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. 2021 Nov 21;71(1):35.
doi: 10.1186/s12576-021-00821-1.

Diurnal variations in muscle and liver glycogen differ depending on the timing of exercise

Kaito Iwayama  1 , Yoko Tanabe  2 , Fumiya Tanji  3 , Takahiro Ohnishi  4 , Hideyuki Takahashi  2
Affiliations

Diurnal variations in muscle and liver glycogen differ depending on the timing of exercise

Kaito Iwayama et al. J Physiol Sci. .

Abstract

It has been suggested that glycogen functions not only in carbohydrate energy storage, but also as molecular sensors capable of activating lipolysis. This study aimed to compare the variation in liver and muscle glycogen during the day due to different timing of exercise. Nine healthy young men participated in two trials in which they performed a single bout of exercise at 70% of their individual maximal oxygen uptake for 60 min in the post-absorptive (morning) or post-prandial (afternoon) state. Liver and muscles glycogen levels were measured using carbon magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C MRS). Diurnal variations in liver and muscle glycogen compared to baseline levels were significantly different depending on the timing of exercise. The effect of the timing of exercise on glycogen fluctuation is known to be related to a variety of metabolic signals, and the results of this study will be useful for future research on energy metabolism.

Keywords: Glycogen; Liver; Muscle; Post-absorptive exercise; Post-prandial exercise.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Change from baseline (at 20:00 on day 1) in muscle (a) and liver (b) glycogen in the morning (closed circles) and afternoon trials (open circles). Values are shown as means ± SEs. *P < 0.05 vs. afternoon trial. **P < 0.01 vs. afternoon trial. †P < 0.05 vs. baseline. ‡P < 0.05 vs. baseline
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Changes in blood glucose (a), insulin (b), and triglyceride (c) levels in the morning (closed circles) and afternoon trials (open circles). Values are shown as means ± SEs. *P < 0.05 vs. afternoon trial
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