The glycogen for an organism is a source of nutritious energy on an emergency. When physical activity is high, from "glikogenovy depots", special structures in muscle cells, there is a glycogen and breaks up to the most plain glucose, and it already gives food to an organism.
Scientifically, a glycogen – the polysaccharide based on glucose. It is complex carbohydrate which only living organisms have, and it is necessary to them as a power reserve. The glycogen can be compared to the battery which the organism uses in a stressful situation to move. And still the glycogen can be replacement for fatty acids that is very important for athletes.
The difference of fatty acid from a glycogen that the last is a clean sugar, but so far an organism will not request it, it is neutralized and does not get to blood. And fatty acid is more complex, - it consists of carbohydrates and the transporting proteins which connect glucose and condense to a state in which it will be difficult to split it. Fatty acid is necessary to an organism to increase the power value of fats and to reduce the probability of their accidental disintegration. The organism reserves fatty acid for an acute shortage of calories, and the glycogen gives energy even at a small stress.
The quantity of a glycogen in an organism depends on the size of "glikogenovy depots". If the person specially is not engaged, he will have small this size. Athletes are able to increase "glikogenovy depots" by means of trainings, receiving at the same time:
- high endurance;
- the increased volume of muscle tissue;
- noticeable changes of weight during the training.
However the glycogen almost does not influence power indicators of athletes.
Why the glycogen is necessary?
The glycogen role for an organism depends on that from where it is synthesized: from a liver or from muscles.
The glycogen from a liver is necessary to deliver glucose on all body – it does not allow sugar level to fluctuate in blood. If between a breakfast and a lunch of people actively does sports, glucose level at it falls, the risk of a hypoglycemia appears. Then the glycogen in a liver is split, gets into blood and levels a glucosic indicator. By means of a glycogen the liver supports sugar level normal.
The glycogen from muscles is necessary to support work of a musculoskeletal system.
At people who move a little glucose does not collect in the form of a glycogen. "glikogenovy depots" are full of them, and reserves of animal starch do not manage to be spent, and glucose is saved in the form of fats under skin. Therefore the food rich with carbohydrates, for the person inactive – a direct way to growth of a fat layer.
Athletes have other situation:
- because of loadings the glycogen is exhausted quickly, up to 80% for a training;
- because of it there is "a carbohydrate window" when the organism urgently needs fast carbohydrates to be restored;
- in "a carbohydrate window" the athlete can eat sweet or fat - it on anything will not affect because the organism will take all energy from food to restore "glikogenovy depot";
- muscles of athletes are actively filled with blood, and their "the glikogenovy depot" stretches, and cages which store a glycogen become more.
However the glycogen will cease to come to blood if pulse to increase to 80% of the maximum ChSS. It will lead to a lack of oxygen, and then the organism will begin to oxidize fatty acids promptly. Such process in sport is called "drying".
But to lose weight, accumulating a glycogen, it is impossible. On the contrary, when glycogen stocks increase, weight will increase by 7-12%. However the body becomes heavier only because muscles, but not a fat layer increase. And when "glikogenovy depots" at the person big, the surplus of calories does not turn into fatty tissue. And it means that the probability to recover at the expense of fat is minimum.
However, the glycogen explains fast result of express diets for weight loss. These diets are bezuglevodna that forces an organism to spend a glycogen stronger. It in a body of the adult about 400 grams collect, and each gram connects 4 grams of water. And when the organism loses a glycogen, together with it it gets rid also of water, and it will leave 4 times more. And one liter of water is 1 kg of weight.
But the result of express diets lasts not for long. Once the person returns to habitual food which contains carbohydrates, reserves of animal starch will be filled. And with them also the water lost during a diet will return.
How to turn carbohydrates into a glycogen?
Synthesis of a glycogen hormones and nervous system, not only trainings direct. In muscles the process starts adrenaline, in a liver – glyukogaon, pancreas hormone which is produced when the person starves. Insulin is responsible for creation of "spare" carbohydrates.
Effect of insulin and glyukogaon depends on food. If the organism is saturated, fast carbohydrates will turn into fatty tissue, and slow will become energy, without getting to glikogenovy chains.
To learn how food will be distributed, it is necessary:
- To consider the glycemic index. At a high rate sugar grows in blood, and the organism turns it into fats. At low glucose level gradually increases, it is split. And only at an average value, from 30 to 60, sugar becomes a glycogen.
- To consider glycemic loading: the it is lower, the chance is more that carbohydrate will turn into a glycogen.
- To know type of carbohydrates. There are carbohydrates with the high glycemic index, but they are easily split on simple monosaccharides. For example, maltodextrin: he does not participate in digestive process and at once gets into a liver where it is simpler to organism to split it on a glycogen, than to turn into glucose.
Whether food will become a glycogen or fat acid depends also on that how many glucose will turn out when splitting. Very slow carbohydrate, for example, will not turn neither into a glycogen, nor into fat acid.
Glycogen and diseases
Diseases arise in two cases: when the glycogen is not split and when it is not synthesized.
When the glycogen is not split, it begins to collect in cells of all fabrics and bodies. Serious consequences: violations of work of a small intestine, trouble breathing, spasms, increase in heart, kidneys, a liver, a glycemic coma – and it not everyone. The disease is called glycogenesis, it congenital, and develops because of misoperation of enzymes which are necessary for splitting of a glycogen.
When the glycogen is not synthesized, doctors diagnose aglikogenez – a disease which arises because in an organism there is no enzyme splitting a glycogen at all. At the same time the person has very low content of glucose, a spasm and a sharp hypoglycemia. A hereditary disease, define it by a liver biopsy.
Surplus or deficiency: how to learn?
If there is too much glycogen in an organism, at people the weight increases, blood is condensed, there are problems with a small intestine, work of a liver is broken. Risk group – people with liver dysfunction, with a lack of enzymes and those who keep to a diet with the high content of glucose. They need more physical activities and it is worth reducing amount of the food rich with a glycogen.
If the glycogen is not enough, it affects mentality: there are apathy, more or less severe depressions, memory worsens. At such person the immunity will weaken, skin and hair will suffer.
In day the people need to receive from 100 grams of a glycogen or more. And if the person does sports, practices "hungry" diets and its intellectual loading is often high, the dose needs to be raised.