Reposted from November 27, 2008

Tryptophan is one of eight essential amino acids in the human body.  Essential amino acids are so called not because they are more important to life than the others, but because the body does not synthesize them, making it essential to include them in one’s diet in order to obtain them.

Like other amino acids, tryptophan works as a building block for proteins.  Tryptophan is found in every protein including fish, steak, cheese and eggs.  Tryptophan is required for the synthesis of some specific organic compounds including:

• Serotonin and melatonin (neurotransmitters)
• Niacin (vitamin B3), and
• kynurenines

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) affects mood, melatonin helps regulate sleep, and kynurenines may be useful in regulating the immune system.

A drug called tranilast, available in Japan as an allergy medication, is chemically similar to kynurenines and shows promise for the treatment of certain autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis.

Turkey isn’t even unusually high in tryptophan. Many foods, such as beef or soybeans, boast higher concentrations (read more and see the table comparing Turkey Tryptophan to other foods after the break).

Turkey sleeping pill

In its purified form and on an empty stomach, tryptophan is a mild sleep-inducing agent and that probably led to the idea that foods containing heavy doses of the chemical cause drowsiness.   While consuming tryptophan-rich foods may cause blood levels of the amino acid to rise, so many other chemicals are also present in a Thanksgiving meal that not enough tryptophan reaches the brain to have a sedative affect.

In the 1980s, the connection between tryptophan serotonin was put to the test in a form of supplements marketed as a sleep aid.  Ater a massive outbreak of an autoimmune disease called eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome, the FDA banned their sale in 1991.

Tens of thousands of people became sick with flu-like symptoms and 37 died.  Most of the cases were attributed to contamination at the manufacturer’s plant, but some researchers still find a connection between high-doses of tryptophan and eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome.

So why the traditional Thanksgiving nap?
The lethargy may be caused by the stressful hustle and bustle of the holidays, alcohol consumption, and the massive caloric intake of the year’s biggest feast.  It takes the body a tremendous amount of energy to break down these foods.  When your stomach is full, blood is directed away from other organ systems, including your nervous system. The result? You will feel the need to snooze after any big meal.

by Erika Fahy

A group of scientists have tackled the myth that eating at night will cause more rapid weight gain then any calorie intake during the day. In order to conduct the study, the scientists observed 16 female rhesus monkeys that were placed on a high-fat diet, mimicking that of a human diet. During the study, each monkey had their ovaries removed to put their bodies in a menopause-like state, another factor that has been attributed with weight gain. For an entire year the monkeys were observed and the scientists noted what and when they ate. “Specifically, the researchers found that the monkeys ate between 6 percent and 64 percent of their total calories at night. This is comparable to reports in humans who take in approximately 24 percent to 65 percent of total calories at night.” In comparing the food intake with what time of day it was consumed and the resulted weight gain, the study proved that calories are calories no matter when you consume them. They are no more lethal at night then during the day.

When I saw the title of this article it immediately drew me in because as a college student, I can easily relate to the late-night munching sessions along with the guilt that follows because of the notion that eating at night has always been a “no-no.” I am happy to see that this study has fallen in my favor. I have come to believe that eating at night is worse for you because you are not really being active for the rest of the day. But when you think about it, there are many times during the day that one will consume something and be no more active at 12 pm then at 12am. The bottom line is that one should attempt to be health conscious at all times but, at least it is a little comforting that having that late-night snack is not going to be the end of me.

Source

A study from the Annals of Internal Medicine found that a DNA test will yield better and more accurate results in determining colon cancer. This means instead of blood in stool samples, doctors look at the DNA inside of those samples.  Dr. David A. Ahlquist, a professor of medicine, and a gastroenterology consultant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, explained that “blood as a marker for colon cancer has limitations.”  When looking at all precancerous polyps, Ahlquist explained that the polyps “shed cells that contain abnormal DNA.  So, a stool-based DNA test is a strategically more rational approach.”  This finding does not mean that going for a colonoscopy will be meaningless, because that test is still currently the most effective treatment in detecting colon cancer.  However, this new technique will make it less invasive and easier to be tested.

I found this article to be very interesting.  Both of my parents have had at least one colonoscopy, with my father just having one recently.  Both of them hated going for them because the procedure is relatively easy, but the preparation for the test is extremely awful.  As discussed in class, this is one of many new ways to screen for colon cancer.  I hope that more accurate and less invasive ways of screening for colon cancer will continue to be developed.  I say this because I know that in about thirty years from now, I will have to be tested and I dread the thought of having to go through the preparation that exists now to check for polyps.

Source of Article:
•http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,434946,00.html?sPage=fnc/health/men
•http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/149/7/441

by Kayla H
 

      In the article, posted in The New York Times on Oct. 28, talked about how people are more and more counting calories and it is the biggest way people are attempting to diet. The article also mentioned the change in restaurants and food products (such as M&M’s and Coca Cola) are making sure consumers know how many calories are in each item. Since calorie counting is at the front line of dieting among Americans, restaurants and fast food chains are lightening recipes and portion sizes, due to the demand of the customers. Even one of my favorite fast food chains, Dunkin Donuts, added a low-calorie egg white breakfast sandwich. The article also mentioned that just because the portions may be smaller and less calories, does not mean the prices will go down. In some cases, because the lower calorie option was more popular, the price of it actually rose.

      Like many of the other Americans mentioned in the article, I too am a calorie counter. Except in the café, where it is almost impossible, I tend to look at the calorie intake of everything I eat. With that, I think about my calorie outtake of the day; how long I exercised, how strenuous, etc. This article directly goes with our next lab assignment where everyone in the class will figure out their calorie intake and outtake. I think it is definitely a good thing that people are being concerned about this, and restaurants and fast food chains are making changes. Being a very obese society, it is very important that we change eating habits. By placing the calories directly on the menu, people will be forced to look at the calories, and often think twice about what they will be eating. I know I appreciate the changes, but I wonder if the people that truly need to benefit from these changes will? 

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/dining/29calories.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=fitnessandnutrition 

I found this article very interesting and would like to learn more about it but my problem is that this was tested among healthy obese men. The effects are not studied among women and maybe with those who have possible health problems. So I feel like stating that it’s the “most effective weight loss diet” is a false statement due to the lack of studying the whole population. It is a break through to understanding more in a better diet but it’s among men. I would like to see more of a study among men and women and the result produced in those findings. Also adding in people of an unhealthy nature, because I feel like diet is also part mental because people have to want to stick with it and those with more unhealthy habits may tend to stray more or be less motivated. I have to look more into this to understand the real findings and just how effective this diet truly could be.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111210350.htm