2006-12-26 11:22:18 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Food & Drink ➔ Cooking & Recipes
tryptophan
2006-12-26 11:26:20 · answer #1 · answered by juliem 1 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Turkey does have the makings of a natural sedative in it, an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning that the body cannot manufacture it. The body has to get tryptophan and other essential amino acids from food. Tryptophan helps the body produce the B-vitamin niacin, which, in turn, helps the body produce serotonin, a remarkable chemical that acts as a calming agent in the brain and plays a role in sleep. So you might think that if you eat a lot of turkey, your body would produce more serotonin and you would feel calm and want a nap.
That was the conclusion that led many people to begin taking a dietary supplement of tryptophan in the 1980s as a way to treat insomnia, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned tryptophan supplements in 1990 because of an outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia, a syndrome that causes muscle pain and even death. The FDA said contaminated tryptophan supplements caused the outbreak.
But nutritionists and other experts say that the tryptophan in turkey probably won't trigger the body to produce more serotonin because tryptophan works best on an empty stomach. The tryptophan in a Thanksgiving turkey has to vie with all the other amino acids that the body is trying to use. So only part of the tryptophan makes it to the brain to help produce serotonin.
It is the whole traditional Thanksgiving meal that can produce that after-dinner lethargy. The meal is quite often heavy and high in carbohydrates -- from mashed potatoes, bread, stuffing and pie -- and your body is working hard to digest that food. Also, if you drink alcohol with your dinner, you will likely feel its sedative effect, too.
There is a way to take advantage of the tryptophan in turkey. If you have trouble getting to sleep one night while there is still leftover turkey in the refrigerator, you could have a late snack of turkey and that, nutritionists say, might be the right amount of tryptophan on an empty stomach to help produce some serotonin.
2006-12-26 11:45:59 · answer #2 · answered by redunicorn 7 · 7⤊ 4⤋
It is not a drug but an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is the amino acid that the body uses to make serotonin, the neurotransmitter that slows down nerve traffic so your brain isn't so busy. Thus, you relax and many people feel sleepy
2006-12-26 11:49:51 · answer #3 · answered by cat m 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Triptophan causes serotonin to be released by your brain, and that can cause lethargy, but you'd have to eat several turkeys to get enough to notice, the effect is usually caused by carbohydrate overload and overeating.
2006-12-26 15:21:51 · answer #4 · answered by whiteknight3273 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
L-tryptophan
2006-12-26 11:46:46 · answer #5 · answered by nackawicbean 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Trepdiphan
2006-12-26 11:30:11 · answer #6 · answered by David June A 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
What it is is that turkeys have a tendency to peck on sand and eat the granules which gets into their system. Now who invented sand? answer: The Sandman. And what is his job? answer: to sprinkle sand into your eyes to make you sleepy. So it is the sand that makes you sleepy. Kinda dumb huh????
2006-12-26 11:30:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 6⤋
and hormones
2006-12-26 11:29:14 · answer #8 · answered by Auntie Marie SueB 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋