Stress
374 sourcesRay Peat's concept of stress extends far beyond the popular understanding of 'feeling stressed.' Drawing on Hans Selye's work, Peat described stress as any factor that shifts the body away from efficient oxidative metabolism toward emergency, adaptive responses. These responses — involving cortisol, adrenaline, serotonin, estrogen, and prostaglandins — are protective in the short term but destructive when chronic. Peat argued that modern life imposes constant low-grade stress through poor diet (PUFAs, starch, inadequate protein), hormonal imbalances, light deprivation, and environmental toxins.
The stress response in Peat's framework involves a cascade: inadequate fuel supply → cortisol and adrenaline release → free fatty acid mobilization → suppressed thyroid function → shift toward glycolysis → lactic acid production → further stress. Breaking this cycle requires addressing nutrition, thyroid function, and hormonal balance simultaneously.
Key Positions
- Stress shifts metabolism from oxidative to glycolytic, producing lactic acid instead of CO2
- Cortisol, adrenaline, serotonin, and estrogen are all stress mediators that promote each other
- Darkness and cold are biological stressors that increase stress hormones
- Frequent eating (especially sugar and protein) prevents the stress of low blood sugar
- Polyunsaturated fats amplify the stress response by inhibiting glucose oxidation
- Learned helplessness — Seligman's model — illustrates the metabolic basis of stress and depression
- Sleep problems, low body temperature, and cold extremities are signs of chronic stress
Sources
374 items-
An Interview With Dr. Raymond Peat: Organizing the Panic - by Karen Mcc et Wayde Curran, Eti Csiga and Tyler Derosier
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Andrew Kim Blog
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Aspirin, brain and cancer.
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Autonomic systems.
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BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats.
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BiochemNordic - Benedicte Lerche
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Bleeding, clotting, cancer.
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Blocking Tissue Destruction.
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Bone Density: First Do No Harm.
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Breast Cancer.
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Butter Nutrition - Catherine Louise
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Caffeine: A vitamin-like nutrient, or adaptogen. Questions about tea and coffee, cancer and other degenerative diseases, and the hormones.
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Calcium and Disease: Hypertension, organ calcification, & shock, vs. respiratory energy
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Cancer: Disorder and Energy
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Cascara, energy, cancer and the FDA's laxative abuse
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Cataracts: water, energy, light, and aging
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Cholesterol, longevity, intelligence, and health.
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Coconut Oil.
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Comparison of Progesterone and Estrogen
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Cows Eat Grass
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Diabetes, scleroderma, oils and hormones.
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Eclampsia in the Real Organism: A Paradigm of General Distress Applicable in Infants, Adults, Etc.
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El problema de la enfermedad de Alzheimer como una pista para la inmortalidad
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Energy, structure, and carbon dioxide: A realistic view of the organism
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Epilepsy and Progesterone.