I heard that when you eat turkey that you get sleepy, because it has some kind of chemical in it that makes you want to sleep. Is this true? Because it's after lunch, and I had a turkey sandwich, and I'm feelin like a nap!
2006-09-08 07:21:44 · 17 answers · asked by *~HoNeYBeE~* 5 in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
I just had a turkey sandwich, too !! Night , night !!! Yawn , yawn !
2006-09-08 07:24:59 · answer #1 · answered by retepsumdac 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes it contains the chemical, tryptophan...
to read more about it... here is a link from wikipedia.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan
Tryptophan and turkey
According to popular belief, tryptophan in turkey meat causes drowsiness. Turkey does contain tryptophan, which does have a documented sleep-inducing effect as it is readily converted into Serotonin by the body. However, tryptophan is effective only when taken on its own as a free amino acid. Tryptophan in turkey is found as part of a protein, and, in small enough amounts, this mechanism seems unlikely.
A more-likely hypothesis is that the ingestion of large quantities of food, such as at a Thanksgiving feast, means that large quantities of both carbohydrates and branched-chain amino acids are consumed. Like carbohydrates, branched-chain amino acids require insulin to be transduced through the myocyte membranes, which, after a large meal, creates a competition among the amino acids and glucose for insulin, while simultaneously creating tryptophan's reduced competition with other amino acids for the Large Neutral Amino Acid Transporter protein for transduction across the blood-brain barrier. The result is a greater availability of tryptophan, via the Large Neutral Amino Acid Transporter, for conversion into serotonin by the raphe nuclei, which is then available for conversion into melatonin by the pineal gland. Drowsiness is the result
2006-09-08 07:28:04 · answer #2 · answered by Fatty McButterpants 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Turkey meat contains a lot of an amino acid called L-tryptophan (say: el-trip-teh-fan). Amino acids are the "building blocks" for the proteins that make up our muscles and other important parts of our bodies. (L-tryptophan is just one kind of amino acid — there are many different kinds of amino acids in the foods we eat.)
When we eat foods that contain L-tryptophan, this amino acid travels in the blood from the digestive system and later enters the brain. The brain then changes the L-tryptophan into another chemical called serotonin (say: sare-uh-toh-nin). Serotonin calms us down and helps us sleep.
http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/turkey_sleepy.html
Tryptophan is a precursor of the sleep-inducing substances serotonin and melatonin. This means tryptophan is the raw material that the brain uses to build these relaxing neurotransmitters. Making more tryptophan available, either by eating foods that contain this substance or by seeing to it that more tryptophan gets to the brain, will help to make you sleepy.
SNOOZE FOODS
These are foods high in the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan:
Dairy products: cottage cheese, cheese, milk
Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts
Seafood
Meats
Poultry
Whole grains
Beans
Rice
Hummus
Lentils
Hazelnuts, Peanuts
Eggs
Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T042400.asp#T042401
2006-09-08 07:46:58 · answer #3 · answered by Swirly 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is a sturdy question! the priority in turkey meat is named L-tryptophan. it is in the turkey meat, besides the fact that the turkeys do no longer grow to be sleepy basically because of the fact this is of their meat. If accidentally a turkey have been to consume yet another turkey, (very no longer likely) the guy who ate the different one might get sleepy.
2016-10-14 11:21:04 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it does. Turkey meat contains a high proportion of the amino acid Tryptophan.
Tryptophan is a precursor for serotonin (a neurotransmitter) and melatonin (a neurohormone). Melatonin is acts to induce drowsiness and is prescribed as a sleeping medication.
2006-09-08 07:23:32 · answer #5 · answered by Rillifane 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It can contribute to your sleepiness, but usually after ingestion of a lot of it. I find the post-ingestive stupor at Thanksgiving usually comes from the eating of the big meal, which would happen no matter what we were serving.
2006-09-08 07:25:12 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes it does have the chemical (sp) Tripofan. It works on different people in different degrees and it also varies with the amount of it you ingest.
2006-09-08 07:26:10 · answer #7 · answered by billydeer_2000 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
TRIPTOFAN! I have to avoid turkey myself lately because of it. I eat chicken now.
2006-09-08 07:27:10 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes, turkey has an ingredient called trytophan which makes you sleepy.
2006-09-08 07:23:44 · answer #9 · answered by ANTHONY A 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes it does contain a chemical ( triptofan) (sp) that make you verrrryyy sleeeepppyyy.
2006-09-08 07:23:26 · answer #10 · answered by shafermeyer 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋