycogen is important for athletes as it powers athletic performance and other bodily functions. Restoring glycogen after a workout is a vital part of the recovery process.
