Question

Glycogen is stored in
A) Liver
B) Muscles
C) Pancreas
D) Liver and muscles

Answer 1

Glycogen is a polysaccharide, which acts as a form of energy storage in plants and animals. In humans, it helps in keeping the muscles fuelled for exercise.

Complete answer:
Before looking into the question, let's have a look at the structure and function of glycogen.Glycogen is composed of chains of glucose units, bonded with an alpha acetal linkage.
Functions of glycogen:

Main function of glycogen is storage of energy in animals.
Glycogen present in the liver acts as a reserve of glucose and acts appropriately to maintain normal sugar levels.
Glycogen is the source for muscle work in animals.
Glycogen plays a significant role in the protection against hypoglycemia.

Now, let's look into the options to find the correct answer.

Option A : Glycogen is stored in the liver but it is not the only place which stores glycogen. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
Option B : Glycogen is stored in the muscles but it is not the only place which stores glycogen. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
Option C : Glycogen is not stored inside Pancreas. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
Option D : When glycogen is not used by our body, it is stored in the liver and muscles. Liver has more concentration of glycogen than muscles. But, because of the overall mass of muscles, more glycogen is stored in our muscles. Therefore, this is the correct option.

Thus the correct option is (D) Liver and muscles.

Note: When the amount of glycogen stored is higher, it damages tissues and organs, specifically liver and kidneys. The excess glycogen is stored in liver and skeletal muscle cells.