Ray Peat Email Advice Depository

DaveFoster

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Jul 23, 2015
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Portland, Oregon
"If you have good thyroid function, do you think DHEA is better than pregnenolone because it's far fewer milligrams per dose (less allergenic), like testosterone?"

Dr. Peat: "Pregnenolone has its own effects distinct from DHEA’s; I think it’s important to find a well refined pregnenolone."

"I use HealthNatura's. It's one of the cleanest I could find."

Dr. Peat: "Does the certificate of analysis show where it’s made?"

"It's sourced from China with 99.9% pregnenolone and 0.1% source material."
 

jaguar43

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Oct 10, 2012
Messages
1,310
question:
What are your thoughts on these shaving products? They have minimal ingredients but I understand that you believe soap is a endocrine disrupter. Is it something to avoid in shaving creams/products as well ?

https://www.maggardrazors.com/product/xpec-unscented-shaving-cream-250ml-jar/

Ingredients : Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Potassium cocate, Myristic-Acid, Coconut Acid, Cocos Nucifera Oil

https://wetshavingproducts.com/coll...l-4-4-oz-125-g-au-naturel?variant=29918397959

Ingredients : Stearic Acid, Water, Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin

Answers from Dr. Peat:It’s pretty standard soap stuff, isn’t likely to be harmful.
 

goodandevil

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May 27, 2015
Messages
978
Q: "In freezer, how long would steroids keep (progesterone, dht, &c)?"
Ray: "Hundreds of years."
 

goodandevil

Member
Joined
May 27, 2015
Messages
978
On potassium and magnesium exacerbating anxiety caused by raised aldosterone:

Q: "I'm reading about electrolytes now in clinical chemistry. I havent studied ling's work in detail, though i plan to once I'm done with school. I was curious about aldosterone, how can magnesium and potassium alone, without sodium, exacerbate hyperaldosteronism? Is it the mineral balance of renal cells? Thank you very much."

Ray: "I don’t know that anyone has ever worked out the details of a Lingian approach to the effect of potassium on aldosterone, but now I’ll start thinking about it.

Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss. 1984 Apr;77 Spec No:87-91.
[Effects of potassium on renin and aldosterone].
[Article in French]
Kotchen TA.
The renin-aldosterone system contributes to the regulation of arterial pressure and to the maintenance of sodium and potassium balance. Alterations in plasma potassium concentration have opposite and independent effects on renin secretion by the kidney and on aldosterone secretion by the adrenal gland. Renin secretion tends to be inhibited by hyperkalemia and stimulated by potassium depletion. In contrast, increases of plasma potassium directly stimulate aldosterone secretion. This effect of potassium on aldosterone serves as a protective mechanism against the development of hyperkalemia. Conversely, hypokalemia inhibits aldosterone production. Small changes in plasma potassium have a greater effect on aldosterone than on renin secretion. In patients with essential hypertension, diuretic induced alterations in serum potassium concentrations may affect both renin and aldosterone secretion. We have observed that therapy with a thiazide diuretic results in a reduction of serum potassium and a greater increase in renin activity than therapy with the potassium-retaining diuretic, spironolactone, despite comparable natriuretic responses with both drugs. Conversely spironolactone therapy is associated with a greater increase in aldosterone production. The greater effect of thiazides on renin activity and the greater effect of spironolactone on aldosterone production may be related to the thiazide induced reduction of serum potassium and the spironolactone induced increases of serum potassium."
 

DaveFoster

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Jul 23, 2015
Messages
5,027
Location
Portland, Oregon
You've said that a person can adjust their thyroid dosage based on feel; do you think the presence of either anxiety or depression solely can be used as an indicator to increase one's dosage of T3 and T4? Many find it difficult to get an accurate temperature reading.

Dr. Peat: "Pulse rate, combined with temperature, helps, and the temperature of the fingers and toes is very useful. A person can learn to interpret feelings of anxiety or depression, but it’s good to have something objective. The Achilles reflex relaxation rate is good, if you have someone to thump, and don’t follow the advice of internet doctors."
 

goodandevil

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May 27, 2015
Messages
978
Q: "Besides the excipients, do you think C. Butryicum is safe? (Miyarisan)?"

R: "I think so."
 

goodandevil

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Joined
May 27, 2015
Messages
978
Q: "For a woman with difficulty ingesting enough protein, do you think calcium glucarate, or glucaric acid would be helpful?"

Ray: "If protein intake is really inadequate, it probably wouldn’t be helpful. Increased thyroid can improve protein assimilation."
 
T

tca300

Guest
I will post more later, I hope others can benefit from these questions and answers.



Me
: Do you think 10% of total calories coming from fat is enough? ( The fat is from milk ) Thank you!
Ray Peat: For some people it might be, but for good digestion I think 20% is better.

Me: The opioid peptide beta-casomorphine-7 from A1 milk worries me, do you have any thoughts on this since you haven't spoken fondly of opioids
Ray Peat: The experiments involved injecting it into brains. It’s a peptide derived from partial digestion of casein; good digestion should reduce it to amino acids.

Me: Do you know of any topical substance, that can get rid of stretch marks, and or keep them from forming? My wife is pregnant with twins, and is getting pretty tight skin. Thank you!
Ray Peat: I had a cousin with vivid stretch marks on her pregnant belly, and after just a couple of days of adding eggs and oysters to her diet they were completely gone.

Me: In regards to coffee's benefits, do you think its best to consume it everyday? Ive heard the body adapts to it after a while and you don't receive the benefits unless you discontinue its use regularly followed by consuming it again. Do you think there is any truth to this? Or is it benefical to consume cronically, without taking breaks away from it? Thank you!
Ray Peat: I think it’s best to use it regularly. The caffeine and other things are still working even when you have adapted so that the caffeine is less stimulating.

Me: If I may please ask you one final personal question. About how much Fat do you consume per day? Thank you!
Ray Peat: I think I average about 60 grams.

Me: A lot of people seem to be under the impression that you think starches are OK or even beneficial to eat, even when Fruit is available. Some are saying that super cooked starch to the point of it being wet and somewhat soggy, has beneficial effects that surpass sucrose. I was wondering if you think that stuff is accurate or is starch harmful and not ideal when compared to fruits and their sugars. Thank you!
Ray Peat: When a non-starchy fruit is available I think it’s always preferable to starch. Alkali-processed corn is the only kind that I’m willing to eat, and seldom that (e.g., corundas made with wood ashes).

Me: I understand this is off topic from what you typically teach, but I was wondering if you have run across any information, or learned on your own, things that help people grieve over lost loved ones, and or fear of losing others? Thank you!
Ray Peat: It activates the “helplessness” reactions in the body, stress weakening your own life, and I think it can help to get out of that if you think of your life as a continuation of theirs—the same life, though with fewer bodies.

Me: Is the main reason you think sugar is better than saturated fat as a fuel source because sugar increases CO2 more? Or are there other reasons? I was wondering if it would be safe to get a decent amount of calories from hydrogenated coconut oil as appose to pure sucrose. Thank you!
Ray Peat: I use hydrogenated coconut oil and sugar, and I think the combination is good for most people; in situations such as heart failure, more sugar would be preferable.

Me: If I may ask, about how many milligrams of caffeine do you personally get on average from coffee per day? Thank you!
Ray Peat: At present about 500-600.

Me: How many milligrams of caffeine per day do you think is best to get the optimal benefits from it? Thank you!
Ray Peat: Statistically, people who drink 5 or more cups per day are the healthiest, but in many places it’s common for coffee to have only about 100 mg per cup.

Me: Do you think the articles that are claiming dairy causes breast and prostate cancer have any truth to them?
Ray Peat: Most of the evidence suggests that it increases prostate cancer but decreases other cancers, especially colon, and is protective in other ways.
Me again: If milk increases prostate cancer risk, why do you think its safe to consume?
Ray Again: If it decreases many other risks, it’s healthful.

Me: Nutritional charts show milk containing no vitamin C. I remeber you said something along the lines of some animal foods containing dehydroascorbic acid or some form of vitamin c not detected by their measuring methods. The oranges and juice in my area all seem to be sour, which I think you said oranges are supposed to taste sweet.
Can I get enough vitamin C from a gallon of low fat cow milk? Or what other safe foods contain enough vitamin C? Thank you!
Ray Peat: A gallon provides enough vitamin C. The vitamin C in meat is usually also much higher than the charts say. At a time when my diet was mostly milk, meat, eggs, cheese, oatmeal, and bread, I decided to check the amount of vitamin C in my urine, and over the period that I checked it, it was steadily more than 2000 mg per day.

Me: There seems to be a decent amount of information on the benefits of nicotine ( not cigarettes, but nicotine itself or just tabacco ) Seems to be anti-estrogenic, and pro-androgen. I haven't heard you mention it before and was wondering if you think pure nicotine or tabacco could be a beneficial substance? Thank you!
Ray Peat: I think one of its good effects is stimulating the intestine, both secretions and motion. When its use is started in middle age, it’s less addictive

Me: If a person started seriously lowering PUFA intake when they are in their early twenties, and ate under 1 gram per day indefinitely, do you have any thoughts on the potential increase in lifespan that could produce?
Ray Peat: There are many well documented instances of very long lived people whose diets were probably low in PUFA, often based on milk, for example Old Thomas Parr:
“He existed and even thrived on a diet of “subrancid cheese and milk in every form, coarse and hard bread and small drink, generally sour whey”, as William Harvey wrote. … "On this sorry fare, but living in his home, free from care, did this poor man attain to such length of days".
Parr purportedly had an affair when he was over 100 years old and fathered a child born out of wedlock. After the death of his first wife, he married his child's mother at the alleged age of 122.[3]” Pine, L. G. (July 1965). "Thomas Parr – the most long-lived Englishman". Shropshire Magazine. Famous Shropshire sons – no. 5. 17 (5): 26–7.
About 20 years ago, a Florida newspaper interviewed a man whose records showed an age of 135, who said his diet was mainly the oranges he ate while picking them; that had been his occupation for most of his life.

Me: You have repeatedly mentioned PUFA accumulates with aging. My question is, if someone in their 20's started eating a diet with less than 2 grams of PUFA per day, and maintained that low PUFA intake permanently into old age, would PUFA still accumulate with age? Thank you!
Ray Peat: I think some would still accumulate in the fat tissues, unless total fat intake was low, and PUFA intake was half a gram or less.

Me: If I may ask a quick question. In your opinion, what specifically, are the most anti-inflammatory substances a person could use or take? Thank you!
Ray Peat : Some of the most potent are also destructive to all tissues. The safest are sugar, aspirin, pregnenolone, DHEA, progesterone, thyroid hormone, lidocaine, testosterone, and food sources of magnesium and calcium.

Me: When it comes to total intake from food, what do you think is the upper safe limit on total tryptophan intake for an active male? Or is it more about the balance between it and glycine? Thank you!
Ray Peat: I think it’s a matter of the balance with other nutrients, keeping all the inflammatory things low, and the metabolic rate high. The calcium of milk is protective.

Me: I was reading an article where you allegedly said that you grew 1.5 inches from taking DHEA. If you actually said that, I was wondering how many milligrams of DHEA you were taking per day? How long were you taking it before you grew? And were you taking other hormones like pregnenolone etc at the time that might have caused the growth itself or synergized with the DHEA? I very much appreciate all your information that you share with the public, and your time. Thank you very much!
Ray Peat: A friend and her two kids were living with us, and everyone marked their height on the door frame; I was about 40 at the time. About a year before we moved out of the house, I was experimenting with DHEA; I had previously been handling progesterone occasionally for several years. I probably took 10 or 15 mg per day, and after a few days there was a sudden change in a mole on my belly, and my horizontal, semi-impacted lower wisdom teeth suddenly began erupting; over a period of a few weeks, they moved into a fully erupted position. I was about 45 at that time. I noticed that my belt was looser, and I had a visible waste, so I checked my weight, and found that I hadn’t lost weight, though considerable fat had disappeared. We were moving out of the house, and before we left we checked our height on the door frame. My younger girl friend was about the same as before, I was considerably taller.
 
T

tca300

Guest
Me: Do you think a low fat (about 30 grams per day ) diet is bad for skin health and might contribute to its premature aging and wrinkling? Or is sugar and protein sufficient for skin health? Thank you!
RP: We can make fat from protein and carbohydrate; proteins, vitamins, and minerals are the main things for skin health.

Me: Since saturated fats cause low grade endotoxemia by transporting endotoxin from the digestive system into the blood and other tissues creating an inflammatory response ( cytokines, TLR4, etc ) and since we cant completely rid ourselves of bacteria, wouldn't it be better to eat a very low fat high carbohydrate diet so as to avoid chronic, repeated bouts of gut derived endotoxin exposure? Thank you!
RP: I have seen the “saturated fat increases endotoxin uptake” idea, but they ignored the bacteriostatic action of the saturated fat, and also its acceleration of the degradation process. I consider it to have been a typical misleading propaganda piece.

Me: There are studies with mice/rats that show prolonged bamboo shoot consumption induce hypothyroidism as well as damage reproductive function. Have you read any of these studies? Have you experienced any thyroid suppression from prolonged bamboo shoot consumption?
RP: Yes, like cabbage, cauliflower, mustard and radish it’s possible to eat enough to cause enlargement of the thyroid gland, especially when the traditional diet favors a bitter, acidic variety of bamboo, but the blanched, mild tasting variety that’s popular in the US and China doesn’t seem to cause problems.

Me: In many of your articles and interviews you mention the negatives of the unsaturated fatty acids, and at other times specifically the polyunsaturated fatty acids. My question is, when you are mentioning the unsaturated fats, are you including monounsaturated ones like Oleic acid? Is oleic acid harmful? Or whenever you say unsaturated fats are you just specifically talking about the PUFA's?
RP: Yes, I mean the PUFA, oleic acid is safe, and we synthesize it ourselves from carbohydrates. Thank you!

Me: Do you think 18 cups of cows milk supplies enough folic acid ( folate )?
Orange juice doesnt seem to sit well with me currently and I was curious if milk supplies enough b vitamins by itself. Thank you!
RP: I think so, because of its high bioavailability in milk.
Pol Merkur Lekarski. 2014 Apr;36(214):287-90.
[Dairy products as source of folates].
[Article in Polish]
Kowalska M, Cichosz G.
Abstract
Dairy products, especially yoghurts and blue cheeses, are underestimated source of folates in human diet. Though foliates content in dairy products is lower than in vegetables and cereals, nevertheless their bioavailability and stability is much better. High folate stability results from presence of hydro- and lipophylic antioxidants efficiently protecting folates and other bioactive compounds against oxidation processes on synergic way. On the other hand, high bioavailability is a consequence of folic appearing in milk mainly in form of mono glutamates and also of a presence of a protein ready to bind folates (FBP--folic binding protein). FBP makes easier folates transport through cell membranes. Moreover, present in milk sphingolipids and cholesterol stimulate activity of FBP. Mould cheeses and milk fermented beverages contain the highest amount of folates. However, cottage cheese contain considerable amount of folic binding protein. Regular consumption of milk fermented beverages and eating them together with vegetables and fruits rich in folates is a chance to increase covering of folic demand.

Me: Since I was young and still today ( 25 yrs old and male ) I remember my knees always pop when I squat down. During my first walk to the rest room in the morning my knees will pop quite loudly just by walking, but wont the rest of the day ( except when I have to squat down ). Also sometimes when I squat down and my knees dont pop, it will hurt a little until I can get them to pop. My wrists always crack/pop when I move my hand in a circular motion, or flex from one way to the other. I was wondering if these popping joints indicate something is wrong? If you have any thoughts I would appreciate it! Thank you!
RP: Sometimes slightly low thyroid function can cause the cartilage in joints to swell, and sometimes to accumulate fluid. Slight nutritional deficiencies can contribute to it. Having some seafood once a week often helps, and having enough protein (80 to 100 grams) and calcium (about 1500 mg) is important.

Me: I've been reading that cilantro is good for chelating heavy metals, specifically Iron. I was wondering if you think cilantro is a safe food to use as an effective way to remove iron from the body? Donating blood is time very time consuming where I live so it hasn't been an option. Thanks!
RP: I think the amount that would make a difference with heavy metals might be allergenic. Having coffee, milk, and orange juice as regular parts of your diet help to move iron out safely.

Me: I've often wondered if hypothyroidism is the main underlying cause of male pattern baldness, and women tend to be more hypothyroid than men, why is hair loss more prevalent in males? Do you have any thoughts? Thanks!
RP: Progesterone is highly protective for the skin and follicles, preventing the formation of harmful prostaglandins, for example.

Me: Do you think flowers of sulphur is safe for ingestion for the purpose of killing fungus, bacteria and or parasites? If so, do you know of a good amount for those purposes? Thanks!
RP: I found that a pinch, about 200 mg, daily for 3 or 4 days was effective for changing my intestinal flora; the effect lasted a few months. After using it occasionally for many years, I became sensitized to it, and it produced intestinal irritation.

Me: Raw Garlic has very potent antibacterial properties. Do you think its safe to add as a topping on the carrot salad? Thanks!!
RP: It’s good for flavor in small amounts, but in a high concentration it’s toxic to both human and bacterial cells.

Me: There seems to be some evidence that caloric restriction is beneficial. I haven't heard you mention anything about it. I was wondering if you think mild calorie restriction is optimal for health? Or beneficial? Or is just eating low pufa what you consider to be optimal, regardless of calorie intake? Thanks!
RP: I’ve occasionally mentioned that the typical calorie restricted diet increases the metabolic rate and decreases oxidative damage by reducing PUFA, cysteine, methionine, tryptophan, and iron, possibly some random toxins. In one of the big nurses studies, someone noticed that those who ate the most lived the longest, i.e., had the highest metabolic rate.

Me: I haven't experienced this but I was wondering if you know what causes kidney stones? A lot of doctors say it's from eating too much animal protein and calcium. Do you think drinking a gallon of milk everyday chronically would give someone kidney stones? Thank you!
RP: High phosphate and low vitamin D are probably the main things. Meat, beans, nuts, and grains have a very high ratio of phosphate to calcium. I think milk is protective, with its good ratio of calcium to phosphate.

Me: I read that you mentioned it might be best not to get too many calories from saturated fat because it causes cause the body to switch to using fat as it's main source of energy as appose to sugar. Do you still feel the same about that? If so how much would it take to interfere with using sugar?
Also I was listening to one of your interviews and someone asked about things that improve brain function. You mention fighter pilots mental function being best on a high fat diet. If the brain uses glucose as it's main source of energy, why do you think their mental abilities were best with more fat? Thank you very much for your time!
RP: I think it depends on the level of activity and energy use. Milk fat has protective, stabilizing effects, and having it available for muscle metabolism spares glucose for the brain.
Clin Exp Metastasis. 2011 Oct;28(7):675-88.
Dairy milk fat augments paclitaxel therapy to suppress tumour metastasis in mice,and protects against the side-effects of chemotherapy.
Sun X(1), Zhang J, Gupta R, Macgibbon AK, Kuhn-Sherlock B, Krissansen GW. (1)Lactopharma Consortium, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Milk fat is a natural product containing essential nutrients as well as fatty
acids and other food factors with reported anti-cancer potential. Here bovine milk fat was tested for its ability to inhibit the growth of breast and colon cancers and their metastasis to the lung and liver; either alone or in
combination with the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel. A diet containing 5% typical anhydrous milk fat (representing ~70% of the total dietary fat component) fed to Balb/c mice delayed the appearance of subcutaneous 4T1 breast and CT26 colon cancer tumours and inhibited their metastasis to the lung and liver, when compared to the control diet containing soybean oil as the only fat component. It augmented the inhibitory effects of paclitaxel on tumour growth and metastasis, and reduced the microvessel density of tumours. It displayed no apparent organ toxicity, but instead was beneficial for well-being of tumour-bearing mice by maintaining gastrocnemius muscle and epididymal adipose tissue that were otherwise depleted by cachexia. The milk fat diet ameliorated gut damage caused
by paclitaxel in non-tumour-bearing mice, as evidenced by retention of jejunal morphology, villi length and intestinal γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity, and inhibition of crypt apoptosis. It prevented loss of red and white blood cells due to both cancer-mediated immunosuppression and the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy. The present study warrants the use of milk fat as an adjuvant to inhibit tumour metastasis during cancer chemotherapy, and to spare patients from
the debilitating side-effects of cytotoxic drugs.

I will post more later. Some of these have several studies with them, but thats an awful lot of work to make look ok while using a phone. If someone wants, pm me and I will send you the email if it has studies with it.
 
T

tca300

Guest
Me: I don't really crave fat, but realise it's importance for various things. I was wondering if I were to be eating low fat milk, an egg, and an abundance of sugar from fruit, table sugar, and Pepsi, could the fat produced from the excess sugar replace fat I would have consumed in the form of hydrogenated coconut oil, butter, etc ? Or is it still best to consume adequate dietary fat? Thank you!
RP: The excess sugar helps to keep tissue fats saturated, resisting oxidation-inflammation, but if the thyroid is a little low, so that digestion slows down, bacteria have a better chance to thrive when fat in the food is lower. If a little fat is taken with some fiber, for example olive oil with carrot salad, or butter on cooked mushrooms, the antiseptic effect is spread along the intestine.

Me: For someone going to take tetracycline for the first time, if I could ask, what's a good starting dose ( how many milligrams per day ) and how many days should one take it? And finally how often throughout the year would it be optimal to do it again? Thank you very much!
RP: It depends on whether it’s for eliminating small intestine bacteria that cause symptoms, or for treating cancer, etc. I have started with 100 mg twice a day and had immediate results, but for intense acute symptoms I would use twice as much.

Me: Is keeping vitamin D at about 50ng/ml optimal? Do you think topical supplementation of vitamin D is best? Thank you!
RP: Individuals vary in the amount of each that they need. During northern winters, most people benefit from a supplement of vitamin D. Because of manufacturing impurities, any supplement can be irritating to the digestive system, but usually taking it with food is o.k. When an oral supplement causes problems, the oily vitamins can be used on the skin, but the amount absorbed is usually much less. I think a blood level of 50 to 55 ng/ml is optimal. I have noticed that I tan easily rather than burning when I have supplemented vitamin D.

Me: Because a deficiency in light usually causes a Progesterone deficiency in women, would light be necessary to prevent a testosterone deficiency in men? If so would the 130 volt 250 watt infrared heat lamps be good for testosterone production? Thank you very much!
RP: If it looks bright where you spend most of your time. Stimulation of the eyes is important for hormone activation.

Me: In the case of high reverse T3 would t3 alone, or maybe with a small amount of t4 at night be sufficient to correct that? Or are there better approaches in lowering RT3? Thank you!
RP: T3 can help, but the basic cause seems to be high cortisol and adrenalin, probably other stress hormones. Keeping vitamin D in the normal range, avoiding unsaturated fats, and having some sugar such as orange juice frequently can help.

Me: I've recently done a mold test in the basement where I live. It turns out there is a decent amount of Cladosporium and a small amount of Ulocladium in the air. Do you think this poses a health concern? Thank you!
RP: Basements are usually moldy; if a person lives in a basement, an air filter would be important. They can be allergenic, but their toxicity has been exaggerated.

Me: Do you think low intensity walking could safely help burn up PUFA stored in the body? Thank you!
RP: Yes, it’s a safe way to do it.

Me: For someone who has eaten a high PUFA diet for about 20 years ( and probably way too much iron ) but now for the past 2 years consumes 3 grams or less of PUFA a day about how much vitamin E do you think is optimal? Thank you!
RP: It’s important to use the natural form of vitamin E, either mixed tocopherals or d-alpha tocopherol; because of changed methods of extracting vitamin E, I think it’s generally best not to use over 50 i.u. per day, until there’s more research using the new products.

Me: Do you think caffeine is safe for people with a very poor ability to store sugar? Or would thyroid be more appropriate until the ability to store sugar is fixed? Thank you!
RP: Although thyroid is the essential basic thing, I have known people who were able to stabilize their blood sugar quickly by using a small amount of coffee (with cream) with meals.
 

raypeatclips

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2016
Messages
2,555
Q. Do you think it would still be beneficial to eat oysters of somebody's only source was canned, smoked oysters in sunflower oil?

A. After draining them thoroughly, I think once or twice a month is good.

Q. What would you say the limiting factor of stopping someone eating them much more often was? The pufa, the smoking, the canning, or a combination of these or something else?

A. The smoke and oil together would make any carcinogens in the smoke be absorbed.
 

blob69

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
362
Q: We've been researching microwave radiation and its effects on health and while we could find lots of evidence for negative effects, we were surprised to see that brain cancer rates in the US have essentially been stable since the introduction of mobile phones. It's also one of the main arguments of people who'd like to see mobile phones proven safe. Do you have any thoughts on this? I think you've even mentioned cancer rates statistics not being too reliable and wonder if this could be the case with brain cancer as well.
RP: There are many ways they make evidence seem to disappear, but the animal evidence is clear. The apologists for carcinogens say animals are different, but animal research has been the basic evidence for much of medical practice. Exposure to electromagnetic energy other than from telephones has been increasing steadily.

Q: Thanks, that's very interesting! I was also wondering about a new study on mice: https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/trpanel/2018/march/tr596peerdraft.pdf Can these results be dismissed as not very important just because of comparison with historical rates, or is this just another tactic to cover up evidence?
RP: It’s good to keep the historical information in mind, looking for what accounts for the difference—food changes can be responsible for different sensitivities as well as basal rates.

Q: I'd say one important difference with these mice was that they were all housed inside a metal chamber, which removed most sources of outside radiation. I think this could explain lower incidence of cancer in both groups. However, I still don't see how this invalidates the evidence that exposed mice had more lymphoma and other tumors mentioned below. Based just on this, the media are now reporting that there essentially was no difference between unexposed and exposed mice. Am I missing something?
RP: There is no evidence that nuclear war would end the human species, but the precautionary principle is that we should make intelligent judgments about important issues. People like the Koch brothers have organized campaigns against the precautionary principle, and corporations (for example, asbestos, cigarettes, estrogen) and the military (atmospheric bomb tests) have always insisted on perfectly clear evidence of causality before accepting restrictions. The media—medical journals, television, etc.—are in the business of supporting business. Science’s War on Medicine

Q: What do you think about books such as Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now, promoted by Bill Gates?
RP: Pinker is possibly the worst of the ruling class apologists. Bill Gates might just be a little stupid, but this guy seems to be consciously evil.

Q: What do you think about the native people of Americas dying in droves upon contact with Europeans? The common explanation is that they caught various European diseases that they were not used to, but there is not much logic in that if disease is primarily of environmental origin. I even found an article claiming that the natives had horrible health and lived only to 25 years of age, but that just makes it even more illogical because then, according to their reasoning, Europeans should be catching natives’ diseases and not vice versa!
RP: A friend of mine did a study of the Matlatzincas of the Toluca area, who had a reputation for unusual strength and vigor, and who had a very mixed diet. They were put to work by the Spanish, and converted to a bean and tortilla diet, and faded away. I think the story of dying from European infections is just to avoid thinking of the extent of the genocides.

Q: In a few countries, including mine, brain cancer and other cancer rates have been rising. In US and UK however, statistics are different, they even show reduction for some cancers! We're thinking that this data was somehow changed to fit their purpose. It's unlikely that in some countries the rise in cancers is so profound while in others things are getting better.
RP: In 1994, Donna Shalala, US Secretary of Health and HS, declared victory in the war on cancer. I pointed out that she was using absolutely fraudulent statistics, and observed that, with the aging of the baby boomers, who were just arriving at the age of high cancer incidence, by the year 2000 her phony calculations would no longer work in the war on cancer, and that some radically new method would be needed to hide the facts about the cancer trend. At the beginning of the new century, the US Bureau of Statistics changed its reporting practice, no longer publishing the annual raw death numbers, but only age standardized numbers, without publishing their reference year. Some agencies are now age standardizing mortality figures based on a reference year of 2030, i.e., fantasy.
 
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blob69

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
362
Q: My friend who used to have high serum iron and transferrin saturation but managed to lower them with a vegetarian diet, still has elevated bilirubin. He used to have ALT and AST elevated too, but we brought these down with vitamins D, B and K. What do you think could be the reason that his bilirubin is still elevated? He notices that he sometimes gets diarrhea if he eats lots of cream, so perhaps it could have something to do with the gallbladder, but we're not sure. Do you think there is anything to "Gilbert's syndrome" (what his doctors mentioned)?
RP: I think Gilbert’s syndrome is just one of the many patterns that can develop with hypothyroidism. Liver enzymes usually rise in hypothyroidism before the “muscle enzymes,” but all cells tend to leak out some of their contents when their energy level is low.

Q: I've been researching melatonin and came across a lot of conflicting information. I saw some of your older critiques (lowering thyroid, shrinking thymus) and more recent praises for melatonin (opposing serotonin), so I'm wondering, what is your current position on it? Is it safe to supplement if it helps the person sleep better? Also intriguing are the many studies showing that non-ionizing radiation blocks production of melatonin. I wonder if that is a good or bad sign?
RP: It’s produced during the stress of darkness, by adrenergic nervous stimulation, and I think one of its functions is to neutralize serotonin, which could be an important antistress function. An amount much smaller than a milligram can bring on sleep, but I doubt the safety of larger amounts. Here are some articles about its involvement in inflammation:
47. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2002 Nov-Dec;20(6):872-3.
Melatonin in rheumatoid arthritis: a disease-promoting and modulating hormone?
Maestroni GJ, Sulli A, Pizzorni C, Villaggio B, Cutolo M.
48. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Jun;966:276-83.
Melatonin serum levels in rheumatoid arthritis.
Sulli A(1), Maestroni GJ, Villaggio B, Hertens E, Craviotto C, Pizzorni C, Briata
M, Seriolo B, Cutolo M.
(1)Laboratory and Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine and
Medical Specialities, University of Genova, Genova, Italy. [email protected]
The pineal hormone melatonin (MLT) exerts a variety of effects on the immune
system. MLT activates immune cells and enhances inflammatory cytokine and nitric
oxide production. Cytokines are strongly involved in the synovial immune and
inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and reach the peak of
concentration in the early morning, when MLT serum level is higher. Nocturnal MLT
serum levels were evaluated in 10 RA patients and in 6 healthy controls. Blood
samples were obtained at 8 and 12 p.m., as well as at 2, 4, 6, and 8 a.m. MLT
serum levels at 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. were found to be higher in RA patients than in
controls (p < 0.05). In both RA patients and healthy subjects, MLT progressively
increased from 8 p.m. to the first hours of the morning, when the peak level was
reached (p < 0.02). However, MLT serum level reached the peak at least two hours
before in RA patients than in controls (p < 0.05). Subsequently, in RA patients,
MLT concentration showed a plateau level lasting two to three hours, an effect
not observed in healthy controls. After 2 a.m., MLT levels decreased similarly in
both RA patients and healthy subjects. Several clinical symptoms of RA, such as
morning gelling, stiffness, and swelling, which are more evident in the early
morning, might be related to the neuroimmunomodulatory effects exerted by MLT on
synovitis and might be explained by the imbalance between cortisol serum levels
(lower in RA patients) and MLT serum levels (higher in RA patients).
49. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Jun;966:271-5.
Melatonin in rheumatoid arthritis: synovial macrophages show melatonin receptors.
Maestroni GJ(1), Sulli A, Pizzorni C, Villaggio B, Cutolo M.
(1)Centre for Experimental Pathology, Istituto Cantonale di Patologia, Locarno,
Switzerland. [email protected]
The pineal neurohormone melatonin is widely recognized as exerting important
immunoenhancing effects that act on specific receptors in immunocompetent cells.
This action results in stimulation of cytokine production in lymphocytes and
macrophages. Here we report that the nocturnal plasma concentration of melatonin
in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is higher than in healthy controls.
Furthermore, melatonin is present in the synovial fluid of RA patients and
synovial macrophages express a specific binding site. We suggest that melatonin
may exert a disease-promoting role in RA.
40. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 Feb;64(2):212-6.
Circadian melatonin and cortisol levels in rheumatoid arthritis patients in
winter time: a north and south Europe comparison.
Cutolo M(1), Maestroni GJ, Otsa K, Aakre O, Villaggio B, Capellino S, Montagna P,
Fazzuoli L, Veldi T, Peets T, Hertens E, Sulli A.
(1)Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of
Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV 6, 16136 Genoa, Italy. [email protected]
BACKGROUND: Altered functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and
altered melatonin production might modulate the circadian symptoms in patients
with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of different winter photoperiods on the
circadian rhythms of serum melatonin, cortisol, tumour necrosis factor alpha
(TNFalpha), and interleukin 6 (IL6) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis from a
north Europe country (Estonia) and a south Europe country (Italy).
METHODS: The patients from Estonia (n = 19) and Italy (n = 7) had similar disease
severity and duration and were compared with healthy age and sex matched controls
in the two countries. Blood samples were collected during the period January to
February at 8 pm, 10 pm, midnight, 2 am, 4 am, 6 am, 8 am, and 3 pm. Melatonin
was measured by radioimmunoassay using (125)I-melatonin. Serum cortisol,
TNFalpha, and IL6 cytokines were assayed by standard methods.
RESULTS: Higher circadian melatonin concentrations from 10 pm and an earlier peak
were observed in Estonian patients than in their age and sex matched controls
(p<0.01). Starting from midnight, melatonin concentrations were significantly
higher in the Estonian patients than in the Italian patients. No significant
differences were observed for serum cortisol. Serum TNFalpha was higher (p<0.05)
in Estonian patients than in their controls and was correlated with the melatonin
levels.
CONCLUSIONS: In a north European country (Estonia), the circadian rhythm of serum
concentrations of melatonin and TNFalpha in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
were significantly higher than in matched controls or in rheumatoid patients from
a south Europe country (Italy).
41. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2005 Feb;31(1):115-29, ix-x.
Circadian rhythms and arthritis.
Cutolo M(1), Masi AT.
(1)Research Laboratory, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal
Medicine, Università degli Studi di Genova, Viale Benedetto XV 6, 16132 Genova,
Italy. [email protected]
The clinical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) show a circadian variation;
joint stiffness and pain are more prominent in the early morning. An altered
functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (cortisol) and of the
pineal gland (melatonin) seems to be important factors in the perpetuation and
clinical circadian symptoms of RA. Consistently, human proinflammatory cytokine
production exhibits a diurnal rhythmicity with peak levels during the night and
early morning, at a time when plasma cortisol (anti-inflammatory) is lowest and
melatonin (proinflammatory) is highest. Sex hormones also seem to be involved in
circadian rhythms of RA symptoms. Increased pain intensity and sleep disturbances
are observed during the luteal phase in patients who have RA, when estrogen (and
progesterone) levels would be higher than in the follicular phase. The occurrence
of circadian rhythms of the inflammatory reaction suggest important implications
for scheduling activities of daily living, for measurements in clinical trials,
and possibly for the time at which antirheumatic drugs--including corticosteroids
and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs--are administered.
42. J Neuroimmunol. 2005 Jan;158(1-2):106-11.
Does melatonin play a disease-promoting role in rheumatoid arthritis?
Maestroni GJ(1), Cardinali DP, Esquifino AI, Pandi-Perumal SR.
(1)Center for Experimental Pathology, Cantonal Institute of Pathology, Via In
Selva 24, P.O. Box 6601 Locarno, Switzerland. [email protected]
The pineal neurohormone melatonin (MLT) has been widely shown to exert an
immunostimulatory and antiapoptotic role, mainly by acting on Th cells and on T
and B cell precursors, respectively. Thus, MLT might favor or promote autoimmune
diseases by acting directly on immature and mature immunocompetent cells. In
fact, preclinical and clinical evidence point to a disease-promoting role of MLT
in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MLT, whose concentration is increased in serum from
RA patients, may act systemically or locally in the inflamed joints. The
circadian secretion of MLT with a peak level during the night hours might be
strictly correlated with the peculiar daily rhythmicity of the RA symptoms. In
rat studies employing Freund's complete mycobacterial adjuvant (FCA) as a model
of rheumatoid arthritis, pinealectomized rats turned arthritic and exhibited a
significantly less pronounced inflammatory response, which was restored to normal
by a low MLT dose and was aggravated by a pharmacological MLT dose, that
augmented the inflammatory and immune response. Continued investigation will
refine our understanding of these observations, which will possibly translate
into improved therapeutic approaches.
38. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 Aug;64(8):1109-11.
The melatonin-cytokine connection in rheumatoid arthritis.
Cutolo M(1), Maestroni GJ.
(1)Research Laboratory and Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal
Medicine, University of Genova, Viale Benedetto XV,6, 16132 Genova, Italy.
[email protected]
35. Autoimmun Rev. 2005 Nov;4(8):497-502. Epub 2005 Jun 13.
Altered circadian rhythms in rheumatoid arthritis patients play a role in the
disease's symptoms.
Cutolo M(1), Villaggio B, Otsa K, Aakre O, Sulli A, Seriolo B.
(1)Research Laboratory and Division of Rheumatology, Department of Immunology and
Endocrinology, University of Genova, Italy Viale Benedetto XV, 16132 Genova-I,
Italy. [email protected]
The circadian changes in the metabolism or nocturnal secretion of endogenous
corticosteroids (reduction) observed in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are
responsible, in part, for the time-dependent changes that are observed in the
inflammatory response and related early morning clinical symptoms of the disease.
Melatonin (MLT), another circadian nocturnal hormone that is the secretory
product of the pineal gland, has been implicated in the time-dependent RA
inflammatory reaction with effects that are opposite to those of corticosteroids.
As a consequence, altered functioning of the HPA axis (early morning reduced
corticosteroid production) and of the pineal gland (night increased MLT
production) found in RA patients, seem to be important factors in the appearance
and perpetuation of the clinical circadian symptoms of the disease. Consistently,
human proinflammatory Th1-type cytokine production (related to MLT stimulation)
exhibits a diurnal rhythmicity with peak levels during the night and early
morning, at a time when plasma cortisol (inducing the Th2-type cytokine
production) is lowest and MLT is highest. Reduced daily light exposure as
observed in northern Europe (Estonia), at least during the winter, might explain
the higher and more prolonged serum MLT concentrations that were observed in
northern RA patients, as well as some epidemiological features versus southern
Europe patients.
36. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2005 Jun;1051:372-81.
Nocturnal hormones and clinical rhythms in rheumatoid arthritis.
Cutolo M(1), Otsa K, Aakre O, Sulli A.
(1)Research Laboratory and Division of Rheumatology, Department of Immunology and
Endocrinology, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 16132 Genoa-I, Italy.
[email protected]
It is well known that some clinical signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
(RA) vary within a day and between days; the morning stiffness that is observed
in patients who have RA has become one of the diagnostic criteria of the disease.
The circadian changes in the metabolism or nocturnal secretion of endogenous
corticosteroids is certainly responsible, in part, for the time-dependent changes
that are observed in the inflammatory response and related clinical symptoms.
More recently, melatonin (mLT), another circadian nocturnal hormone that is the
secretory product of the pineal gland, has been implicated in time-dependent
inflammatory reactions, with effects that are opposite of those of
corticosteroids. Therefore, altered functioning of the
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (reduced corticosteroid production)
and of the pineal gland (increased mLT production) found in RA patients seem to
be important factors in the perpetuation and clinical circadian symptoms of the
disease. Consistently, human proinflammatory Th1-type cytokine production
(related to mLT stimulation) exhibits a diurnal rhythmicity, with peak levels
during the night and early morning, at a time when plasma cortisol (inducing
Th2-type cytokine production) is lowest and mLT is highest. Reduced daily light
exposure as observed in northern Europe (Estonia), at least during the winter,
might explain the higher and more prolonged mLT concentrations as well as some
epidemiological features that are observed in northern European patients with RA
versus southern European patients.
51. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1999 Jun 22;876:246-54.
Melatonin influences interleukin-12 and nitric oxide production by primary
cultures of rheumatoid synovial macrophages and THP-1 cells.
Cutolo M(1), Villaggio B, Candido F, Valenti S, Giusti M, Felli L, Sulli A,
Accardo S.
(1)Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, Italy.
Because some of the clinical symptoms related to rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
synovitis, such as joint morning stiffness and gelling, might be related to the
effects exerted by the diurnal rhythmicity of the neurohormone melatonin (MLT) on
synovial immune cell activation, we decided to evaluate the influence of MLT on
the production of IL-12 and nitric oxide (NO) on primary cultures of RA synovial
macrophages. Synovial macrophages were also prestimulated with lipopolysaccaride
(LPS). Results were compared with those obtained on cultured human myeloid
monocytic cells (THP-1). A significant increase in IL-12 (p = 0.01) was found in
media of MLT-stimulated synovial macrophages versus RMPI-treated synovial
macrophage controls. Interestingly, a significant decrease of IL-12 (p < 0.0001)
was observed in media of synovial macrophages previously activated with LPS and
then treated with MLT, when compared to synovial macrophages treated with LPS
alone. A significant increase in NO levels (p = 0.01) was found in MLT-stimulated
synovial macrophages versus RMPI-treated synovial macrophage controls.
Interestingly, a nonsignificant increase of NO levels was observed in media of
synovial macrophages previously activated with LPS and then treated with MLT,
when compared to cynovial macrophages treated with LPS alone. Finally, a
significant increase in IL-12 (p = 0.03) and NO (p = 0.002) concentrations was
observed in media of MLT-stimulated THP-1 cells versus RMPI-treated controls. Our
results therefore show that MLT induces IL-12 secretion and NO production by
unstimulated cultured RA synovial macrophages and human monocytic myeloid THP-1
cells. The unexpected and opposite effects on IL-12 and NO production in RA
synovial macrophages treated with LPS may be related to dose-dependent mechanisms
exerted by MLT or to altered cell priming in RA macrophages; these are matters of
our further research. This study strongly supports the role of MLT in immune
response modulation and in particular suggests a close relationship between
diurnal rhythmicity of neuroendocrine pathways, cytokine and reactive oxygen
intermediate production by monocyte/macrophages, and synovial arthritis
symptomatology, at least in RA.
 

Dan W

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Messages
1,528
Some exchanges not yet in the list:

[CIA & "CONSPIRACY THEORIES"]
Ray Peat said:
The annual budget of the CIA is supposed to be 14.7 billion dollars, and their employees, 22,200, which would average $660,000 per employee, including secretaries and chauffers, etc., but their widely recognized black budget is said to be $52.6 billion per year. I think it’s reasonable to assume that the actual number of people getting money from them is around a million, but I think they have ways to control people out of proportion to the money spent. In the Spanish empire, starting in the 18th century, there was an institution called La Acordada, which had the crown’s authority to act as police, judges, and executioners. The modern version of it exists in the US as well as in Latin America---gangsters, organized crime on different levels, are given freedom from prosecution for anything that doesn’t impinge on the authorities, and in exchange they do favors for the FBI, CIA, and various police agencies, especially the big cities’ agencies. The CIA freely murders anyone who is important enough to need their personal attention, but for things like creating a public demand for more police with greater power, they can just give hints, and leave the execution to the sadists and crazies of their Acordada. When the nominal perpetrator dies immediately, I think a reasonable explanation for the theatrical quality of the event is that it was theater, created by modest anonymous impresarios.

[PLASTIC WRAP WITH OILY VITAMINS A CONCERN?]
Ray Peat said:
If you aren’t sure of the composition of the plastic film, just rubbing the oil in very thoroughly will keep it from staining things.

[CONFIDENCE IN ANY BRAND OF PLASTIC WRAP?]
Ray Peat said:
Glad is the kind we’ve been using.

[PROTECTION FROM ORGANOPHOSPHATES ON AIRPLANES]
Ray Peat said:
I would have a good supply of progesterone, calcium (milk, cheese), sugar (cokes, orange juice, candy).

[SAFE COOKWARE]
Ray Peat said:
I normally use glass pans, Pyrex or Vision, but sometimes use the steel pans without nickel. Although they darken a little when they age, they don’t rust.
Ray Peat said:
There are two main types of stainless steel, magnetic and nonmagnetic. The nonmagnetic form has a very high nickel content, and nickel is allergenic and carcinogenic. It is much more toxic than iron or aluminum. You can use a little "refrigerator magnet" to test your pans. The magnet will stick firmly to the safer type of pan.
Ray Peat said:
I think the nickel content should be less than 2%; the magnetic pans are hard to find (used stores sometimes have old ones), because people generally prefer the slick high nickel type.
 

Jman

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
91
Location
Australia
Figured I might as well join in on this email depositing spree, here is a few of my exchanges;

Q: "If one had to sleep on a mostly metal bed frame with a metal spring matress, do you think it would be wise to wire them to the earth?"

RP: "I think it might be good, for example a wire to a water pipe would be an effective ground."

Q: "My household recently got a kitten and he loves to sleep on me for long periods of time. Thinking about fields and such has got me wondering what sort of biological effect me and the kitten might be exerting on one another. It's seems like it could maybe be negative, causing confusion between the organizing fields. However It physically feels like a positive one, or maybe that's just the shared body warmth. I'm very curious to hear your take on what could be happening in these sorts of situations."

RP: "I think the interacting fields of healthy animals are stimulating, complementing the warmth and CO2."

Q: "I was wondering if you have much knowledge about the manufacturing methods of pregnenolone? What would it would take to produce something that matches the quality of the Syntex produced pregnenolone you have spoken of?"

RP: "I think it would take someone who worked at that factory at the time, since the chemists are always fiddling with their processes. Vitamins C and E, and probably others, have gone through many phases, with changing biological effects."

Q: "I have heard you speak about how fluoride can destroy t3, I have been thinking allot about that lately, and the implications seem broad. I have a few questions Id like to ask you; Do you know if natural desiccated thyroid is any more resistant than synthetic to fluoridated waters t3 destroying effect? Should I be avoiding taking my t3 doses with foods that might be made with fluoride water (parents home cooking, cola etc)? do you have any tips for people living in areas of fluoridated water to avoid it sabotaging there efforts of supplementing thyroid?"

RP: "It’s only T3 that reacts directly with it, and that happens only when T3 and water are present together. In cooking, the fluoride binds to other things."

note: I think Ray likes to say "I think" allot, which I think is a good thing.

cleardot.gif
 

paymanz

Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2015
Messages
2,707
Asked dr peat about lidocaine dosage(taken orally) to have a systemic anti-inflammatory effect and if its safe to take it regularly?

dr peat said:
I had an effect from 50 mg, some people take up to 200 mg. It isn’t very toxic, but I think it should only be used occasionally as needed.

Then i replied: is excess Demethylation a concern?
dr peat said:
And possible liver toxicity.
 

Dan W

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Messages
1,528
From the Kate Deering Fitness facebook:
Kate Deering said:
I was just curious why you do what you do? You give so much. You return email after email. Your knowledge is priceless but you give it away...

Why do you do it? What makes you give, like you give?
Ray Peat said:
I don’t know, but I have always thought that it’s necessary to do as much as you can do. Current societies seem to be set up largely to keep people from doing what they should be doing.
 
T

tca300

Guest
Me: Do you think a clean creatine supplement is safe and or beneficial? Thank you!
RP: Sometimes it has been used therapeutically, but I think manufactured supplements are always risky, partly because of manufacturing impurities.
Br J Cancer. 2015 Mar 31;112(7):1247-50.
Muscle-building supplement use and increased risk of testicular germ cell cancer in men from Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Li N1, Hauser R2, Holford T3, Zhu Y3, Zhang Y3, Bassig BA3, Honig S4, Chen C5, Boyle P6, Dai M7, Schwartz SM5, Morey P2, Sayward H3, Hu Z8, Shen H8, Gomery P9, Zheng T3.
BACKGROUND:
No analytic epidemiological study has examined the relationship between use of muscle-building supplements (MBSs) and testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) risk.
METHODS:
We conducted a population-based case-control study including 356 TGCC cases and 513 controls from Connecticut and Massachusetts.
RESULTS:
The odds ratio (OR) for ever use of MBSs in relation to risk of TGCC was significantly elevated (OR=1.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-2.46). The associations were significantly stronger among early users, men with more types of MBSs used, and longer periods of use.
CONCLUSIONS:
MBS use is a potentially modifiable risk factor that may be associated with TGCC.

Me: I dont seem to do well with fruit/juices anymore. What is your opinion of a milk diet? Basically 2500 - 3000 calories 1% milk, coffee daily, and weekly liver.
Can that type of diet be healthy long term do you think? Or would that be too much protein, and not enough sugar? Thank you very much!
RP: It would be a pretty healthful diet, but I’m not sure what effect the low sodium to potassium ratio would have; I would want to include some salty cheese.

Me: In regards to our last conversation about the hydrogenated coconut oil and the Raney catalyst do you think hydrogenated, solvent extracted, coconut oil is safe? And aluminum and or hexane aren't a worry?
Thank you again!
RP: In animal tests of oils in chronic feeding, hydrogenated coconut oil was the least carcinogenic. Chronic exposure to nickel is considered to be carcinogenic. I think the main value of coconut oil is that it can displace polyunsatured oils in the diet. We can synthesize our own protective saturated fats from glucose. I notice that the vegetable oil aisle in supermarkets has been shrinking over the last 10 or 15 years, and the soy/canola/corn oil people seem to be stepping up their marketing efforts.

Me: I understand that the body can make fats from carbohydrates and proteins, especially when fat intake is 10% or less of calorie intake.
My question is, do humans make fats from carbohydrates and proteins during a calorie deficit ( eating a low fat diet 10% or less from fat ) as well? Or does that only happen when calories are at maintenance or surplus?
I know humans aren't as good as certain other animals at making fats, but do it well when carbohydrate consumption meets 500+ grams. Thanks!
RP: Since a calorie deficit causes stress (inhibiting the oxidation of glucose by increasing pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase), it increases the use of protein for energy, and it would probably increase the tendency for feedings with a momentary excess of calories to produce fatty acids.

Metabolism. 2001 Jun;50(6):734-8.
Increase of lipogenic enzyme mRNA levels in rat white adipose tissue after
multiple cycles of starvation-refeeding. Karbowska J(1), Kochan Z, Swierczynski J. (1)Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
Recently, we have found that despite the significant reduction of body weight after multiple starvation-refeeding cycles, white adipose tissue (WAT) exhibits surprisingly high rates of lipogenesis and lipogenic enzyme activities. The purpose of this study was to determine the response of WAT lipogenic enzyme mRNAs of rats subjected to multiple cycles of 3 days fasting and 3 days of refeeding. Despite the body weight reduction, significant increase of lipogenic enzymes (ie, fatty acid synthase [FAS], acetyl-coenzyme A [CoA] carboxylase [ACC], adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-citrate lyase [ACL], NADP-linked malic enzyme [ME], and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase [G6PDH]) mRNAs in WAT was found after multiple cycles of starvation-refeeding of rats on standard laboratory diet. These findings, together with the results published recently, indicate that multiple cycles of starvation-refeeding cause the increased lipogenesis in WAT by upregulation of the lipogenic enzymes gene expression

Me: Do you think adding celery to mushrooms ( cooking them together ) would be a safe way to increase the anti estrogenic effect? Or maybe eating celery seperatly, cooked or raw? Or does celery have unsafe or potentially harmful substances that would make it's long-term consumption undesirable? Thank you!
RP: Celery has some valuable flavonoids, but its allergenic proteins cause problems for some people, so it’s good to be cautious.

Me: Do you know if PUFA is the main cause of hypothyroidism? I was wondering if eventually after depleting PUFA from my body will I still need to take thyroid for the rest of my life? Or will I not need thyroid anymore? Thank you!
RP: I think it’s the main cause.

Me: Do you think combining small pieces of cytomel and Novotiral to make 4mcg of T3 and 12 mcg of T4 and then taken a few times per day would be an effective treatment for low thyroid? Thanks!
RP: Yes, but the T4 can be taken once a day, since it slowly accumulates over many days and is slowly converted to T3.

Me: Assuming one has adequate protein and K2 in their diet, and gradually increased the dose of aspirin, in your opinion what is the upper limit of aspirin that a human could take everyday indefinitely without it causing problems? Thanks!
RP: I have known a few people who took 4 to 6 grams per day for several years for arthritis or cancer, but I usually think of 1000 to 1500 mg per day as a maximum safe dose, but it depends on things like age and thyroid function; with low kidney function, even that much could accumulate to a toxic level.

Me: I've read several studies that show that Lauric Acid inhibits 5 alpha reductase. Do you think men should limit there intake of it so as not to lower DHT? Thanks!!
RP: I think the body compensates when something is steadily in the diet.

Me: I cannot find a good available thyroid supplement and was wondering if consuming coffee ( caffeine ) would equally replace a thyroid supplement? Thank you so much!
RP: Coffee contains some nutrients, including magnesium and niacin, that can help with some of the symptoms resulting from hypothyroidism, but it won’t replace the thyroid hormone.

Me: Caffeine-induced increases in the brain and plasma concentrations of neuroactive steroids in the rat. - PubMed - NCBI
This study seems to indicate that caffeine increases Pregnenolone, and Progesterone in the brain, and plasma in rats. Do you think the Pregnenolone and Progesterone increase would happen in humans too? If so do you think the hormones would have a systemic effect? Or just mostly the brain? I think the Human top end effective dose for someone my weight would be about 1200mg of caffeine, is there an upper limit at which caffeine starts to have bad effects? Thank you very very much!
RP: 6000 mg per day is the most that I’ve known someone to use safely, but many people have problems with much smaller amounts—it’s important to adjust it to individual needs, and to use it with food; cream in it reduces the rate of absorption. The effects are systemic, and other hormones are involved.
 

raypeatclips

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2016
Messages
2,555
Q. I was wondering your opinion on antibiotic resistance? The mainstream ideas being that frequent, short doses of antibiotics cause antibiotic resistance, which seems common for news companies to report about every now and then. I've heard you say you use antibiotics occasionally and rather low doses. Do you not believe this use of antibiotics can cause antibiotic resistance?


RP: Most of the resistant bacteria are developed in hospitals and industrial animal production, where constant, uninterrupted, use of antibiotics invariably accumulates the resistant strains. Doctors and corporations, knowingly misusing them for increased profit, are the culprits.
 

Wagner83

Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2016
Messages
3,295
In the past you have talked about potential issues from charcoal persorption, would these issues lead to clear immune reactions so that feeling better on it means there are no issues?
Interestingly people have tried a product with bigger mesh size but reported less effects.
Ray said:
Volkheimer's experiments with mice showed that persorbed starch grains accelerated aging, killing off small areas of cells throughout the body.

Ok thanks, so I guess you think that applies to charcoal too, does that mean you recommend against it?
Ray said:
I don't recommend against it, but it's important to know exactly what the product is.

Thanks, are you talking about purity and source (coconuts) or are you talking about mesh size as well?
Do you have an idea of the threshold for a safe mesh size?
Ray said:
I think half a millimeter would be safe. It has to be stored in a sealed container to prevent absorption of vapors.
 

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