an economical method of using carbohydrates; a carbohydrate cycle in animals and man involving the muscles, blood, and liver, investigated by the American biochemist C. Cori in the 1930’s.
An increased amount of lactic acid is produced during intense muscle activity. This lactic acid passes into the blood and, from the blood, into the liver, where it is converted to glycogen. Enzymes in the liver break down the glycogen to glucose. The glucose enters the blood, is taken up by the muscles, and serves to resynthesize glycogen. The Cori cycle, together with neurohumoral regulation of glycogen synthesis and breakdown, ensures an optimum blood-sugar level in the organism.