NationStates Jolt Archive

Ah tryptophan, the turkey amino acid which makes one sleepy...how much I love you and your pacifying qualities :)

Ah tryptophan, the turkey protein which makes one sleepy...how much I love you and your pacifying qualities :)
Tryptophan is an amino acid.

http://www.biopsychiatry.com/tryptophan/tryptophan.jpg

We use it alot. :confused:

Tryptophan is an amino acid.
Whoops - I still maintain my point. Plus it's non-habit forming

Ah tryptophan, the turkey protein which makes one sleepy...how much I love you and your pacifying qualities :)
It's a tradition. You can't replace pot that easily.

Ummm... to paraphrase Freewheelin' Franklin, "Dope in times no turkey is better than turkey in times of no dope". Besides, you can't shake off tryptophan. It'll knock you out every time. At least with dope, a quick cup of coffee can often revive me when necessary.

Heh. I could go to my labs and get high then. Cool.

Do what I do, stuff your turkey with pot. That way, everyone wins!

"I support legalized marijuana, therefore I smoke a ton of it"- Bill Maher

Sums up my viewpoint nicely!;)

You can't replace pot that easily.

You're damn right you can't replace me easily!

Isn't tryptophan what a bunch of the X5's in Dark Angel have a deficiency of, giving them seizures?

[/geek]

You're damn right you can't replace me easily!
*takes out broken mannequin, puts in Potaria's place*

*doesn't notice after that*

Oh come on, it was screaming for me to joke!

*takes out broken mannequin, puts in Potaria's place*

*doesn't notice after that*

Oh come on, it was screaming for me to joke!

*gunshot*

Isn't tryptophan what a bunch of the X5's in Dark Angel have a deficiency of, giving them seizures?

[/geek]
Essential Amino Acid means that you cannot manufacture the amino acid in question from any bodily metabolite or through any metabolic system. Therefore, we'd all have tryptophan deficiency if we didn't eat it.

*gunshot*
But I just did one sprint, do I have to go again??

Essential Amino Acid means that you cannot manufacture the amino acid in question from any bodily metabolite or through any metabolic system. Therefore, we'd all have tryptophan deficiency if we didn't eat it.

Hey man, I didn't right the show. All I know is that there's something that some of the genetically modified super-soldiers didn't have/couldn't produce/meh that made them have seizures unless they could get certain pills. I seem to recall 'tryptophan' being involved somewhere in that.

While pure tryptophan is a mild sedative, turkey does not contain enough to have a significant effect. (http://physorg.com/news8453.html)

Hey man, I didn't right the show. All I know is that there's something that some of the genetically modified super-soldiers didn't have/couldn't produce/meh that made them have seizures unless they could get certain pills. I seem to recall 'tryptophan' being involved somewhere in that.
OK. I looked it up with google. Dark Angel used tryptophan. Why the hell she didn't just eat turkey, though...

OK. I looked it up with google. Dark Angel used tryptophan. Why the hell she didn't just eat turkey, though...

I don't know. Apparently milk helped calm the seizures, though.

I don't know. Apparently milk helped calm the seizures, though.
Also fairly high in it, apparently. Well done Dark Angel researchers (http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/cowsmilk_nutrient.htm)

While pure tryptophan is a mild sedative, turkey does not contain enough to have a significant effect. (http://physorg.com/news8453.html)
That's an interesting site you've linked us to. Thanks Fass.

I was bored.

Also fairly high in it, apparently. Well done Dark Angel researchers (http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/cowsmilk_nutrient.htm)

Hurray for real-world accuracy!

Ooh, ooh. Also a possible answer to the turkey thing: I think poultry was difficult for your average city-person to get in post-Pulse U.S.

Man, it's kind of sad that I know this stuff... oh well! I loved that show.

While pure tryptophan is a mild sedative, turkey does not contain enough to have a significant effect. (http://physorg.com/news8453.html)


In addition, L-tryptophan must be taken on an empty stomach and not with other proteins, or it's sedative properties are nullified. Furthermore, a number of foods (particularly pork, chicken, and dairy) contain similar levels of it, and even higher levels, and are not associated with the drowsyness.

This myth gets busted every year, but reappears like clockwork. :rolleyes:

Ha! Tryptophan is no match for my overwhelming insomnia.

So what does make people feel sleepy after downing a large meal of turkey, stuffing, gravy and sundry traditional vegetables and tubers? The yams? I mean, it might be myth, but I've seen housesful of dozing diners after a holiday meal.

Something is laying 'em out on the couch. So if not tryptophan, then what is it that's doing it?

So what does make people feel sleepy after downing a large meal of ...

Something is laying 'em out on the couch. So if not tryptophan, then what is it that's doing it?Down a large enough meal of anything and you're going to get sleepy (well, except for a meal of habaneros and then you're just crazy). Considering that most people eat 2 to 3 times as much food at T-giving dinner as normal, the need to nap will be 2 to 3 times greater. :)

So what does make people feel sleepy after downing a large meal of turkey, stuffing, gravy and sundry traditional vegetables and tubers? The yams? I mean, it might be myth, but I've seen housesful of dozing diners after a holiday meal.

Something is laying 'em out on the couch. So if not tryptophan, then what is it that's doing it?

On the off chance that you meant that seriously, you hit the nail on the head. Stuff your self silly on proteins, carbs, and a bit of alcohol, and the fatigue is natural. IMHO, the myth's popularity is due (in part) to denial. "Nah, we didn't eat ourselves into a stupor. It was the turkey's fault." (Insert mini-rant about US culture and the decline in personal responsibility.)


http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/turkey.asp

In this instance, lore almost intersects with science. Turkey does contain tryptophan, an amino acid which is a natural sedative. But tryptophan doesn't act on the brain unless it is taken on an empty stomach with no protein present, and the amount gobbled even during a holiday feast is generally too small to have an appreciable effect. That lazy, lethargic feeling so many are overcome by at the conclusion of a festive season meal is most likely due to the combination of drinking alcohol and overeating a carbohydrate-rich repast, as well as some other factors:
Two other factors that contribute to the desire to sleep at the dinner table are meal composition and increased blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract. Studies have shown that a solid-food meal resulted in faster fatigue onset than a liquid diet. The solid-food meal also causes a variety of substances to jump into action that ultimately leads to increased blood flow to the abdomen. This increase in blood flow and an increase in the metabolic rate for digestion can contribute to the "coma."1
Those who still feel wary of turkey's purported sleep-inducing properties should find solace in the knowledge that many items we eat contain Turkey tryptophan. Milk, beef, and beans are among the foodstuffs which house this amino acid, and experts say the average serving of chicken or ground beef contains as much tryptophan as a serving of turkey does. If tryptophan were truly the sandman's henchman, we'd be falling asleep at the wheel on our way home from KFC or McDonald's.