What percentage of glucose is stored as glycogen?

• A. 20 percent
• B. 80 percent
• C. 50 percent
• D. 10 percent

Answer: (A)

Glucose that isn’t needed right away is stored as glycogen through glycogenesis in the liver and skeletal muscles. The body’s capacity to hold glycogen is finite. In an average adult, total glycogen stores are around 400 grams, with roughly 100 g in the liver and about 300 g in muscles. This storage represents a fraction of daily glucose availability: most of the glucose you consume is used for immediate energy, and when energy intake is high, excess glucose is converted to fat. Because glycogen storage has limited capacity, only about one-fifth (roughly 20 percent) of ingested glucose ends up stored as glycogen, while the rest is used or converted.