So many of us just want to nap on Thanksgiving, and some say turkey may be to blame. So does turkey make you sleepy, or is it one thing else? Turkey has the makings of a natural sedative, an amino acid known as tryptophan. How Much Tryptophan Is in Turkey? Tryptophan is an essential amino acid the physique uses produce to produce melatonin, serotonin and the B vitamin niacin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycle, and serotonin is a neurotransmitter that also performs a vital position in sleep. So that you may assume that in the event you eat plenty of turkey meat, your physique would produce extra melatonin and serotonin, and you would feel drained and desire a nap. That was the conclusion that led many individuals to begin taking a dietary supplement of tryptophan within the 1980s as a strategy to deal with insomnia, however the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned tryptophan supplements in 1990 due to an outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia, a syndrome that causes muscle ache and even loss of life.
However, it's now believed that the sickness was attributable to contaminants in the manufacturing facility in Japan that made the supplements and they are now as soon as again accessible within the U.S. How Much Tryptophan Is in Turkey? One pound (0.Forty five kilograms) of light meat turkey incorporates 410 milligrams L-tryptophan