Tryptophan Thursday
http://www.dearastronomer.com/
In celebration of Thanksgiving (in the United States) , let’s take a moment to look at the famous chemical Tryptophan.
For starters, contrary to popular belief, Tryptophan is NOT responsible for “sleepiness” after eating a meal at thanksgiving. Many foods other than turkey contain Tryptophan (milk, beef, etc.)
It is true that Tryptophan IS a natural sedative (and was sold in pill form until the late 80′s) – the amount of the chemical present in a typical serving of food is too low to trigger sleepiness.
Basically, it’s not the turkey that makes you sleepy after a thanksgiving meal…. In all likelihood it’s the potatoes, stuffing, gravy and other carbohydrate-rich foods on the table.
Ray Sanders is a Sci-Fi geek, astronomer and blogger. Currently researching variable stars at Arizona State University, he writes for Universe Today, The Planetary Society blog, and his own blog, Dear Astronomer
2012-12-04 08:05:10
Source: http://www.dearastronomer.com/2010/11/25/tryptophan-thursday/
Source:
