Effects of Hypothyroidism on Muscle Fatigue and Metabolites"When metabolic energy fails, as in hypothyroidism, muscles fatigue easily and absorb excess water. The barrier structure loosens, allowing macromolecules as well as ATP and other metabolites to leak out, while foreign substances enter. Typical muscle enzymes like lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase appear in the blood in typical hypothyroid myopathy, and heart proteins—including a special form of lactate dehydrogenase and a muscle protein, troponin—appear in the blood after heart stress or fatigue combined with hypothyroidism or systemic inflammation." – September 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Cell Stiffness and Degenerative Changes Unrelated to Cholesterol"The actual physical stiffness of whole cells and their surroundings is very important. For example, excitotoxicity (Fang et al., 2014) and other forms of energy depletion can stiffen cells, and persistent energy depletion and inflammation lead to degenerative changes—such as tissue calcification, fibrosis, and invasive, disorganized cell movements. These stress-induced stiffenings of cell substance and matrix have nothing directly to do with the local amount of cholesterol." – September 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Physical Experiences Affecting Vitality and Physiology"Our bodies are constantly experiencing and generalizing in the way they respond; these generalized responses can limit or expand our vitality. These generalizations are expressed in our anatomy, physiology, and ecosystems, with changes in immunity, metabolism, gene expression, and behavior." – September 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Substance-Induced Brain Growth and Efficient Energy Use"– Progesterone, glucose, or glycine converted into glucose (Zamenhof and Ahmad, 1979) increased brain growth by either boosting energy supply or improving the ability to use energy efficiently." – September 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Benefits of Coconut Oil for Thyroid and Health"The easily oxidizable short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids of coconut oil provide an energy source that protects our tissues from the toxic, inhibitory effects of unsaturated fatty acids and reduces their thyroid-inhibiting effects. Animal studies over the past 60 years suggest that these effects also offer protection against cancer, heart disease, and premature aging. Other expected effects include protection against excessive blood clotting, protection of the fetal brain, protection against various stress-induced problems including epilepsy, as well as some protection against sun-induced skin damage." – Nutrition For Women |
Substances that counteract estrogen in cancer therapy"Anything that causes tissue atrophy tends to promote cancer. The important question is: What will trigger differentiation and useful function in cancer cells? There are many substances that promote differentiation and counteract the effects of estrogen, and some of these have proven useful in cancer therapy. Substances that counteract estrogen include dopamine and nickel, prolactin inhibitors; chalones, the tissue-specific proteins that inhibit cell division (and possibly, more short-lived, the peptides of memory); the aprotic solvents DMF and possibly DMSO; progesterone and testosterone; thyroxine and iodine; magnesium-ATP, the stable form of the biological energy molecule; vitamin A, a protein-sparing nutrient that promotes differentiation, and vitamin E (as well as the closely related coenzyme Q or ubiquinone)." – Nutrition For Women |
Defective mental energy storage and effects of stimulants"A person with a defective system for storing mental energy might pace restlessly to constantly stimulate their mind, or it could be that coffee or other nerve stimulants raise the energy level enough to allow calm integration again." – Nutrition For Women |
Cytoplasmic structural changes related to energetic and metabolic efficiency"Vital stains show that these energetic changes are accompanied by structural changes in the cytoplasm, so that an energy-efficient metabolism occurs when the cytoplasm has an affinity for oily dyes. When water is on a surface, it is ordered or structured, so it loses much of its wetness; a beetle can walk on it; it contains more heat." – Nutrition For Women |
Learned helplessness in rats and efficiency of energy use"Around 1957, psychologists noticed that a rat could learn helplessness: When a rat was held down until it stopped struggling, it subsequently died much faster than a normal rat when placed in a barrel of water. They also found that they could immunize their rats against learned helplessness by allowing them to experience success in a similar situation beforehand. The short-term learned helplessness apparently causes something that blocks the efficient use of energy, so the animal dies very easily from exhaustion, meaning it has depleted one energy source without mobilizing another." – Nutrition For Women |
Polanyi's adsorption potential and challenges to the atomistic worldview"It is now clear that Polanyi's adsorption potential was a fact and that Einstein and Haber were dogmatically wrong in their ideas about interatomic forces. Recognizing this, we should question the many consequences of the same mistaken atomistic viewpoint, including Einstein's photoelectric theory, which attributed a corpuscular property to light because he assumed matter was strictly particulate, without those long-range energy properties later demonstrated by Polanyi." – Nutrition For Women |
The role of Vitamin E in stabilizing ATP and tissue relaxation"Vitamin E preserves ATP; ATP is a source of biological energy, but it also stabilizes or relaxes tissue. This energized relaxation is the state of readiness." – Nutrition For Women |
The role of the frontal lobes in expectation and planning"The most highly developed part of the brain, through evolution, is the expectation/planning system in the frontal lobes. A delayed and appropriate response is impossible if these lobes do not function well. In a healthy animal, arousal means expectation: the longer the arousal can be maintained without distraction, the higher the energy charge will be and the more intense and fulfilling the conclusion will be." – Nutrition For Women |
The superior efficiency of oxidative metabolism compared to fermentative metabolism"Sugar can be used for energy production with or without oxygen, but oxidative metabolism is about 15 times more efficient than non-oxidative, glycolytic, or fermentative metabolism; higher organisms rely on this highly efficient oxidation to maintain their integration and normal function." – Nutrition For Women |
Tissue response to stimulation and oxygen utilization"A reaction to stimulation consists of producing more energy, with a proportional increase in oxygen and sugar consumption by the stimulated tissue; this generates more carbon dioxide, which dilates the blood vessels in the region, thereby providing more sugar and oxygen. When the irritation becomes destructive, efficiency is lost: oxygen is either wasted, leading to a bluish discoloration of the tissue (assuming blood flow continues; bluish discoloration can also indicate poor circulation), or it is not consumed, resulting in redness of the tissue. If more sugar is consumed to compensate, lactic acid also dilates the blood vessels." – Nutrition For Women |
Systemic effects of inflammation and exhaustion on blood sugar and energy efficiency"However, extensive inflammation or profound exhaustion lowers blood sugar systemically and delivers large amounts of lactic acid to the liver. The liver synthesizes glucose from lactic acid, but at the cost of about six times more energy than was gained through inefficient metabolism—so the affected tissue becomes about 90 times less efficient from the perspective of the whole organism than in its original state. Furthermore, useless destruction of energy molecules (ATP or creatine phosphate) increases the waste even more." – Nutrition For Women |
Nutritional and hormonal effects on cellular respiration"Various nutritional, hormonal, or toxic conditions impair respiration in different ways: for example, vitamin E deficiency, excess estrogen, toxic thyroid hormones, and DNP (the formerly popular carcinogenic reducing agent) cause oxygen to be consumed without producing the normal amount of usable energy. A deficiency of vitamin B2 or copper can prevent oxygen consumption. Cancer (contrary to a persistent conventional medical doctrine) involves a respiratory defect and causes a tendency toward hypoglycemia, often compensated by converting protein to sugar, which eventually leads to the terminal wasting state (cachexia)." – Nutrition For Women |
The thyroid as the fundamental anti-stress hormone at the cellular level"At the cellular level, stress lowers the energy charge. Systemically, stress inhibits oxidative metabolism. Both observations suggest that the fundamental anti-stress hormone would be the thyroid." – Nutrition For Women |
The benefits of magnesium carbonate for nerve stability"Magnesium carbonate is very useful for stabilizing nerves and muscles while simultaneously increasing energy levels: one gram of magnesium per day is a reasonable amount." – Nutrition For Women |
Estrogen accumulation due to stress-induced slowing of the liver"All types of stress tend to make the liver sluggish. The liver normally removes toxins and excess hormones from the body. Estrogen can accumulate to high levels if the liver is not fully active. One effect of estrogen is to promote a type of oxidation that produces no energy, increasing the oxygen demand." – Nutrition For Women |
The role of vitamin E in efficient oxidation and energy"Inside the cells, vitamin E inhibits destructive and wasteful oxidation (as seen in aging and cancer) and makes the normal oxidative process more efficient, so that more usable energy is provided for a given amount of oxygen." – Nutrition For Women |
Maternal adaptation to fat and fetal glucose dependence"During pregnancy, the mother's body adapts to increasingly live off fat so that most of the available sugar can be used by the baby. The brain consumes most of the body's glucose, so mental fatigue can easily affect blood sugar levels. The developing baby is extremely dependent on glucose for its energy supply, and its brain can be damaged by sugar deprivation." – Nutrition For Women |
Nutritional states and their different effects on body tissues"The various tissues of the body can function acceptably at different nutritional levels. For example, the skin, with its low energy demand, seems to remain alive for several hours after the overall death of the body. The brain, with its extremely high energy demand, is usually the first to suffer from energy deficiency. With mild deficiency, the brain simply loses functional efficiency, but more severe or prolonged deficiency can cause lasting changes or even structural damage that is relatively permanent (and may even have transgenerational effects)." – Nutrition For Women |
The effects of weak radiation on metabolic efficiency and the sensitivity of brain tissue"Many forms of very weak radiation can reduce metabolic efficiency and increase its energy demand, and brain tissue is the most sensitive tissue to at least some types of radiation." – Nutrition For Women |
Small doses of caffeine and their calming effect on the brain"Very small doses of caffeine have a paradoxical calming effect, but this is a familiar effect of anything that raises the brain's energy level." – Nutrition For Women |
Dietary fats and their influence on energy production"E. Racker and other biochemists have pointed out that unsaturated (liquid) fatty acids are capable of uncoupling the energy-producing reactions from oxidation. This means they promote fuel consumption without increasing fat synthesis. This is an effect similar to the specific dynamic action of proteins, and it is the biochemical explanation for why not all calories count equally in terms of weight loss. But it also means that the total usable energy production relative to heat production is reduced." – Nutrition For Women |
The high energy consumption of an active brain"An active brain can burn about half of the total energy consumed by the body. When brain activity is suppressed, a very large percentage of the food intake becomes available for fat formation." – Nutrition For Women |
Moderation of Insulin for Sustained Energy and Mental Alertness"Avoiding stimulation of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas will make energy more continuously available for normal functions—including mental alertness—instead of being stored as fat." – Nutrition For Women |
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Weight Loss Clinics: Effects on Appetite and Metabolism"Many weight loss clinics use injections of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin to facilitate a diet for weight reduction and possibly improve fat distribution. This hormone shifts energy metabolism toward fat burning instead of sugar burning, allowing for a rise in blood sugar levels. This suppresses appetite. The hormone is produced by the placenta to provide sugar to the growing fetus." – Nutrition For Women |
Energy Consumption of the Brain During Active Versus Monotonous Movement"In Russia, physiologists always consider including the brain in their calculations, and it turns out that a walk through interesting and pleasant environments consumes more energy than more strenuous but boring exercises. An active brain consumes enormous amounts of fuel." – Nutrition For Women |
The Effects of Bright Light on Hormone Production, Energy Metabolism, and Muscle Tone"Bright light also stimulates hormone production and energy metabolism and increases muscle tone." – Nutrition For Women |
Chemicals for Maintaining Cellular Energy Charge and Biological Function"Although electronic energy is closely linked to life, there are two chemicals involved in maintaining the energy charge of cells, and this energy charge is directly related to biological function and structure. Creatine phosphate (CrP) is a type of energy storage for muscles, and with vitamin E deficiency, creatine leaks from the muscles. Aging also seems to be associated with defective creatine phosphate reserves (Verzar). Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is directly involved in all kinds of life functions, such as maintaining the resting state of nerves and muscles, as well as controlling secretion, protein storage, and toxin elimination." – Nutrition For Women |
The Necessity of Change and Adventure for the Energy System"Change and adventure are important for our energy system, and the current authoritarian culture resists fundamental changes." – Nutrition For Women |
Influence of Experiences on Tissue Flexibility and Energy Capacity"Experiences are stored and passed on in our tissues, but not as Darwinian gemmules. What is stored is flexibility, potential, and energy capacity." – Nutrition For Women |
Biophysical Approach and Individual Nutritional Needs"The emphasis on the uniqueness of individual needs should be seen in the context of searching for the most general principles: This can help us recognize meaningful configurations and make otherwise trivial things significant. I think a biophysical approach regarding the cytoplasm is one of the principles that will help in recognizing patterns. Other more specific and immediately useful ideas concern stress, the efficient or wasteful use of sugar, and the energy load of cells." – Nutrition For Women |
Metabolic Energy as an Ongoing Adaptation Process"If the organism is seen as a continuous process of adaptation, rather than a machine that must make do with parts formed in early youth, metabolic energy is recognized as something constructive, and things that reduce our energy – such as a lowering of body temperature – are seen as threats to life and successful adaptation." – November 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Regulation of Body Temperature Through Mitochondrial Energy Production"Our body temperature is maintained by the rate of energy production, which is mainly the result of fuel oxidation by the mitochondria." – November 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Aspirin's Role in Mitochondrial Oxygen Consumption and Fever"Probably due to aspirin's fever-reducing effect, medical culture tends to consider it antithermogenic, despite its known stimulation of mitochondrial oxygen consumption. Like thyroid hormone, aspirin prevents stress-related sodium loss, which is an important part of our temperature and energy regulation system." – November 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Nutrient-Induced Thermogenesis and Endogenous Energy Regulation"Dietary thermogenic factors include sodium, calcium, vitamin D, carbohydrates – especially sugar – and protein, which interact with our endogenous energy-regulating factors, particularly thyroid and progesterone." – November 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Connection Between Energy, Temperature, and Aging"Things that reduce energy and body temperature increase some essential mediators of inflammation, and these changes are deeply connected to the processes of aging." – November 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Survival Mechanisms of the Brain in Stressful Environmental Interactions"In mediating adaptation, the brain directs the organism toward those aspects of the environment that are most likely to satisfy its needs, and this involves making judgments about possible future situations. In the absence of good prospects, the brain engages in defensive changes, increases stress hormones, activates fight-or-flight mechanisms, and begins converting some of its own tissues into energy and materials needed for the survival of its essential organs – brain, lungs, and heart." – November 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Chronic Inflammation and Degeneration in Organismal Resource Scarcity"When the organism lacks the necessary resources of substance and energy, the distortion of the field persists and can worsen the deficiencies, leading to a state of chronic inflammation and degeneration. If no injury is present, the same signals guide ongoing renewal processes." – November 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Effects of Thyroid Deficiency on Memory and Hyperactivity"Memory and attention are already impaired by a mild thyroid deficiency. The Russian paradigm, with its emphasis on energy and inhibition, suggests that thyroid function should be carefully examined in cases of hyperactivity." – Mind And Tissue: Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain |
The Therapeutic Potential of ATP in Psychoses"I do not know if ATP has ever been used therapeutically in psychoses, but since it represents one of the central points both in energy metabolism and structure, its use is clearly suggested by the theory." – Mind And Tissue: Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain |
Cellular Energy Charge and the Role of Cysteine/Glutathione"The electronic aspect of the energy charge of cells suggests that cysteine or reduced glutathione might be desirable, especially if there is evidence that glutathione is destroyed by something like adrenochrome. [Commentator's note: This view is outdated and does not reflect Ray's current thoughts.]" – Mind And Tissue: Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain |
Improvement of System Control through Energy Production and Storage"Optimizing the production and storage of energy will lead to tighter control systems in the organism and improvements in mental, hormonal, and immunological functions." – Mind And Tissue: Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain |
Fundamental Therapies of Sleep and Nutrition for Energy Restoration"The oldest and most fundamental therapies – sleep and nutrition – have the same function, namely to restore energy reserves. Pavlov worked with the simplest stimulants and sedatives, such as caffeine and bromide, to restore normal nerve functions, and he naturally always considered sensory stimulation essential for maintaining and restoring normal functions." – Mind And Tissue: Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain |
Biological Effects of Magnetic Fields: Sedation and Changes in Brain Chemistry"Magnetic fields presumably act biologically by affecting the structure of water, and Kholodov found that a continuous sinusoidal magnetic field has a sedative and inhibitory effect, alters the EEG, and increases GABA levels in the brain (Speranskiy, 1973). Oxygen activity increases in magnetically treated water (Speranskiy, 1973), so there could be a direct effect on energy production." – Mind And Tissue: Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain |
The role of energy metabolism in the resting state of cells"A failure of energy metabolism limits the cells' ability to return from an excited, active state to a stable resting state." – May 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Treating coronavirus by normalizing cellular functions"The treatment of a so-called coronavirus infection should consist of reducing cellular excitation and inflammation and normalizing energy production. This also implies that these treatments will have beneficial effects on cellular aging." – May 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Chronic stress and its effects on inflammation and energy"In a state of chronic stress, oxidative energy production is low, and the mediators of inflammation are likely chronically elevated; typically, there is a chronically increased production of lactate and/or a reduced oxidation of it." – May 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Serotonin: beyond the myth of the "happiness hormone""The pharmaceutical myth about serotonin, the so-called happiness hormone, has caused most people—even researchers—to ignore that it increases inflammation and activates the stress system while reducing the efficiency of energy production." – May 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Pregnancy, energy, and nutritional adequacy"The importance of salt and calcium during pregnancy is related to their effects on the respiratory energy system, and the fact that these effects are hardly known has led most doctors to assume that a diet providing all necessary nutrients is sufficient for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Despite the presence of all required nutrients, which would be adequate for someone in a generally supportive environment, good nutrition is not necessarily enough for someone with a problematic environment or a history of stressful experiences." – May 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The effects of stress hormones on the mitochondria"The levels of aldosterone and parathyroid hormone are increased by stress, with serotonin acting on the adrenal cortex and parathyroid gland to boost their secretion. All three of these hormones affect the mitochondria to reduce oxidative energy production." – May 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The influence of nutrition on hormone secretion"Increasing the amount of sodium and calcium (and vitamin D, which also helps lower parathyroid hormone and aldosterone) in the diet can reduce the release of aldosterone and parathyroid hormone, leading to an increase in oxidative energy production." – May 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Brain's Energy Use in Adaptation and Simplification"The brain has an extremely high metabolic rate and uses energy to adapt to the constant influx of sensory information from the body and its environment. To the extent it lacks energy, it reduces and simplifies. At full energy, it builds an ongoing model of itself and the things it interacts with—each of which is a process. In a state of mental energy deficiency, things become categories rather than processes, and they do not take a place in an ongoing life story." – May 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy Deficiency Makes Cells Vulnerable to Damage"When energy is lacking, cells are vulnerable to damage from normal stimulus levels. Holding back excitatory responses is at least protective and often improves function." – May 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Anti-excitotoxic Substances and the Importance of the CO₂/Lactate Ratio"Anti-excitotoxic substances include progesterone, memantine, minocycline, and agmatine. A high ratio of CO₂ to lactate, which lowers intracellular pH, is important to prevent excessive excitability. Thyroid hormone, in addition to directly increasing energy and the CO₂/lactate ratio, tends to raise brain temperature and the ratio of progesterone to estrogen." – May 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy Failure as a Cause of Developmental Disorders and Inflammation"An energy failure caused by hypoglycemia or impaired oxygen use stops formative developmental processes, and the constructive effects of cytokines can become destructive and cause inflammation, which is likely responsible for a large portion of birth defects." – March 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Active Transport and the Role of ATP in Cells"The membrane theory states that the process of accumulating a substance against its gradient is active transport and requires the use of ATP. Experiments by Ling and others showed that the energy metabolism of cells could be poisoned so that no ATP was produced, yet the cells were able to maintain their ion gradient even though sodium could freely diffuse through the membrane into the cell. All ATP has to do is be present and passively take its place in the cell." – March 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Ling's View on the Binding Energy of ATP"Since Ling did not imagine that the binding energy of ATP is constantly consumed to operate membrane-bound sodium pumps, he was not concerned about any energy that might be released by the hydrolysis of this bond. He knew – as did Albert Szent-Györgyi – that the ATP molecule binds to protein molecules with considerable energy and that its presence determines the shape of the protein molecule." – March 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Oxidative processes and factors of enzyme regulation"The oxidative processes that support the purposeful and creative functions of the organism optimize CO₂ by inhibiting carbonic anhydrase; this enzyme is inhibited by the thyroid hormone T3, progesterone, urea, caffeine, antipsychotics, and aspirin. Substances that tend to cause a return to primitive anaerobic energy production activate the enzyme – for example serotonin, tryptophan, cysteine, histamine, estrogen, aldosterone, HIF, SSRIs, angiotensin, and parathyroid hormone." – March 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Cause and effect guided by energy flow"Every cause has effects, but these effects are limited in organisms by the purposeful flow of energy. The works of W. I. Wernadski and Norbert Wiener provide a context for a non-Weismannian approach to the problems of a toxic environment." – March 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Cellular energy production and inflammation"An impairment of energy production is fundamental to inflammation. When cellular stimulation increases faster than oxygen can be supplied, there is a shift toward glycolytic energy production, where glucose and amino acids are converted to lactic acid." – March 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Vitality levels and disturbances in energy flow"The living state is not an all-or-nothing matter; there are different degrees of vitality. The finely ordered structure of the living state is maintained by the flow of energy. This flow can be damaged not only by a lack of metabolic fuel or oxygen but also by things that distort the structure." – March 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Inflammation, fibrosis, and blockages of energy production"The process of inflammation and fibrosis is triggered in response to anything that blocks adequate energy production. Very different factors can have additive or synergistic effects leading to the same states of inflammation and fibrosis." – March 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The role of the metabolic cycle in energy accumulation"The ability to relax and accumulate energy and substance for differentiation corresponds to the presence of oxidative, highly efficient energy production. The intensity of the metabolic cycle, which alternates between activity and rest, maintains the complexity and intensity of life." – March 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Metabolic changes during sleep in the organism"The entire organism sleeps, although the brain regulates the process. In some aspects of its metabolism, especially in the turnover of phospholipids, the brain is very active during sleep, but its energy consumption decreases, and it causes the skeletal muscles to relax and reduce their glucose consumption." – March 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy deficiency leads to excessive excitability of cells"Although nerves and muscles are called excitable cells, they work best when they are not too excitable, and fatigue or impairment of their energy supply makes them excitable." – March 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy deficiency causes seizures and vascular spasms"An energy deficiency, whether due to hypoglycemia or lack of oxygen, makes nerves and muscles excessively excitable and causes seizures and vascular spasms." – March 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Nerve cells as electrical sinks during respiration"When a nerve cell uses oxygen to produce energy, it becomes much more electrically charged than other cells and becomes an electron sink. This causes the head to have an electrically positive polarity compared to other parts of the body." – March 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
High-energy brain states and the ATP content of muscles"The electrical and metabolic properties of this high-energy resting state of the brain can be observed in a healthy skeletal muscle, which has a high ATP content and relaxes immediately after stimulation and contraction. When ATP is depleted by sustained intense stimulation or not restored quickly enough – for example, due to hypothyroidism – relaxation proceeds very slowly, leading to cramps." – March 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The role of endotoxin in activating inflammatory processes"The endotoxin lipopolysaccharide has a generally excitatory effect, activating cellular inflammatory processes and damaging energy production, mediated by cellular products such as nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, serotonin, histamine, prostaglandins, estrogens, and various cytokines (interleukins and tumor necrosis factor, TNF). Some of these substances enter the bloodstream from the gut, others are produced elsewhere in the body, but some are formed directly in the brain when endotoxin is taken up into the brain." – March 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The diverse influences and effects of nitric oxide"Nitric oxide is – similar to endotoxin and rotenone – a strong inhibitor of mitochondrial respiration. Endotoxin and other harmful stimuli can increase the production of nitric oxide, but it is also produced in the normal excitatory processes of nerves. However, when excitation outweighs energy production and inhibitory influences, it can become the central actor in excitotoxicity." – March 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Hypoglycemia as a trigger of excitotoxicity through nitric oxide"Hypoglycemia activates the excitatory glutamatergic system, leading to increased production of nitric oxide, which causes excitotoxicity in the presence of energy deficiency." – March 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy imbalance in progressive neurodegenerative diseases"A degenerative disease like Parkinson’s involves a progressive inability to relax; energy continues to be consumed faster than it can be restored." – March 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Toxicity of free fatty acids"Free fatty acids, especially when polyunsaturated, are toxic to the brain, increase inflammation, and block energy metabolism." – March 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Serotonin: more than just a “neurotransmitter”"Serotonin is often called a neurotransmitter and is considered a substance that acts on receptors to transmit information, which is then processed similarly to digital information in computers. I find it more helpful to view serotonin in connection with fields and formative processes that determine how the organism uses energy to adapt to stresses and opportunities. It is involved in the energetic and structural changes that occur during stress and adaptation." – July 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy deficiency: serotonin release from platelets during stress"Energy deficiency, for example caused by hypoglycemia or oxygen deficiency, causes platelets to release serotonin during stress." – July 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Information loss as a theory of aging and death"The replacement of energy by information, the abstraction of the world, led to theories of aging and death of organisms that claim they result from the inevitable, entropic loss of information—the damage to DNA by somatic mutations caused by oxidative damage—and to a theory about the fate of the universe as entropic heat death." – July 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The role of CO₂ in stabilizing energy production"Between its formation and exhalation, CO₂ participates in many essential processes, including stabilizing the energy-producing system." – July 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Reductive stress triggers restorative cellular processes"Reductive stress activates multiple levels of restorative processes (alternatives to the protective functions of carbon dioxide) to stimulate respiration, increase circulation, and provide energy and materials for the renewal of cell structures. Prostaglandins, cytokines, estrogen, and nitric oxide are produced in a coordinated manner, and cellular behaviors change defensively. The structures of the cytoskeleton are modified while the reductive chemistry converts protein disulfides into sulfhydryls, causing shape changes and—most importantly—the solubility properties of the cell material." – July 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The immediate effects of energy deficiency on cell health"Energy deficiency caused by insufficient glucose or oxygen leads to immediate swelling of cells and is associated with excitation. The ammonia produced during energy deficiency and excessive excitation contributes to the swelling." – July 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Complex mechanisms in maintaining a pseudohypoxic state"There are several important mechanisms involved in maintaining a pseudohypoxic state. They can act in a single tissue or organ but also generally throughout the entire organism. What is often overlooked is the coherent, overlapping interplay of the structural sulfhydryl redox system (-SH, -SS-), the redox regulation of gene expression, glycolytic and oxidative energy metabolism, regulation of pH and ionic selectivity, osmolarity, and solvent properties, especially the hydrophobic versus hydrophilic balance." – July 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The effects of an alkaline shift on cellular excitation and energy"The alkaline shift in pH that becomes chronic in cancer cells increases the excitation and energy consumption of every type of cell." – July 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Common shifts in chronic and degenerative conditions"These shifts toward pseudohypoxia, alkalinity, excitation, water retention, and inefficient energy production can be observed, either locally or systemically, in all chronic and degenerative conditions now known to involve inflammation." – July 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The cell structure: conductivity in energy flow and function"He explained that he viewed the cell structure as an integrated conductive or semiconductive system and that cellular movement and other functions are to be understood as consequences of energy flow through this system." – July 2016 – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
The dependence of energy flow on the conductive conditions of the system"The way energy flows through a system depends on the conductive and catalytic properties of the system, and the state of the system depends on the energy flow." – July 2016 – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Cellular stress: when energy production can no longer compensate"When a cell is stressed and stimulated beyond its capacity to respond with increased respiration to produce the energy it needs to return to its resting state, the stress itself is a relatively reducing condition." – July 2016 – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
The connecting role of lactate in metabolism and the stress response"The reduced state leads to increased lactate production. This provides enough energy to keep the cell alive, but the lactate contributes to the stressed redox shift in the producing cell as well as in the surrounding cells." – July 2016 – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Aging, metabolic shifts, and the tendency toward cancer-like metabolism"Aging itself involves a metabolic shift toward cancer metabolism, with a relative inability to lower energy consumption in the basal, fasting state, and with increased fat oxidation as well as decreased glucose oxidation." – July 2016 – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Cell organization and the influence of energy on protein solubility"Many of the new observations viewing cells as self-organizing coacervate systems recall Gilbert Ling's observations. For example, ATP increases the solubility of proteins (Patel et al., 2017), and when energy is depleted, some proteins precipitate out of solution and form organelle-like structures without membranes, filaments, and granules." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The importance of temperature for fertility"Fertility requires maintaining the temperature in testes and ovaries at a level significantly below the body's core temperature. This allows cellular order to be maintained with minimal energy expenditure." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The effects of temperature on energy consumption and stress"An increasing temperature raises the rate of energy consumption, while a lower temperature lowers the rate of energy consumption. When available energy matches energy demand, there is no heat stress." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Early development and the role of tissue energy for the outcome"In the early stages of forming an individual, starting with the biological well-being of the parents and continuing through embryonic development into adulthood, the quality of the tissue's energy supply, the cellular energy balances, and the resulting order of the tissue substance determine the nature of the outcome." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Estrogen and progesterone and their opposing metabolic effects"Estrogen is stimulating, comparable to an excessive increase in temperature, and it shifts energy production toward glycolysis and cell functions toward dedifferentiation and cancer metabolism. Progesterone has opposite effects: It reduces stimulation, thereby lowering energy demand and shifts energy production away from inefficient glycolysis. It can restore normal differentiation and reverse cancer characteristics." - January 2021 - Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Balancing heat for metabolism and better sleep"At bedtime, a mildly warm bath can compensate for low internal heat production, stimulate metabolism, and help increase glycogen stores and progesterone levels, enabling deep restorative sleep. However, if the bath is too hot or too long, or if the influence of estrogen is too great, the increased metabolic rate can amplify inefficient metabolism, further deplete energy stores, and lead to higher stress hormones. Additional carbohydrate intake before and during the warm bath improves its therapeutic effect and reduces the risk of heat shock." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Self-organizing systems and dynamics of energy flow"Self-organizing systems are maintained by the flow of energy and matter from the environment." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Nutritional strategies to maintain energy efficiency"Maintaining energy efficiency while reducing wasteful excitation has a long history in health optimization. It is simple to avoid excessive polyunsaturated fats and phosphate in the diet and regularly consume the essential nutrients needed to maintain thyroid and progesterone production. Choosing foods that contain substances protecting against the many known proinflammatory, aging-accelerating processes is relatively easy—for example, citrus fruits contain a wide variety of substances related to nobiletin, naringin, fisetin, and quercetin." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Adaptive responses to stress for organism survival"In general, the changes that compensate for stress damage protect the organism in terms of ensuring survival by making it less sensitive to stimuli that might otherwise lead to increased energy consumption." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Early life stress influences longevity and brain development"A reduced energy production as compensation for stress early in life determines the quality of pregnancy and the course of the developmental process. It limits brain size, the ability to produce and use energy, as well as lifespan." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Developmental potential of vertebrates frustrated by environmental stress"The current situation for vertebrates in the natural world frustrates a developmental potential and a developmental intention. It directs the developmental potential into the dead end of defending against stressors and away from the intrinsic neotenous or pedogenic path, on which the juvenile traits of high metabolic intensity, playfulness, flexibility, and ingenuity are preserved beyond early childhood, thus avoiding the degenerative processes of declining energy and increasing disorder indefinitely." – January 2021 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Influence of electromagnetic fields on cells"Electromagnetic fields that affect charged materials have a significant impact on cellular coacervates – regardless of whether the fields are generated internally or externally. The constant energy flow created by oxidation and reduction is among the important shaping influences of the cell." – January 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Progesterone's counteraction to other steroid hormones"The effects of progesterone contrast with those of the other main steroid hormones, especially estrogen, cortisol, and aldosterone. These hormones impair energy metabolism, particularly the oxidation of glucose." – January 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Progesterone's role in the brain's energy processes"It seems likely that a fundamental part of progesterone's ability to protect the brain from stress lies in its support of the high-energy mitochondrial oxidation of glucose to carbon dioxide." – January 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Sensitivity of the brain cortex to energy levels"The cortex of the brain, especially the frontal lobes, is the part most sensitive to adequate or inadequate energy supply." – January 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Protective roles of progesterone during energy-intensive states"During constructive exploration, energy is abundant, and cells with the highest energy demand are protected by progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and other steroids." – January 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Continuous energy demand in cellular restructuring processes"Most of their energy is used for a constant restructuring process – they never complete their developmental processes, even though their intensity decreases with age." – January 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Decoding the complexity of fat and carbohydrate metabolism"When fats are oxidized instead of glucose, more oxygen is required to produce the same amount of energy, and less carbon dioxide is produced." – January 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The dual role of carbon dioxide in oxidative energy production"Carbon dioxide is both a product and an activator of oxidative energy production." – January 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The overlooked mitochondrial oxygen inhibition by nitric oxide"Only a very small minority of publications on the physiology of nitric oxide deal with the fact that it inhibits mitochondrial oxygen use for energy production." – January 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Estrogen, injury, and energy metabolism"The remarkable fact that both estrogen and nitric oxide are produced in virtually every injury was rarely mentioned, and their closely related effects on energy metabolism were generally ignored." – January 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Harsh environments: early reproduction and energy adaptation"The stresses of a harsh environment, which favor early reproduction or require accelerated tissue renewal, also promote epigenetic adaptations that reduce energy demand." – January 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Consequences of impaired glucose oxidation and the shift to fatty acids"When glucose oxidation is impaired and fatty acids are oxidized for energy instead, there is usually a reduction in overall metabolic rate and a shift toward a more reductive biochemistry." – January 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Revisiting the Warburg phenomenon: glycolysis and cancer metabolism"In extreme cases, the reductive energy obtained from aerobic glycolysis can be consumed by fat synthesis, allowing glycolysis to continue. This can lead to cancer cells oxidizing fatty acids for energy while converting glucose into fats and lactic acid." – January 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The indirect heart effect of nitric oxide via the parasympathetic system"Nitric oxide has an effect on the heart that is not directly related to the blood vessels. When the parasympathetic nerves act on the heart and slow and weaken its contractions, they release nitric oxide, which reduces the heart's oxygen consumption as well as its energy production." – January 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Restoring energy by inhibiting energy-limiting systems"During aging and many stress-related conditions, it can be therapeutically useful to use substances that block our energy-limiting systems to restore full energy production." – January 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The thyroid secretion ratio and the liver's role in conversion"The thyroid secretes about three parts thyroxine to one part triiodothyronine, and this allows the liver to regulate thyroid function by converting more T4 into the active T3 when energy is abundant. Glucose is essential for this conversion." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The 1930s understanding of hormones and organism resilience"Until the 1930s, it was well established that the organism's resilience depended on the energy produced by respiration under the influence of the thyroid gland as well as on adrenal hormones – and that pregnancy hormones (especially progesterone) could replace the adrenal hormones." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
Overview of F. Z. Meerson's research on stress adaptation"A contemporary researcher, F. Z. Meerson, develops a comprehensive picture of the biological processes involved in stress adaptation, including energy production, nutrition, hormones, and changes in cell structure." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The role of blood sugar in cortisone formation"The fundamental signal that triggers cortisone formation is a drop in blood sugar levels. The increased energy demand of any stress situation tends to slightly lower blood sugar, but hypothyroidism itself has the tendency to lower blood sugar." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The effects of hypothyroidism on cortisone and inflammation"While hypothyroidism causes the body to require more cortisone to maintain blood sugar and energy production, it simultaneously limits the ability to produce cortisone. Therefore, stress in some cases leads to symptoms resulting from cortisone deficiency, including various forms of arthritis and more general types of chronic inflammation." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The energy costs of knowledge and experience"Knowledge requires energy, and our experience is influenced by our biological state." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
Adaptation strategies of plants and animals to energy scarcity"Both plants and animals can adapt—phylogenetically and ontogenetically, that is, through transgenerational as well as developmental changes—to boundary conditions of energy and nutrient availability." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
Upward adaptability in organisms with high energy levels"The upward adaptability typical of large-brained animals and plants with a high metabolic rate allows organisms to occupy broader niches by living at a higher energy level. This process obviously makes an environment that can provide abundant energy and necessary nutrients highly significant." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The importance of efficient energy production through steroids"Producing energy in abundance and using it efficiently: This seems to be an important effect of certain steroids." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
Optimizing energy production for regenerative abilities"If we optimize the known factors that improve energy production (for example, red light, short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids, and pregnenolone) so that our metabolism resembles that of a ten-year-old child, I don't believe there is any reason to assume we don't have the same regenerative and healing abilities typical at that age. I suspect that both brain growth and restructuring could continue indefinitely." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
Mitochondrial damage impairs hormone production and energy“Since protective hormones depend on the mitochondria’s ability to convert cholesterol into pregnenolone, it is clear that mitochondrial damage impairs our supply of protective hormones—precisely at the moment when our energy supply also fails. This forces us to switch to the atrophy-inducing stress hormones, including cortisol.” – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The potential of mitochondrial protection to increase biological energy“I consider it likely that our current knowledge about protecting mitochondria could enable the average adult to increase their biological energy by about 50%. To go beyond that, it might be necessary to start at an earlier age so that body proportions can develop accordingly.” – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The role of biological energy in DNA repair“Since the DNA repair process depends on energy, greater biological energy prevents mutations.” – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The interplay of energy flow and structural development“Szent-Gyorgyi said, when describing some of his experiments with heart muscle tissue, that function builds structure, which in turn increases the capacity for further function. The flow of energy through matter increases the order in that matter. More life and more energy can solve many of life’s fundamental problems.” – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
Personal growth through meaningful work opportunities“A person’s vitality is driven forward by meaningful work; that is, we grow to meet the demands of an important opportunity.” – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The value of intrinsic interest in our work“Some people invest great energy and focus in their hobbies because they find the activity itself interesting. Such intrinsic value and interest should also be demanded from our work.” – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
Kozyrev’s theories on the asymmetry of time and the energy of stars“When N. A. Kozyrev proposed the theory that the asymmetry of time itself could be a source of stellar energy, he predicted that planets would also have a continuous internal heat source proportional to their mass. His prediction matched the known heat of the Earth, but it also forecast that Jupiter’s heat emission would be almost star-like and that even the Moon would generate some internal heat. In 1960, he measured hot emissions from the Moon, and later space research confirmed several more of his important predictions. I think Kozyrev’s work should at least make people realize that even local matter is cosmic.” – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
Intuitions about Cosmic Energy and the Origin of Matter"The intuitions of Soddy, Dudley, and Kozyrev about the ways new energy and new matter arise in the universe attempt to connect nearly imperceptible phenomena (time, neutrinos, background radiation) with very significant processes (stellar energy, nuclear energy, cosmic rays, the formation of matter). Creation is at the center of existence, they might say, but is all too often overlooked." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
The Role of Energy in Systems and Social Understandings"We could rephrase Le Chatelier’s principle—as W. I. Vernadsky formulated it—and say that systems use available energy and that our perceptions and social understandings are carried by energy flowing into the entire system." – Generative Energy – Restoring the Wholeness of Life |
Positive Dietary Changes Normalize Fluctuations in Energy Spikes"If the rest of your diet is good, energy spikes from sugar should balance out and transition into a steadily increased metabolic rate." – Email Response from Ray Peat |
Adjusting Calorie Intake to Physical Activity Level"I have often eaten more than 5000 calories, but if I am completely inactive for more than ten hours a day, my energy needs are significantly lower. Calorie intake should be adjusted to your heat production and activity." – Email Response from Ray Peat |
The Brain's High Energy Demands and Nutrient Requirements"The brain is a very energy-expensive organ in terms of its energy needs, and the liver must work very efficiently to meet this demand. Therefore, problems from nutritional or hormonal imbalances can be especially pronounced. The nutrient demand for sugar, protein, vitamins, and minerals can be very high." – Email Response from Ray Peat |
The Influence of the Thyroid on Calorie Needs and Glucose Regulation"In my teenage years and twenties, I needed about 8000 calories per day when physically active, and about 4000 to 5000 when inactive. However, after taking thyroid hormones, I only needed about half of those calories. The thyroid is the fundamental regulator of blood sugar and ensures it is fully oxidized for energy, so ATP is efficiently produced from relatively few calories." – Email Response from Ray Peat |
Metabolic Degeneration and Neurological Impairment in Diabetes"Diabetes, or the inability to vigorously oxidize glucose, is simply a description of the metabolic aspect of cellular degeneration. The neurological impairment so often associated with officially diagnosed diabetes is merely one aspect of a general cellular dysfunction arising from chronic energy deficiency." – 2001 – February |
Estrogen’s evolutionary role and antiestrogen strategies"Since arousal or stress is something simple – namely any disturbance of the living state’s rest – radiation damage, suffocation, nutritional deficiencies, various poisons, carcinogens, and irritants can mimic the effects of estrogen. Or, if we consider estrogen in its evolutionary context, we could say that estrogen imitates the natural threats life faces, so that regeneration processes can be controlled and integrated into organisms’ life plans. This means that antiestrogen strategies are appropriate under a wide variety of conditions. Whatever the challenge – a successful response will return the organism to a new, energy-rich state of readiness." – 2000 – March |
Definition of mild or benign stimulation in biological systems"In short, a mild stimulation is one that can be met with sufficient energy, good mood, and an adequate amount of progesterone and related chemical resources." – 2000 – March |
Functions of mitochondria and energy concentration"Warburg believed that mitochondria support specialized cell functions by concentrating at the sites where energy is needed." – 2000 – July |
Providing energy and reversing mitochondrial genetic damage"It seems that providing energy – while simultaneously reducing stress – is all that is needed to reverse accumulated mitochondrial genetic damage." – 2000 – July |
Glucose, glycolysis, and energy production in cells"Glucose – and apparently also glycolysis – are required for the production of nitric oxide as well as for the accumulation of calcium, at least in some cell types. These coordinated changes, which reduce energy production, could arise from a reduction in carbon dioxide, that is, from a physical change even more fundamental than the energy level represented by ATP. The use of Krebs cycle substances for the synthesis of amino acids and other products would reduce CO₂ formation and create a situation where the system has two possible states: first, the glycolytic stress state and second, the CO₂-producing, energy-efficient state." – 2000 – July |
The Crabtree Effect and the Reduction of Cellular Energy"Contrary to the seemingly logical Pasteur effect, the Crabtree effect tends to reduce cellular energy and adaptability. Considering many situations where increased glucose supply raises lactic acid production and suppresses respiration, leading to a maladaptive reduction in cellular energy, I begin to view lactic acid as a toxin." – 2000 – July (1) |
Electrical Charging of Proteins and Cells through Respiration"Proteins and cells become more electrically charged through respiration; nerve cells show a voltage of about one-tenth of a volt, while red blood cells, which do not generate energy through respiration, have an electrical potential of less than 1/400 volt." – 2000 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Hypothyroidism and Excessive Activity of the Adrenergic Nervous System"In hypothyroidism, the adrenergic nervous system tends to be overactive, and adrenaline production remains high even when there is no external reason for it, as it is needed to maintain blood sugar and energy in the inefficient metabolic state of hypothyroidism." – 2000 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Hypothyroidism, Hyperventilation, and a Vicious Cycle of Energy Loss"Hypothyroidism suppresses respiration as an energy source, so only a small amount of carbon dioxide is produced and lactic acid forms even without apparent stress. This already resembles hyperventilation, as the loss of carbon dioxide is the defining feature of hyperventilation. However, the presence of unusually high adrenergic activity and free fatty acids stimulates further hyperventilation, which increases the loss of carbon dioxide. A reduction in carbon dioxide further impairs respiration, leading to increased lactic acid production, which in turn triggers more adrenergic activity – and so on, in a vicious cycle." – 2000 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Toxicity and Energy Inefficiency of Unsaturated Fats in Oxidation"Part of the toxicity of unsaturated fats could lie in their energy demand for oxidation (S. Clejan and H. Schulz, 1986), but they reduce the efficiency of energy production in many other ways." – 2000 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Role of the Thyroid in Sleep and Energy Production"Since I immediately became a good sleeper after starting to take thyroid hormones and had seen that thyroid hormones alone could cure most people's insomnia (sometimes – as a doctor described his experience – better than morphine), I began to understand that the adrenaline disturbing sleep was a sign of poor energy production and that the things restoring sleep – for example thyroid, salt, sugar, protein, and progesterone – acted directly on the cells' energy production." – 2000 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Effect of carbon dioxide on cellular energy and heat production"The concentration of carbon dioxide influences the structural energy content of the protein-water system, and this effect can explain many of the puzzles of cellular heat production, including the negative heat observed in certain phases of nerve and muscle activity." – 1999 – December – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Adaptive reactivity of the organism and homeostasis in cellular metabolism"It is the subtle reactivity of the living system that maintains the adaptive organization of energy and structure. Part of the organism's reactivity is the flexibly interactive metabolism that adaptively distributes substances and energy. Ordinary metabolism can explain the processes called homeostatic far more reasonably by adjusting the affinities of cellular substances than the hypothetical apparatus of pumps and channels – biology's Deus ex Machina – which is always proposed whenever it is needed." – 1999 – December – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Excitatory receptors, calcium release, and cellular energy demand"These excitatory receptors release calcium into the cytoplasm and activate numerous cellular processes, including the release of fatty acids and the breakdown of proteins. When these receptors are activated, the cells' energy demand increases, and glucose is consumed faster. Whenever these receptors are activated, magnesium protects the cell from toxic excitation. Effective antidotes against excitotoxins are based on blocking these receptors." – 1999 – December – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy deficiency impairs muscle relaxation in hypothyroidism"From observing the delayed relaxation of muscles in hypothyroidism, it becomes clear that a low energy state makes relaxation difficult." – 1998 – Ray Peats Newsletter – 4 |
Energy use in cells to restore the resting state"What we need to understand how energy can be used to restore the cell's resting state without releasing heat might be the idea that physical processes (the change in protein conformation and water structure) are closely integrated with chemical equilibria." – 1998 – Ray Peats Newsletter – 4 |
ATP Formation in Water-Deprived Cellular Environments"When ATP breaks down, it absorbs water, and in a water-free environment, the balance shifts in favor of ATP formation. The chemical activity of water in cells is lower than that of normal water. Under the right (anhydrous) conditions, ATP forms spontaneously. When the reactants form ATP and release water, energy (at least theoretically) is absorbed in the chemical bond. Abstractly, this shows that ATP formation and energy uptake could be caused by factors controlling the activity or availability of water." – 1998 – Ray Peats Newsletter – 4 |
The Role of Carbon Dioxide in Regulation and Energy Production"Carbon dioxide is heavily involved in the regulation of both sodium and calcium, as well as in respiration and energy production. It tends to relax both nerves and muscles. Apparently, it is one of the essential factors in preventing edema." – 1998 – Ray Peats Newsletter – 4 |
ATP Formation in Water-Deprived Environments"The removal of water from the environment where ATP is formed or broken down favors its formation, and in this environment, ATP does not have the energy-rich bonds attributed to it but still has a strong affinity for binding to proteins." – 1998 – Ray Peats Newsletter – 4 |
Magnesium Deficiency and Energy Waste in Muscle Relaxation"Cells with low thyroid function also cannot efficiently retain magnesium, and a magnesium deficiency prevents muscle relaxation, wasting energy. Adequate sodium prevents the loss of magnesium through urine." – 1998 – Ray Peats Newsletter – 4 |
Energy of Respiration Generates Molecular Alignment and Cellular Organization"The energy of respiration caused an alignment of molecules, leading to the polarization of charges. Each such field influences other charged particles, and it is evident that it is involved in the arrangement and organization of particles. The existence of such fields likely affects the alignment of particles within cells as well as the alignment of cells within organs." – 1998 – Ray Peats Newsletter – 2 |
Electrical Charge of the Cell, Energy Supply, and Functional Recovery"When an excitation state lasts long enough for the cell to produce an excess of lactic acid and thus become more electrically charged, nearby blood vessels and nerves tend to grow into the area, restoring normal energy supply and integrated function." – 1998 – Ray Peats Newsletter – 2 |
Nested Features of Cellular Excitation and Energy in Stress Adaptation"The interlocking fundamental features of cell excitation/relaxation, electrical potential, lactic acid/carbon dioxide, water retention/water loss, salt regulation, pH, and energy level allow us to understand the biological significance of stress and adaptation in a coherent way. In interaction with these physicochemical processes, there are many levels of biochemical and physiological processes that amplify or modify them, including regulatory systems such as hormones and other biological signaling molecules, nutritional adequacy, and the type of fuel used." – 1998 – Ray Peats Newsletter – 2 |
Relationship between preventing tissue atrophy and efficient energy production"Avoiding tissue atrophy is very closely related to promoting healthy regeneration. These processes require efficient energy production and an appropriate balance between stimulation and available resources." – 1998 – May – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Effects of calorie restriction on metabolic rate and energy consumption"When animals are fed a calorie-restricted diet and live longer than their ad libitum-fed relatives, some like to say their metabolic rate is reduced, but that is not true: The undernourished animals are smaller than the ad libitum eaters, but each gram of their tissue burns energy at a higher rate." – 1997 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Optimizing oxygen use and energy production in cells"Optimizing respiration means increasing the types of oxygen use that provide energy and enhance functionality, while simultaneously reducing the forms of oxidation that impair function and reduce the production of usable energy." – 1997 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Lactic acid as an indicator of respiratory or energy deficiency disorder"In general, lactic acid in the blood can be seen as a sign of faulty respiration, as the breakdown of glucose to lactic acid increases to compensate for inadequate oxidative energy production. Normal aging seems to involve a tendency toward excessive lactic acid production, and it is known that the aging pigment activates this process." – 1997 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Respiratory potential and its influence on tissue changes"A weakened ability to produce energy oxidatively can lead to maladaptive overproduction of collagen, porphyrins, red blood cells, and other tissues and substances, which in turn can cause many adaptive and maladaptive changes. I think skin and mucous membranes provide a good illustration of how respiratory potential influences structure: The keratinization increased by estrogen is counteracted by vitamin A, which raises the proportion of active, differentiated cells." – 1997 – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy Consumption and Organization in Cellular Regulation“The organization of life is maintained by the energy it consumes, and the use of energy requires specific organization. Within cells, there are processes that regulate the interactions of growth, division, and other functions, but these processes respond to the cell’s environment – they are not simply played out or emitted from the cell’s repertoire of capabilities.” – 1995 – September – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Psychosomatic Physiology and Biological Energy Mobilization“For about 50 years, the term psychosomatic was trivialized and interpreted as something ‘just imagined.’ But now studies on the physiology of helplessness show that a seemingly small difference in experience and attitude can make a very large difference in the ability to mobilize biological energy, as well as various aspects of immunity, such as natural killer cell activity. There is now general agreement on the difference between the demobilized state of helplessness and the state of active adaptation.” – 1994 – November – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Role of Iron and Age Pigment as an Emergency Energy Source“I think part of the excess iron accumulates as age pigment and that this material serves to maintain glycolysis as an emergency energy source.” – 1994 – June – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Calming Effect of Thyroid Hormone on Hypermetabolism“Although I tended to be hypermetabolic and puzzled for years about how signs of both over- and underactive thyroid could exist simultaneously, I finally tried taking thyroid hormone. Immediately, I was able to sleep lightly and deeply, and my food requirements decreased. It was clear that the thyroid had a calming effect on my entire metabolism. I slept more efficiently, woke up refreshed, had plenty of energy during the day, and started looking for tasks around the house – just for fun. Before I took thyroid, I used to drink two or three cups of coffee first thing every morning, but a few days after starting the medication, I noticed I hardly thought about coffee anymore and drank about 90% less of it – without any withdrawal symptoms.“ – 1994 – April – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Ritalin's Role in Improving Concentration through Brain Energy"Since the 1960s, a stimulant, Ritalin (methylphenidate), has often been prescribed to hyperactive children because it allows them to be calmly attentive. This effect has been called paradoxical, but from the perspective of scientific physiology, there was nothing paradoxical about it. The frontal lobes of the brain, the most highly developed part, give us the ability to plan and understand complex things that require sustained attention. Without this higher part of the brain, which has a very high energy demand, people and animals become hyperactive and unable to concentrate. Ritalin (or coffee) makes everyone – even the best students – more attentive and focused. Caffeine and Ritalin temporarily increase the brain's energy level." – 1994 – April – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The importance of thyroid hormones for sustained high brain energy"Thyroid hormones are essential to provide the energy that keeps the brain constantly at a high energy level. When these hormones are missing, our nerves need stimulants to function normally, and our body usually produces large amounts of adrenaline to keep us going. The result is that we become both tired and tense at the same time." – 1994 – April – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Influence of carbohydrates and salt on brain energy and relaxation"The brain is like a muscle that depends on restoring its energy to relax. Many people have noticed that they become sleepy when they eat a lot of carbohydrates and/or salt. Both salt and carbohydrates tend to lower adrenaline, and carbohydrates can also increase the activity of thyroid hormone while restoring the energy of tissues." – 1994 – April – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Influence of diet and thyroid preparations on insomnia"In the last 20 years, I have seen in almost everyone that their insomnia disappears when they correct their hypothyroidism – sometimes just through dietary changes, but more often with a thyroid preparation. Many times people have told me that they fall asleep within minutes when they take a minimal dose of thyroid before going to bed. By increasing the energy production rate ..." – 1994 – April – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The cell's energy requirement for the resting state"When cells do not have enough energy – whether due to insufficient fuel, overwork, lack of oxygen, or poisoning – they absorb water. Too much water tends to excite the cells and can even stimulate cell division. The hyperactive state of a muscle cell, the cramp, causes energy consumption. What is, however, far too often overlooked is that the cell needs even more energy to return to its resting state, and that an excess of glucose or other fuel, oxygen, and thyroid hormones is necessary for the cell to produce energy quickly enough to relax calmly." – 1994 – April – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy surplus in nerve cells for their relaxation"It is a simple fact that nerve cells must have an excess of energy if they are to relax." – 1994 – April – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Need for a High Energy Level for Stable Nervous Relaxation"A high energy state is necessary for stable nervous relaxation." – 1994 – April – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Effects of Stress on the Use of Glucose and Fats"When tissue oxygenation is insufficient, glucose is rapidly depleted. During prolonged stress, the liver's gluconeogenic response to glucocorticoids is reduced, as is its ability to form and store glycogen. As glucose becomes less available, the amount of adrenaline in the blood increases, and fat is mobilized from stores as an alternative energy source. Free fatty acids, especially unsaturated fats, are toxic to the mitochondrial respiratory system; they block both the ability to use oxygen and the ability to produce energy. The increased use of fats instead of glucose leads to increased lipid peroxidation." 1992 – June – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Impairment by Adrenaline, Energy Production, and Recovery"Glucose depletion leads to the release of adrenaline, which causes fat mobilization as well as calcium-activated overstimulation of cells. This impairs the energy production necessary for recovery (such as muscle relaxation and calcium excretion, etc.)." 1992 – June – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Adrenaline Secretion as a Compensatory Response in Hypothyroidism"People with low thyroid hormone levels compensate for the lack of energy and glucose (and oxygen, for similar reasons as mentioned above) by excessive release of adrenaline. Their 24-hour urine metabolites of adrenaline sometimes reach 30 to 40 times the normal value." 1992 – June – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Role of Calcium in Cell Damage and Energy Depletion"Calcium is a universal activator, but an excess of calcium is the central link in most forms of cell damage. The uptake and storage of calcium are promoted by adrenaline, histamine, vasopressin, energy depletion, and lipid peroxidation, as well as by the activity of phospholipases; since calcium can activate phospholipases and lipid peroxidation and impair energy production, vicious cycles can develop." 1992 – June – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Factors That Lower Vitality and the Immune System's Influence on Steroid Production"In general, things that reduce vitality and immunity interfere with our ability to produce protective steroids." 1992 – December – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Thyroid Hormone and Body Temperature in the Function of White Blood Cells"The energy available to white blood cells and the condition of various tissue cells determine the processes of phagocytosis, healing, and tissue renewal. Thyroid hormone and body temperature are important factors that influence the activity of white blood cells." 1992 – August/September – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Keratin synthesis as a sign of energy-deprived cells"In size and overall structure, keratin filaments resemble scrapie particles and the filaments that accumulate in Alzheimer's. I consider keratin to be a protein produced by a cell that no longer has enough energy to produce more functional proteins. Normally, keratinized cells arise through rapid cell division on body surfaces where little energy is available. In chronic vitamin A deficiency, keratin-producing cells divide faster than usual." 1992 – August/September – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Benefits of short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids"Short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids provide a reliable energy source and also have hormone-like and adaptogenic effects. The short-chain saturated fatty acids play an important role in regulating the gut flora. Metschnikoff's idea of altering the flora with fermented milk was on the right track, but much more still needs to be done in the area of bacterial nutrition and toxin formation." 1992 – August/September – Ray Peat's Newsletter |
Recompensation processes in addiction: energy and metabolic balance"It is important to think concretely about the processes of recompensation or the restoration of balance. Some of the processes we should consider in connection with addiction are: the energetic charging of tissue, metabolic detoxification and elimination, permeability and barrier functions, excitation-inhibition, as well as insufficiently compensated stress responses." 1991 – June – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The role of energy in brain function and behavioral patterns"The availability of energy is central to our stable functioning, and the need for energy strongly influences our behavior. For example, when hunger increases, the brain's interpretation system changes so that more and more unknown things are considered possible food. The spreading arousal that leads to this extended search likely also occurs in connection with other needs besides hunger and could lead to experiments with drugs or other activities that provide indirect satisfaction. Compulsive and obsessive patterns can sometimes be resolved by supporting the brain's energy metabolism, for example with magnesium and thyroid supplements." 1991 – June – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy, anxiety, and substance use in coping mechanisms"The inability to cope with everyday problems often precedes experimenting with drugs. Low energy and intense anxiety can lead a person to use either stimulants or sedatives – or both. Treating the underlying problem should facilitate withdrawal from many substances." 1991 – June – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The calming effects of progesterone and thyroid hormone"Both progesterone and triiodothyronine function to increase the tissue's energy supply and can have a stabilizing, calming effect in appropriate doses." 1991 – June – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Cell resistance to osmotic stress and energy level"Highly energized cells can resist the osmotic stress of too much water in their environment, while depleted cells cannot. Eliminating this stress – through an isotonic or slightly hypertonic composition of the surrounding fluid – can protect the cells' energy level and allow them to recover." 1991 – July – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Energy withdrawal, histamine production, and the effects of unsaturated fats"When energy is withdrawn from various cell types (mast cells are often studied), they tend to produce and release histamine (among other substances). Unsaturated fats promote the release of histamine, while short-chain saturated fats and glucose inhibit it." 1991 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The role of energy production in balancing bodily extremes"Efficient energy production prevents the body from sliding into either the cholinergic extreme or the glucocorticoid extreme." 1991 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Cellular excitation, energy availability, and cell survival"Since excessive excitation of cells (relative to available energy) leads to cell death – in the brain as well as in other tissues – it is important to consider as many natural inhibitory mechanisms as possible while doing everything to maintain energy production." 1991 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The central role of energy and structure in biology"The relationship between energy and structure is, I think, the central question of biology." 1990 – October – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Matter, energy flow, and the emergence of order"When energy flows through matter, order accumulates (for example through resonance and hysteresis), yet we hear so much about entropy, randomness, and symmetry that we forget most of the form-generating processes in the material world." 1990 – October – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The role of holistic science for human and ecological health"Human (and ecological) health should obviously benefit from a holistic science, yet in reality biology and medicine have become very product-oriented, and holistic considerations are increasingly delegated to various fringe areas. Many of these alternative approaches deal with the idea of energy as the key to health, but generally lack simple and effective methods to optimize biological energy—and often even use counterproductive procedures." 1990 – October – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Seasonal influences on respiratory energy, hormones, and immunity"In winter and at night, the energy-providing respiratory system is damaged, protective hormones decrease, and harmful stress hormones increase. The immune system becomes less active." 1990 – October – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The role of lipofuscin in energy production during respiratory failure"When copper-dependent mitochondrial respiration fails, lipofuscin has the ability to maintain energy production through glycolysis (by keeping the coenzyme NAD, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, relatively oxidized). Therefore, it is possible that lipofuscin represents a primitive form of stress defense." 1990 – October – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The role of energy in the further development of biological structure and function"On the short timescale on which we think about an individual's health, on the transgenerational level related to producing healthier, smarter children, and on the evolutionary timescale, I think we can see a tendency—not just to maintain homeostasis but to move toward higher energy and greater generality of structure and function. Providing more energy and expanding the framework for its use enhances our ability to use energy meaningfully." 1990 – October – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The flexibility of living organisms regarding energy and structural complexity"There is considerable flexibility in living organisms as well as at higher and lower levels of organization, and we can recognize some of the ways in which structures of varying complexity adapt to the surrounding conditions of energy and structure." 1990 – October – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Low energy levels, illness, and accelerated aging"Vicious cycles of physiology often stabilize an organism at a low energy level, which can lead to disease or rapid aging." 1990 – October – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Positive Feedback Systems Involving Progesterone and Thyroid Hormones"The existence of some positive feedback systems (self-stimulation) shows, however, that our fundamental structure is oriented in an expansive, ascending direction. Progesterone (and its precursors pregnenolone and cholesterol) as well as thyroid hormones are involved in some of the important positive feedback systems affecting energy production, stress resistance, and brain growth." 1990 – October – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Immune System Malfunctions as Expressions of Energy and Individuality"From a certain perspective, diverse immune system malfunctions can be caused by a single factor—such as an energy deficiency—that acts within the organism's unique history or constitutional individuality. Allergies, autoimmune diseases, and chronic infections or skin test anergy can be understood as aspects or phases of a generally impaired reactivity of the organism, shaped by numerous trophic influences from nerves, hormones, nutrition, as well as toxins, temperature, and radiation." 1989 – November – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Essential Role of the Thyroid in Protein Synthesis and Energy"Thyroid function is essential for all cellular processes, including protein uptake and synthesis, growth hormone formation, etc. Without thyroid hormone to maintain cellular respiration, inefficient glycolysis wastes energy; unoxidized lactate provokes the breakdown of liver protein. Hypoglycemia stimulates the release of glucocorticoids, which maintain blood sugar but at the cost of rapid protein breakdown." 1989 – November – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Inhibitory Effect of Cyanide on Respiratory Energy and Cytochromes"Since carbon monoxide binds to metal atoms, it could be held in a form that easily reacts with ammonia. During stress, which causes both lipid peroxidation and ammonia formation, rhodanese would be required to protect the respiratory cytochromes from cyanide, which would otherwise inhibit respiratory energy production and other processes involving the cytochromes." 1989 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The Conversion of Cholesterol in the Mitochondria and Its Effects on Hormones"In the mitochondria, a cytochrome P-450 converts cholesterol into pregnenolone. The loss of both energy and steroid hormones would have serious consequences." 1989 – January – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Toxic Effects of Unsaturated Oils on Health and Metabolism"Research showing the toxic effects of unsaturated oils goes back more than 60 years. An article published in my 1985 newsletter lists some of the most important sources. These substances inhibit many enzymes (e.g., in digestion, the immune system, removal of blood clots, thyroid function), disrupt mitochondrial energy production, and impair communication between cells. We hear very little about these toxic effects, and hardly any funding is available for further research in these areas." 1989 – February/March – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Szent-Györgyi's contribution to understanding energy processes"Albert Szent-Györgyi developed some of Koch's ideas and discovered vitamin C (which has a free radical state). He also studied many other energy exchange processes, including the activation of free radicals by biological pigments." 1988 – August/September – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The dependence of virus assembly on specific solvent environments"The most energetic states of the cell tend to exclude water-soluble substances and absorb fat-soluble substances. The components of a virus have very specific affinities for water and oil, and they can only be assembled in a very special solvent environment." 1988 – August/September – Ray Peats Newsletter |
The role of glucose in protecting against cortisol-induced catabolism"Sufficient energy – for example in the form of available glucose – acts protectively against cortisol-induced catabolism. White blood cells can protect themselves by breaking down cortisol, provided there is enough glucose." 1988 – August/September – Ray Peats Newsletter |
Using the Achilles tendon reflex to indicate thyroid-related metabolism"In the Achilles tendon reflex test, the slow relaxation of the calf muscle is used to demonstrate the low metabolism in hypothyroidism. In an energetic person, relaxation occurs immediately." 1986 – February |
Epilepsy and insomnia as low energy states of brain cells"Epilepsy is an example of a very low energy status of brain cells. Insomnia is also a low energy status and is usually cured by the right dose of thyroid hormone as well as sufficient glucose and other nutrients." 1986 – February |
Connection between reflex patterns and energy deficiency"Certain symptom constellations can be produced by reflexes, and these reflexes can remain fixed due to an energy deficiency." 1986 – February |
Low energy levels hinder focused activity and alertness"A low energy state prevents focused activity and alert readiness and can cause us to get stuck in inappropriate activities – from worries to autoimmune conditions." 1986 – February |
Ray Peat on Biological Energy
Supplements according to Ray Peat
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Beef Liver Capsules in Premium Quality
Normal price CHF 59.90Normal priceBase price forCHF 59.90Sales price CHF 59.90 -
Hydrolyzed Collagen Powder from Pasture-Raised Beef
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Dried Organic Pasture-Raised Beef Thyroid in Capsules
Normal price CHF 64.90Normal priceBase price forCHF 64.90Sales price CHF 64.90 -
Vitamin D3 + K2 MK7 - 4000 IU + 200 µg Drops
Normal price CHF 19.90Normal priceBase price forCHF 19.90Sales price CHF 19.90
