Ray Peat on Depression

BBB and cellular stress: detections in the blood

"The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is sometimes considered something unique, but it is merely a special case of cellular resilience that exists everywhere. For example, after intense physical exertion causing fatigue and muscle damage, a specific brain protein, S100B, considered a key component of the BBB, can be detected in the bloodstream. The exchange of substances – even proteins and nucleic acids – between cells and their environment increases under stress. The detection of substances like S100B in the blood is now recognized as an indicator of depression and brain damage."

September 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The reduction of parathyroid hormone in relation to obesity and related problems

"The reduction of parathyroid hormone through increased intake of calcium and vitamin D is closely linked to a reduction in obesity as well as the health problems associated with obesity – high blood pressure, insulin resistance, heart arrhythmias, depression, and various inflammatory diseases."

September 2017 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The role of progesterone in various medical conditions

"Even though progesterone seems to heal almost everything, we should be cautious and only use it when the biochemical mechanism is reasonably clear. A progesterone deficiency can be misdiagnosed, for example as epilepsy, Bright's disease, multiple sclerosis, or even as estrogen deficiency (as in menopause). It can influence susceptibility to many diseases, including herpes infections, dizziness, sensory disturbances, varicose veins, mastitis, fibroids, and endometriosis. In my experience, cyclical edema, depression, and migraines are always stopped by progesterone."

Nutrition For Women

The effect of progesterone treatment on veins and suicidal depression

"Just as the veins on the forehead immediately recede when a large amount of sugar is consumed during a migraine, I have observed that veins (on the back of the hand) disappear under progesterone treatment, exactly at the moment a suicidal depression resolves. This suggests that there may be a migraine-like condition in the blood vessels of the brain's limbic system, while at the same time very rapid changes in brain chemistry occur."

Nutrition For Women

Digestive problems with gas formation and the influence of hypothyroidism

"If gas formation is a problem, even if a dietary change is not responsible, hypothyroidism should be considered. A lack of stomach acid is typical in hypothyroidism but represents only one aspect of a general digestive depression."

Nutrition For Women

Aromatase Activity and Its Hormonal Effects in Menopause

"Aromatase, the enzyme that produces estrogen, is present in muscles, fat tissue, blood vessels, and many other tissues, and its activity is increased by cortisol and decreased by progesterone. The altered activity of these two steroids during menopause may explain the sudden rise in degenerative diseases, inflammation, depression, and so on."

November 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Low Cholesterol and Its Effects on Mental Health

"Low serum cholesterol has been linked to depression, suicide, violence, and increased cancer mortality. Since statins enter the brain and inhibit cholesterol synthesis there, reduced mitochondrial function is undoubtedly a factor in the mental side effects they can cause."

November 2018 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Estrogen, Serotonin, and Manipulation by the Pharmaceutical Industry

"The manipulation of information about estrogen by pharmaceutical companies was even more extreme than their handling of serotonin. Activated by stress, along with serotonin, it is one of the main activators of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which activates the pituitary gland and adrenal glands, promotes inflammation, and is a key factor in postpartum depression (PPD) (Glynn and Sandman, 2014; Hahn-Holbrook, 2016), as well as in other forms of depression, aging, and Alzheimer's disease."

May 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Estrogen, Serotonin, and Female-Dominated Diseases

"Without advertising culture, it would probably be generally accepted that both estrogen and serotonin play an important role in the development of depression, migraine, and Alzheimer's disease – conditions that occur significantly more often in women than in men."

May 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Postpartum Cholesterol and Mental Health

"Several studies have found a connection between lower cholesterol levels after birth and symptoms of anxiety and depression."

May 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Postpartum Progesterone and Brain Health

"With insufficient cholesterol, it is unlikely that the normally high postpartum progesterone concentration will be maintained, and instead of brain recovery, the various proinflammatory effects of serotonin and estrogen prevail, resulting in consequences such as depression, joint pain, anxiety, and brain edema."

May 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Animal Communication Through Body Language

"All animals use body language to communicate — when a facial expression, gesture, or posture is perceived, the ability to imitate means that the feeling behind the gesture is experienced simultaneously."

May 2018 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The Ubiquitous Role of Inflammation in Degeneration

"Inflammation is involved in chronic degenerative diseases, especially atrophy and cancer, and even in depression."

March 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Hypothyroidism, Stress, and Related Physiological Complications

"People with hypothyroidism and low CO₂ production are very susceptible to stress-induced hyperventilation and are often in a state of physiological hyperventilation. They are prone to overproduction of ammonia (De Nardo et al., 1999; Marti et al., 1988) and lactate (Zarzeczny et al., 1996) as well as psychoses, especially depression and mania."

July 2017 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Lithium for Treating Mood Disorders

"Lithium has been used for many years to treat various mood disorders, including anxiety and depression, and it reduces activation of the NMDA system, possibly by binding ammonia."

January 2017 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Estrogen, Cognitive Function, Dementia, and Depression

"A study from San Francisco by Kristine Yaffe and co-authors found that free estrogen, the active form of the hormone, was higher in more of the individuals who had better cognitive function. Yaffe et al. also found that dementia is associated with both depression and osteoporosis. In reality, there is no such thing as free estrogen; it is defined in relation to a specific lab situation that does not reflect anything that actually exists in the body."

February 2001 

Serotonin and the Toxic Effects of Nitric Oxide on Brain Cells

"Serotonin does not cure depression, and both serotonin and nitric oxide impair blood flow and are toxic to brain cells. Both poison mitochondrial respiration."

February 2001 

The Role of Adrenaline in Depression, Stress, and Inflammation

"Increased adrenaline is – just like increased cortisol – a hallmark of depression, stress, and inflammation; by mobilizing fats, it can become part of a vicious cycle where free fatty acids cause insulin resistance and thereby activate stress responses."

February 2001 

Oxygen Deficiency in Aging, Stress, and Estrogen Excess

"The consistency with which oxygen deficiency occurs in aging, stress, and estrogen excess suggests that a fundamental coordination mechanism may be involved, in which a shift occurs toward conditions that activate the expression of certain genes — possibly the hypoglycemia-stress-heat shock proteins or possibly simply the proteins of cell division and growth."

June 1992 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

PMS, edema, and historical treatment approaches

"In PMS, edema is a common problem, and it was previously assumed that brain edema was responsible for irritability, depression, or other nervous symptoms; therefore, diuretics such as ammonium compounds and urea were often used. (Premenstrual salt craving is the result of an estrogen-disrupted water balance, and salt restriction in PMS is as inappropriate as in preeclampsia or toxemia of pregnancy.)"

July 1991 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The immunosuppressive effects of cortisol

"Uncontrolled cortisol acts immunosuppressively in various ways, including through thymic hypoplasia, reduction of histaminolytic activity and liver monooxygenase activity, which contributes to chronic allergies, and it can induce the expression of certain types of retroviruses."

November 1989 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The balance of vitamin A and thyroid function

"Both vitamin A and carotene tend — like any unsaturated oil — to inhibit the thyroid, which is why it is important to balance supplements of vitamin A and thyroid hormones; a sluggish thyroid is more easily suppressed by high doses of vitamin A, while a high level of thyroid activity causes vitamin A to be used up more quickly. An interesting example of this biological relationship is that a blood protein transports both vitamin A and thyroid hormone."

January 1988 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The destructive effects of excess cortisol on gut enzymes and allergies

"Although a physiologically balanced amount of cortisol induces detoxification enzymes, for example in the gut, an unchecked excess leads to the destruction of these enzymes, causing a large part of the gut's barrier function to be lost and allergies to develop. This effect of cortisol on the thymus as well as on the detoxifying gut enzymes very likely explains the frequent connection of allergies with viral infections. Since cortisol has a destabilizing, spasm-promoting effect on the nervous system, psychological symptoms also probably occur — from compulsive behavior to depression to seizures — which are associated with the other chronic conditions."

August–September 1988 – Ray Peat's Newsletter
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Supplements according to Ray Peat

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