In adults glucose incorporation to glycogen is indirect after recycling from lactate. In neonates galactose entry to glycogen exceeds that for glucose, but the pathway is unknown. The pathway of hexose incorporation to glycogen was studied in 5-7-day-old rats and 6-h-old rats injected intraperitoneally (IP) with either double-labeled [6-3H]glucose (nonrecycling), [U-14C]glucose (recycling), or [6-3H]glucose and [U-14C]galactose in saline. In another group of pups, 1 g/kg of glucose or galactose was administered in addition to tracers to determine glycemia and net glycogen synthesis between 15 and 180 min after injection. Blood glucose increased from 3.4 +/- 0.4 to 8.5 +/- 1.5 mM in 5-7-day-old pups in response to IP glucose; there was no glycemic response to galactose, although galactose levels increased from 0.5 to 6.3 mM at 15 min. Hepatic glycogen increased after IP glucose from 14 +/- 2 at 15 min to 30 +/- 3 at 120 min (P less than 0.01), whereas after IP galactose glycogen was 44 +/- 6 mumol/g at 120 min (P less than 0.05). After IP glucose, 3H and 14C disintegration per minute in glycogen increased slowly with 14C exceeding 3H at 120 and 180 min. In contrast IP [14C]galactose resulted in a much greater peak of 14C incorporation into glycogen. The ratio of 3H to 14C in glycogen relative to the injectate after IP glucose decreased from 0.69 +/- 0.12 to 0.36 +/- 0.03 (P less than 0.01) between 15 to 180 min, whereas the ratio after galactose was 0.20 +/- 0.007 to 0.15 +/- 0.02 at these times. The 6-h-old pups also demonstrated augmented incorporation of [14C]galactose in glycogen relative to [3H-14C]glucose. In contrast to 5-7-day-old pups there was no evidence of glucose recycling in 6-h-old pups. In conclusion galactose entry into glycogen exceeds that for glucose and is not dependent on recycling. Direct incorporation of galactose exceeds that for direct incorporation from [3H]glucose, suggesting a preferential utilization of galactose for neonatal glycogen synthesis.