Peat Archive

Endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, or LPS) from gram-negative gut bacteria is a major driver of inflammation in Ray Peat's framework. He argued that when the intestinal barrier is compromised — by stress, hypothyroidism, antibiotics, or dietary irritants — endotoxin leaks into the bloodstream and triggers a systemic inflammatory response involving the liver, immune system, and hormonal cascade. This 'endotoxemia' promotes estrogen retention, serotonin production, cortisol release, and nitric oxide formation.

Peat recommended reducing endotoxin through dietary means: well-cooked root vegetables and fruits rather than raw vegetables and legumes, carrot salad (the raw carrot fiber binds endotoxin in the gut), antibiotics like rifaximin for severe bacterial overgrowth, and regular bowel movements to prevent bacterial stagnation.