Thanksgiving Food Coma? Don't Blame The Turkey!

Does it seem reasonable to you that the turkey on your Thanksgiving plate would be the cause of your post-meal narcoleptic state? We've all been told that turkey contains tryptophan, and tryptophan makes us sleepy. Well, if it's as simple as all that, why don't we crash out at our desks every time we eat a turkey sandwich at work? Let's look at the facts, and see if we can't get to the bottom of this old wives' tale. That's something to be grateful for!

Some of you may have only heard the word tryptophan described as "that chemical in turkey." To be more specific, tryptophan is an amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, one of the four classes of large molecules that make up the human body (along with nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates). Our bodies naturally produce about ten amino acids, but the other ten -- the essential amino acids -- must be obtained from our diets. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, and it is found in all sorts of protein-rich foods. In fact, chicken, pork, fish, seaweed, spinach, and some cheeses all contain tryptophan in higher quantities than turkey. And if you want to eat the food with the highest known tryptophan concentration, sink your teeth into some sea lion. Yum!

It does seem to be the case that tryptophan can act as a sedative, but apparently only when it is consumed in large quantities. It is also necessary that it be ingested on an empty stomach with no other amino acids present to counter the sedative effect. Obviously, this is not the case when we eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Turkey is loaded with many different amino acids, and we definitely do not eat it alone, or on an empty stomach.

So why does this myth persist? If it's not because of the tryptophan, what is causing the inescapable food coma?

The answer is actually quite obvious. We eat too damn much on Thanksgiving. According to the American Council on Exercise, the average Thanksgiving meal contains 3000+ calories. That's more food than we should be eating in one or two full days. When we eat that much, blood is shunted to our guts to aid in digestion, and our brains take a back seat. This can definitely make us feel sleepy. And let's be honest...we also drink. A lot. Wine and turkey go together like mashed potatoes and gravy. Alcohol may make the family table more tolerable, but it also makes us drunk and sleepy. In fact, Thanksgiving is the holiday with the most drunk driving fatalities, even more than New Year's Eve.

So this year, don't blame the turkey if the football game renders you unconscious. Blame the booze and all those delicious carbs.

Additional sources:

Scientific American
MIT News
Physorg.com
Live Science
RealtivelyInteresting.com
Science-Based Life

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Comments

[CarbonDate]

03:30 PM on 01/07/2012

So... the brain diverts blood away from itself and toward our digestive tract? Hm.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15488646

Decreased blood supply to the brain often results in dizziness and light-headedness, but I think most people can distinguish between the feeling one gets after standing up to quickly from simple drowsiness. If anything, it's more likely that blood is being drawn from less essential (and more plentiful) muscle mass than the brain.

There may be an evolutionary aspect to the response. A large meal in the wild usually follows a large hunt, which can expend lots of energy, so sleeping after finishing the well-earned meal would be natural. That's just a guess on my part, though.

[Cimms]

03:11 PM on 11/28/2011

"Obviously, this is not the case when we eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Turkey is loaded with many different amino acids, and we definitely do not eat it alone, or on an empty stomach."

Actually, I did. One big turkey thigh put me to sleep.

[Karl Wilder]

01:52 PM on 11/25/2011

I eschewed tradition and had a nice bowl of seafood soup with clams, mussels, shrimp and lobster and a small portion of duck confit. I celebrate the harvest, and the farmers who deliver it to us. I do not celebrate excess eating.

[Guitarsandmore]

06:19 AM on 11/25/2011

I was just starting to enjoy the chart depicting the limbic areas of the brain that are responsible for our passion, our emotions, and now she wants to talk turkey! Quite a jarring leap but it shows she has depth.

Portion control and balance is the key to any good meal. I enjoy some turkey breast but also like to sample the yams, pumpkin pie, sweet rolls, and drink lots of water.

I would recommend reading instead of football. Reading stimulates the brain much more and should keep you awake.

If you are asleep you probably let someone else cook the meal and do the dishes instead of doing it yourself.

Spending some quality time with people you enjoy will help with limbic regulation and provide more health benefits than the food. Stay connected and involved with your family and your community.

[Cara Santa Maria]

04:31 AM on 11/27/2011

We had to take a mini break from sex and love to talk about Thanksgiving! But I suppose in a way, those topics are indeed connected!

[Me Squared]

09:42 PM on 11/24/2011

Correct cause, wrong result:

You don't get tired because blood leaves your brain to help out your gut. You get tired because you eat too much, your blood sugar spikes, then you produce way too much insulin to get rid of all the blood sugar, ending up with not enough! Therefore... no energy for your brain and fatigue.

[Cara Santa Maria]

04:30 AM on 11/27/2011

Wonderful point! But are these phenomena mutually exclusive? I think not! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Me Squared :)

[Sheriff J W Pepper]

08:48 PM on 11/24/2011

Take a 3 capsules of a digestive enzyme complex before you eat
and then 3 after and you won't get tired.

[Crawdad Slim]

08:03 PM on 11/24/2011

I know that lots of people get pretty drunk and drive on Thanksgiving, but still got in a thirty mile day on the bicycle. Ten to the meal, then a hard hilly twenty with my gut ready to pop. And now, six hours later, I am getting pretty hungry. To bad I ate WAY more than 3000 calories. Better go on a longer ride tomorrow while everyone is shopping...

[susanbsbi]

06:21 PM on 11/24/2011

Stomach is on over load, nap time, gym in the morning, no black Friday for me, I can do it all on line

[JacksonRaiford]

01:31 PM on 11/24/2011

I don't blame the turkey OD for my eyelids getting heavy on Thanksgiving. I figure it has much more to do with the heaping bowl I smoke before I go hangout with the family. ;)

*puff puff*
'ere...

Happy Thanksgiving!

[JordanPerry]

04:03 PM on 11/24/2011

Dinner served promptly at 420.

[Sheriff J W Pepper]

08:50 PM on 11/24/2011

I'm telling mom.

[Syllogizer]

12:52 PM on 11/24/2011

Now that November is almost over, it is time to address once again Cara's question about what other topics would be interesting to address in her column/blog. And opportunely enough, circumstances have suggested to me three very interesting topics, at least one of which Cara has the background to handle well. They are:

1) what is going on with LHC? Rumor has it the theoretical physicists are stymied and even embarrassed that no Higgs Boson has revealed itself, and I do know they are trying to do other things with it, such as neutrino research.

2) the science behind nuclear proliferation issuesIran's nuclear program has generated lots of heated discussion, most of it, alas, based on near total ignorance of the physics and engineering of both nuclear reactors AND nuclear weapons.

3) the real science behind GMOs: I just got an email from change.org, (which I joined to support another cause) asking for me to fight Monsanto's attempts to spread GMOs (stomping on their competitors in the process, of course). But I am reluctant to support that fight, since I do NOT believe there is sound scientific evidence that GMOs are harmful. I believe the 'studies' claiming to show such evidence are all flawed, like those that claim cell phone radiation or microwave ovens are harmful.

So this would make a great topic for Cara's blog: how scientific IS this evidence, what does this example tell us about how perceptions of science really influence society and politics?

[Mary Teresa]

01:25 PM on 11/24/2011

I can reply simply to #3 -- if the plant will kill the bugs that eat it - what will it do to humans? Really?

[monzambano]

04:27 PM on 11/24/2011

Just also responding to #3 - what honest studies are there showing that GMO are harmless? We're mostly given the "functional equivalent" argument: If a tomato is harmless and a salmon is harmless, then a cross between a tomato and a salmon is harmless, right? Well, maybe, but if God had meant them to mix genes, He'd have made a way for them to have sex. Not all GMO are Frankenfoods, but some are. We don't understand enough about food as it is (grapefruit has the most weird interactions with other foods, and the garbage written about fats, cholesterol or sugar is mind-boggling), to claim we know what we're doing with GMO is non-sense. I honestly believe very few scientists have any solid idea of what a specific GMO entails, and I as firmly believe that Monsanto and their ilk do not have my best interests at heart (nor are they obliged to).

[Cara Santa Maria]

04:49 AM on 11/27/2011

Most all fruits and vegetables we eat were genetically modified through straightforward breeding practices over the past hundreds of years. Very few modern foods represent those that once lived in the wild.

Is there a significant difference between foods that were engineered through artificial selection and those that were bioengineered? Look at the golden rice debates. I do think that this is an important issue that necessitates further discussion.

I personally advocate genetically-modified foods from a perspective of somebody who would like to see advances in the world hunger epidemic. I am wary, however, of the profit motive associated with some of this research...

[Linda Bilyeu]

12:23 PM on 11/24/2011

Happy Thanksgiving! Here is a compilation of 80 reasons to be thankful... http://sunshine625.hubpages.com/hub/80-Reasons-To-Be-Thankful

[PrincessZelda]

11:26 AM on 11/24/2011

You forgot one very important part of the equation: large quantities of sugar.

[Syllogizer]

12:41 PM on 11/24/2011

But was it forgotten? Or was it left out because with that many calories, it doesn't make much difference what proportion of the carbs is sugar?

[snowballinhell]

05:11 PM on 11/24/2011

Like sugar will make you sleepy? People I know who work nights do so to stay alert. Did I miss something?

[Cara Santa Maria]

04:57 AM on 11/27/2011

Sugar makes you sleepy after the initial "rush" wears off. Depending upon how complex the sugars are, as well as other factors, this can be quick or slow (this is referred to as the glycemic index in food sciences). Generally speaking, simple sugars spike blood sugar levels and often lead to a fast crash. Slower sugars, such as complex carbohydrates, may offer more sustained energy. Please bear in mind that this is a GROSS oversimplification of an incredibly complex biochemical process. Hope it helps answer your question!

[reparker]

10:30 AM on 11/24/2011

I believe this isn't just a problem for the holiday season. It s problem for us full stop. We eat too much everyday. This is why we are the fattest nation in the world. And it looks like we are keeping that title for a very long time to come. Sad state that we are in really....

[Me Squared]

09:45 PM on 11/24/2011

Acutally. the USA is no longer the world's fattest nation. We're still getting fatter, but other countries are getting fatter faster.

[jf12]

10:07 AM on 11/24/2011

For once, this year we're not doing a big family Thanksgiving meal. My wife and I have her Haldol-ed up mother (trytophan? ha!) over for a light meal, then we're going to play with the leaves. Or I will.

Do women really just scorn men for still having the ability to play, like boys? Is there envy too?

[Bellanova]

02:55 PM on 11/24/2011

Do women really do that?

[snowballinhell]

05:13 PM on 11/24/2011

Really. I almost want an explanation. But then realize, I don't need to know...

[jf12]

09:31 PM on 11/24/2011

I think so. Women (tend to) at least pretend to scorn men at play: sports of course, video games of course, golf of course, hunting, fishing, the old chess guys in the park, etc. And etc. I'm sure I could find references both for the huge gender disparity in adult play time, and for the negative emotion of women toward men at play.

[mainemomma]

07:00 AM on 11/24/2011

Thank you Cara, for a very informative article. I already decided to heap on the veggies today... and your estimate of a 3000 calorie dinner should give us all pause. Way more than we need for survival.. or enjoyment. How many times have you heard someone exclaim ' I feel awful' after eating thanksgiving dinner? Hello??? Our traditon is a long walk before anyone even thinks about dessert.

[Syllogizer]

12:39 PM on 11/24/2011

It was an informative article. I am puzzled though, that she says "about ten essential amino acids". The number I always hear is 8. So why "about ten"? Especially from a woman with a background in biological sciences?

[Bellanova]

03:04 PM on 11/24/2011

(chuckle) I enjoy your comments, Syllogizer, but it appears recently that you kinda have a harping thing for Cara, as you can't resist inserting some more or less subtle put down or damning her with faint praise.

How about we thank her, just once, for doing a good job on HP?

Thank you, Cara.

[jf12]

09:41 PM on 11/24/2011

About 10.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_amino_acid
Some people are different. Some of it isn't just at the cellular synthesis level, but also gut flora production.