Which carbohydrate reserve is stored by the liver?

Study liver anatomy and function with our medical students test. Engage with detailed multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Prepare effectively for your test!

Glycogen is the carbohydrate reserve stored by the liver. The liver converts excess glucose into glycogen through glycogenesis, creating a branched polymer that can be rapidly mobilized when blood glucose drops. During fasting, glycogen undergoes glycogenolysis, and in hepatocytes glucose-6-phosphatase converts the product to free glucose that can enter the bloodstream to maintain systemic glucose levels. Free glucose isn’t stored in large amounts in the liver, and simple sugars like fructose and sucrose are absorbed and metabolized rather than stored as a liver reserve. Skeletal muscle also stores glycogen, but it cannot supply glucose to the bloodstream, whereas liver glycogen acts as the body-wide glucose reservoir.