Thread by @getwellwterrell

I just learned Ray Peat died

He did amazing work to break a number of mainstream misconceptions about health, even when attacked for it

In honor of his life, here are my favorite quotes and lessons learned from the legend Mr. Peat

1. “The seed oil industry has created a national phobia about the consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol, but there is no basis for the idea that those foods should be avoided.”

Ray was a pioneer to the current understanding of seed oil toxicity vs saturated fats

2. “People with hypothyroidism are susceptible to heart disease, but their elevated blood cholesterol becomes normal when their thyroid function is restored."

He and others like Hans Selye increased understanding of hypothyroidism and its connection to numerous other diseases

“When we eat large amounts of muscle meats or liver the concentration of cysteine suppresses the thyroid. Heart, eggs, skin (gelatin) and milk are more favorable to the thyroid."

"In hypothyroidism there is little stomach acid,and other digestive juices (and even intestinal movement) are inadequate, so gas and constipation are common. Foods aren't simulated well, so even on a seemingly adequate diet there is "internal malnutrition."

“Contrary to popular ideas about thyroid, the gland will resume its functioning after stopping the use of a supplement even if it has been suppressed, and sometimes taking thyroid will increase the gland's function to normal.”

3. “Energy flows through all systems, and the flow of energy leaves a residue of structure.”

He and others like Albert Szent-Györgyi helped shift the focus for health from independent systems to adequate flow of energy through the body as needed

4. “When food is abundant during pregnancy, and when the environment is not stressful, the brain of the fetus grows at a faster rate than in cases in which the pregnancy is affected by malnutrition or stress.”

Like Dr. Price, he focused on maternal health and fetal development

5. High metabolism = longer, better lifespan:

“Many dog owners are aware that small dogs eat much more food in proportion to their size than big dogs do. And small dogs have a much greater life expectancy than big dogs, in some cases about twice as long.” (Speakman, 2003).

"In recent years, Weissman’s “wear-and-tear” theory of aging, and Pearl’s “rate of living” theory have been clearly refuted by metabolic studies that are showing that intensified mitochondrial respiration decreases cellular damage, and supports a longer life-span.”

“Organisms as different as yeasts and rodents show a similar association of metabolic intensity and life-span. A variety of hamster with a 20% higher metabolic rate lived 15% longer than hamsters with an average metabolic rate.” (Oklejewicz and Daan, 2002).

6. Among others, refuting the notion that salt is the cause of disease

In fact, that salt is NECESSARY for a healthy, robust metabolism and overall health

“In one study (3000 people, 4 years), there was a clear increase in mortality in the individuals who ate less salt. An extra few grams of salt per day was associated with a 36% reduction in “coronary events” (Alderman, et al., 1995)

“Without adequate sodium, the serum albumin is unable to keep water from leaving the blood and entering the tissues. The tissues swell as the volume of blood is reduced.”

“A low salt diet is just one of the things that can reduce kidney circulation and stimulate renin production. Bacterial endotoxin, and other things that cause excessive capillary permeability, edema, or shock-like symptoms, will activate renin secretion.”

“Several studies of preeclampsia or toxemia of pregnancy showed that supplementing the diet with salt would lower the women’s blood pressure, and prevent the other complications associated with toxemia.” (Shanklin and Hodin, 1979).

7. Taught the need for glucose as the primary (and most ideal) source of energy for the body, particularly for the thyroid and liver

Ie, keto is a survival mechanism and less than ideal for optimal, long term health

“A lowered metabolic rate and energy production is a common feature of aging and most degenerative diseases. From the beginning of an animal's life, sugars are the primary source of energy and with aging there is a shift toward replacing sugar oxidation with fat oxidation.”

“Stress and starvation lead to a relative reliance on the fats stored in the tissues, and the mobilization of these as circulating free fatty acids contributes to a slowing of metabolism and a shift away from the use of glucose for energy.”

Though many new Peaters start eating too much sugar too fast for their body to adapt to, there is a beautiful simplicity to understanding that our natural cravings for sugar are perfectly natural

Grateful for a man that left a legacy, everything I have learned from him

And hope to leave just such a legacy at the end of my life.

RIP Mr. Peat