Ray Peat on Vitamin A

Thyroid hormone and vitamin A against the effects of estrogen

Thyroid hormone and vitamin A promote protein metabolism and counteract some effects of estrogen. In fact, it is known that hyperthyroidism can cause estrogen levels to fall below the normal range.

Nutrition For Women

Zinc, vitamin A, and the influence of blood sugar on herpes

Zinc and vitamin A may also act through blood sugar. It is well known that emotional stress, too much time in the sun, working too long without eating, etc., can trigger a herpes outbreak (for example, cold sores): low blood sugar is probably the trigger for the outbreak.

Nutrition For Women

Nutritional therapy and hormonal support for abnormal Pap smears

Many women with abnormal Pap smears, even with a biopsy showing so-called carcinoma in situ, returned to normal within just two months – with a diet that included: 90 grams of protein, 500 mg magnesium as chloride, 100,000 units of vitamin A, 400 units of vitamin E, 5 mg folic acid, 100 mg pantothenic acid, 100 mg B6, 100 mg niacinamide, and 500 mg vitamin C, plus thyroid and progesterone as needed. Liver should be eaten twice a week. Some of the women applied vitamin A directly to the cervix.

Nutrition For Women

Low blood sugar, sweet cravings, and vitamin A

Low blood sugar usually causes a strong craving for something sweet. It is known that a vitamin A deficiency leads to increased hunger – I suspect this works through the blood sugar mechanism.

Nutrition For Women

Acne and dandruff as signs of possible vitamin A deficiency

When acne or dandruff occurs, it indicates a vitamin A deficiency.

Nutrition For Women

Cholesterol as a precursor for steroids in animals and the role of the thyroid

In animals, cholesterol is the fundamental sterol molecule that is extensively converted into other substances, including steroid hormones. Thyroid hormone and vitamin A are required for this conversion.

Generative Energy Restoring The Wholeness Of Life

The role of vitamins in protecting against iron-related toxicity

Excess vitamin C can contribute to iron toxicity, but in the right amount, vitamin C is metabolically linked to vitamin E and helps protect against the toxic free radicals produced by iron. Vitamin A also acts as an antioxidant when very little oxygen is present – and that is exactly when iron toxicity is worst.

Generative Energy Restoring The Wholeness Of Life

Balanced use of hydrocortisone to control the effects of stress

Often a small physiological dose of natural hydrocortisone can help the patient cope with stress without causing harmful side effects. While symptoms are treated short-term with cortisone, it is important to identify the underlying cause of the problem – for example, by checking for hypothyroidism, vitamin A deficiency, protein deficiency, lack of sunlight, etc.

Generative Energy Restoring The Wholeness Of Life

Estrogen and vitamin A as antagonists in cell proliferation

The opposition between estrogen and vitamin A in controlling epithelial proliferation (and possibly other cell types: Boettger-Tong and Stancel, 1995) is clear wherever it has been tested; vitamin A slows the proliferation of epithelial cells.

May 1998 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Nutritional and endocrine support for prostate health

Thyroid supplementation, adequate animal protein, trace elements, and vitamin A are the first things to consider for preventing prostate hypertrophy and cancer. Nutritional and endocrine support can be combined with rational anticancer treatments, as there is actually no sharp boundary between different approaches aimed at achieving endocrine and immune balance without causing harm.

May 1998 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Nutritional and endocrine support for prostate health

Vitamin A regulates lysosomes, so a deficiency could promote the accumulation of intracellular waste. It is an antioxidant, which is why a deficiency might tend to induce stress and hypoxia proteins, and it is extensively used for steroid synthesis (for example, progesterone supplementation spares vitamin A). Perhaps most importantly, however, is the dedifferentiation that occurs in many cells during vitamin A deficiency. In skin and mucous membranes, vitamin A deficiency acts like an excess of estrogen and promotes keratin formation.

August/September 1992 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Keratin production as a sign of energy-poor cells

In size and overall structure, keratin filaments resemble scrapie particles and the filaments that accumulate in Alzheimer’s. I see keratin as a protein produced by a cell that no longer has enough energy to make more functional proteins. Normally, keratinized cells arise from rapid cell division at a body surface where little energy is available. In chronic vitamin A deficiency, keratin-producing cells divide faster than normal.

August/September 1992 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The role of pregnenolone in sparing vitamin A for mitosis

Supplementation with pregnenolone, etc., allows vitamin A from the diet to be spared for other purposes, including the regulation of mitosis, differentiation, and oxidation.

August/September 1992 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Thyroid and vitamin A deficiency in various infections

We found that many people with acne, bladder or kidney infections, periodontitis, and sinusitis apparently had deficiencies in both thyroid and vitamin A – even when taking supplements.

November 1989 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Inefficient steroid production due to an imbalance of thyroid and vitamin A

If the thyroid and vitamin A cannot be efficiently used for steroid production, a steroid imbalance is likely.

November 1989 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The role of Vitamin A in steroid formation and the immune system

Although one of the important functions of Vitamin A is its involvement in the formation of the steroids pregnenolone and progesterone (both of which mitigate the effects of cortisol), it also has some hormone-like effects directly on immune system cells. It stimulates the production of interleukin-2 and inhibits both the formation of specific suppressor cells and the strength of suppressor cell activation.

November 1989 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Reducing the risk of Vitamin A toxicity through thyroid hormones

The risk of Vitamin A toxicity is reduced by the use of thyroid hormones and Vitamin E.

November 1989 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Effects of Vitamin A on skin and oral health

Every winter since I moved to Oregon, I developed spots on the inside of my cheeks – where they meet the teeth – that became spongy and white and tended to take the shape of my teeth. They bulged so much that I often bit my cheek. When I learned that Vitamin A would control my dandruff and acne, I then noticed that it also normalized my oral mucous membranes.

January 1988 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The potential of progesterone to replace Vitamin A

To a very large extent, progesterone could replace Vitamin A – meaning a very large portion of the Vitamin A used by the body is consumed to form progesterone, from which other steroid hormones are then made.

January 1988 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The role of thyroid hormone in estrogen elimination and progesterone production

While thyroid hormone promotes the elimination of estrogen, it is also crucial for the production of progesterone. Vitamin A (along with cholesterol) is consumed at a high rate by the corpus luteum when sufficient thyroid hormone is present.

January 1988 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The influence of carotene on the menstrual cycle and Vitamin A toxicity

Carotene seems to compete with Vitamin A for the active synthesis sites, resulting in too much carotene being toxic to the corpus luteum and a fairly common cause of missed menstrual cycles.

January 1988 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Balancing Vitamin A and thyroid function

Both Vitamin A and carotene tend – like any unsaturated oil – to inhibit the thyroid. Therefore, it is important to balance supplements of Vitamin A and thyroid function: a sluggish thyroid is more easily suppressed by high doses of Vitamin A, but a high level of thyroid activity causes Vitamin A to be used up faster. An interesting expression of this biological relationship is that a blood protein transports both Vitamin A and thyroid hormone.

January 1988 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The role of Vitamin E in the more efficient use of Vitamin A

Vitamin E ensures that Vitamin A is used more efficiently.

January 1988 - Ray Peat's Newsletter
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Supplements according to Ray Peat

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