glycogen
A constant source of blood glucose is an absolute requirement for human life. Glucose is the greatly preferred energy source for the brain, and the required energy source for cells with few or no mitochondria, such as mature erythrocytes. Glucose is also essential as an energy source for exercising muscle, where it is the substrate for anaerobic glycolysis. Blood glucose can be obtained from three primary sources: the diet, degradation of glycogen, and gluconeogenesis. Dietary intake of glucose and glucose precursors, such as starch, monosaccharides, and disaccharides, is sporadic and, depending on the diet, is not always a reliable source of blood glucose. In contrast, gluconeogenesis (see p. 117) can provide sustained synthesis of glucose, but it is somewhat slow in responding to a falling blood glucose level. Therefore, the body has developed mechanisms for storing a supply of glucose in a rapidly mobilizable form, namely, glycogen. In the absence of a dietary source of gluc...