Urban legends are tough to debunk, but with Thanksgiving approaching we're going to do our best to end one right here:
Turkey, in and of itself, will not make you drowsy.
When Aunt Gert proclaims otherwise, tell her to have another glass of white zinfandel.
The discussion comes up at just about every holiday feast. Somebody will point out that turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid with sedative properties.
That's true.
Turkey does contain tryptophan, which once was marketed as a sleep aid. But, other meats, cheese, milk, yogurt and plenty of other foods contain tryptophan as well.
Why does almost everyone in the family crash in front of the football game after the Thanksgiving feast?
It could be boring conversation. It could be the ingestion of about 2,000 calories in one sitting. More likely, it has to do with the heavy consumption of carbohydrates, which triggers the release of insulin, which creates a chain reaction that stimulates the production of sleep-inducing serotonin and melatonin.
So, the tryptophan thing is pretty much a myth. (It did make for a funny "Seinfeld" episode when Jerry and George wanted to play with some antique toys).
Feel free to argue with any aunts and uncles about the properties of tryptophan. It might keep everyone from falling asleep after the pumpkin pie.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
