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Tryptophan Thursday

Tuesday, December 4, 2012 10:41
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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



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