Question

The body stores carbohydrates as glycogen in the liver and muscles. When a person stops eating carbohydrates, blood glucose is maintained primarily by using glycogen stored in the liver. Once this is gone, the body will begin catabolizing muscle into glucose. The liver can store 200.0 g glycogen, and exactly 1 g glycogen can be converted to 1 g glucose by the body when necessary. The average body contains 5.000 L of blood and can usually maintain a blood glucose concentration of at least 83.00 mg glucose per deciliter of blood. If the average person uses 3844 mg glucose per hour, how much time (in hours) would pass before the body would begin catabolizing muscle once a person stopped eating carbohydrates?

Answer 1

Blood glucose level has to be maintained.

Liver stores 200g of glycogen.

1g glycogen is converted to 1g glucose.

An average person uses 3844mg = 3.844g of glucose in an HOUR and this is first replenished by the liver and when the liver's supply ends; the muscles are catabolized.

So basically we just have to find the time in which the liver's supply would end.

Time taken for liver's supply to end (in hours)=

(Total amount liver stores)/(Amount used by body in an hour ) = 200/3.844 = 52.029 hours