The Volokh Conspiracy
[Eugene Volokh, November 23, 2006 at 6:12pm] Trackbacks
Tryptophan in Turkey Apparently Is Not What Makes You Drowsy

after the Thanksgiving meal. So says Snopes and various other sources; thanks to Geek Press for the pointer.

The large meal and the wine might be the culprits, though.

chrismn (mail):
As Lileks says, turkeys are full of tryptophan, and they seem to run around just fine.
11.23.2006 8:37pm
harrison (mail) (www):
But if they weren't full of tryptophan they'd move so fast you couldn't see them.
11.23.2006 10:24pm
teqjack (mail):
OK, apocryphal, but...

Not the natural tryptophan, but something... Until three years ago, most segments of the family used brand-name frozen turkeys and always fell asleep, often with associated [minor] headaches, shortly after eating. Two of the families then switched to fresh (and natural in the sense of fed no added growth hormones/chemicals, but not necessarily "organic" and certainly not "free-range") from a local turkey farm, and the problem(s) went away, except for the same symptoms (repletion, some drowsiness) as after large meals of other foods (ham, beef, fish, spaghetti, etc.). After three years, most others have decided this is not a fluke and will almost certainly follow suit next year.
11.24.2006 4:27pm
speedwell (mail):
Sounds like they're getting "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" headaches and other issues with the MSG in the "flavoring broth" injected into most commercial turkeys. yes, it does improve the flavor and moistness, but MSG is evidently the reason and your family seems to be particularly sensitive to it (mine, for the record, tolerates it pretty well).
11.24.2006 11:04pm

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