The Truth Behind Tryptophan
Since we are directly in the middle of the biggest holiday season of the year I thought it would be a great time to debunk one of the most common holiday myths. If you’re like most people you will enjoy plenty of food during these weeks and I’m sure turkey will be on the menu. Most of us have heard that turkey contains a chemical called tryptophan that gets most of the blame for that afternoon drowsiness that is so common after we get done stuffing ourselves. Sadly this is entirely untrue and poor tryptophan has been getting a bad reputation over the years. So what exactly is tryptophan and if it isn’t to blame for our post holiday meal naps then what is?
Tryptophan itself is an essential amino acid (meaning it is not produced by the body and must be gained through the diet) and a precursor to major chemicals in the brain. These chemicals include serotonin and melatonin, both of which can have an effect on the sleep cycle (this could be where the myth first originated.) The only problem with tryptophan in turkey is that it is found in such small levels that it will have almost no chance of making you drowsy. In fact, the eggs in your morning breakfast contain nearly 4 times the amount of tryptophan than turkey. So if it’s not the turkey knocking us out, then what is?
Actually, the biggest offenders are all those potato dishes and mountains of desserts. Most of your drowsiness is due to carbohydrate overload. This comes from eating a ton of sugars contained in these foods and then crashing once your blood sugar drops back down a few hours later. So next time a family member warns you about eating another helping of turkey you can set the record straight and we can stop giving poor tryptophan such a bad name.
Happy Holidays!
The holiday season is my favorite time of the year. Seeing the snow blanketing our farm and all the time spent with family are some of my greatest childhood memories. It is a great time to reflect on how blessed we are. As we spend our days huddled together, celebrating another year, our thoughts and prayers go out to our family members serving overseas and those who may have gone before us. I’m thankful for all of the many blessings in my life and this definitely includes my patients and my staff. Thank you all for making this past year such a great first year as a pharmacist and I look forward to seeing our relationships continue to grow. I consider you all my family when I’m away from home and couldn’t imagine a better group of people to be with day in and day out.
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