Thanksgiving's Biggest Myth
Anyone who has partaken in the socially sanctioned gluttony known as a turkey dinner can vouch for the bird's sedative effects. It goes something like this: meet with friends and family. Eat turkey with many fixings. Unbutton top button on your pants. Pat your belly. Depending on your gender and interests, retire to the couch in front of the TV or the couch in the living room. Proceed to watch football and/or gossip until you can no longer keep your eyes open. Doze off into post-poultry dreamland. Alternatively, you could drive home after the feast, but driving after a Thanksgiving meal must be nearly as dangerous as driving under the influence. It is hard to concentrate on anything after eating a Thanksgiving meal. Why do our eyelids get so heavy after eating the turkey?
Many people believe that the answer lies in Tryptophan, an amino acid that is found in turkey and other protein rich foods. Also called L-tryptophan, this chemical causes the body to produce more seratonin which is a neurotransmitter that causes drowsiness. Tryptophan supplements were very popular sleep aids until a tragedy in the late 1980s that caused many people to become ill. It later became clear that the source of the illness was an impurity in the manufacturing process in Japan. This news came too late, and the scare greatly reduced the market for the supplement and led to widespread bans of its import. But, according to scientists, the tryptophan in turkey cannot account for our sleepiness. Swiss cheese and milk also contain high levels of tryptophan, and they do not usually have us grabbing for the nearest pillow. What then is the cause of the "turkey coma"?
The explanation is not a complicated one. The simple truth may be that overeating causes fatigue. The typical turkey dinner is not only high in calories, but is also a carbohydrate bomb. The tryptophan in turkey may be a partial culprit, but the starchiness of the various stuffings, pies, and potatoes are probably more to blame. These carb-rich treats also make the body more receptive to the tryptophan. The combination of increased levels of seratonin, consumption of huge levels of carbohydrates and many calories, in a very relaxed setting, proves to be an irresistable chemical lullaby.