Friday, February 20, 2009

LPOD - glycogen

So there I was having my feet done, and I explained to the technician about my pic of the day and learning point of the day features. "What can you teach me that I can share?" I asked.

Without so much as a pause for breath, she began to explain the characteristics of glycogen - a key ingredient in the product she was using on my feet. She explained how it was made from sugar cane, was a completely natural substance (and before I could say, "So's the venom of a black mamba"), she explained how it occurs naturally in the human body. How it exfoliates, softens and rejuvenates skin - hence its popularity in anti-aging products.

She said a lot more, but my brain wasn't really in gear. Hey, my feet were being massaged and there was soothing music on... I was floating away somewhere!

But I did check it out when I got home and discovered:

  • The uterus stores glycogen during pregnancy to nourish the embryo
  • Glycogen is the storage form of glucose in animals and humans which is analogous to the starch in plants
  • Glycogen is synthesized and stored mainly in the liver and the muscles
  • Structurally, glycogen is very similar to amylopectin (another substance hot in the anti-aging product market)
Will that do for today?

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