Ray Peat

Ray Peat on Alzheimer's and Brain Aging

By OxidativeState · · 57 articles · 132 studies

Short answer: Ray Peat wrote two long articles on Alzheimer's disease as a clue to how aging works. He described it as an energy failure of the brain in which cortisol, estrogen, iron, unsaturated fats and over-stimulation destroy nerve cells, and he pointed to the brain's own protective steroids.

What Ray Peat wrote about Alzheimer's disease

He objected to the focus on plaque and tangle proteins, which he said neglects the hardening of blood vessels and the death of nerve cells. Source: Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 2

He cites research describing amyloid deposits as being in constant turnover, able to regress if new fibril formation stops. Source: Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 1

He criticized the treatments promoted by the drug industry: more cholinergic stimulation, excitatory amino acids, and estrogen. Source: Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 2, The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)

Pregnenolone and progesterone protect nerve cells from excitotoxic damage. Estrogen and cortisol promote it. Most Alzheimer's patients, he notes, have elevated corticosteroid levels. Source: Multiple Sclerosis and other hormone related brain syndromes, Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 2

Iron and calcium accumulate in aging tissue and react with unsaturated fats. Source: Aging Eyes, Infant Eyes, and Excitable Tissues, Multiple Sclerosis and other hormone related brain syndromes

People who take aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs for arthritis have a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Source: Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 2

He cites work showing that inhibiting nitric oxide production protects against several kinds of dementia. Source: The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)

For an older person he put the emphasis on protective inhibition before stimulation, naming magnesium, carbon dioxide, sleep, red light and naloxone. Source: Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 2

What he suggested in practice

  • The protective factors he lists across these articles: thyroid, pregnenolone and progesterone, magnesium, carbon dioxide, red light, sleep, vitamin E, aspirin.
  • Less iron and unsaturated fat.
  • This is his published view, not treatment advice.

Where he wrote about it

This topic comes up in 57 of the articles on his site. These are the most relevant ones:

My take

I have covered several studies on this: low thiamine driving neurodegeneration, benfotiamine protecting the brain, and NMN protecting against amyloid-beta damage. Brain energy is the common thread.

Quick answers

What did Ray Peat say causes Alzheimer's disease?

A failure of brain energy production, with damage from cortisol, estrogen, iron, unsaturated fats and excessive excitation, and a shortage of the protective steroids pregnenolone and progesterone.

What did Ray Peat say protects the aging brain?

Thyroid hormone, pregnenolone and progesterone, magnesium, carbon dioxide, sleep, red light, vitamin E and aspirin.

132 studies Ray Peat cited on Alzheimer's disease

  1. Neuroprotective effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in rat model of Alzheimer's diseaseActa Biochim Pol · 2011 · PMID 22146133 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  2. Prevention of neurodegenerative damage to the brain in rats in experimental Alzheimer's disease by adaptation to hypoxiaNeurosci Behav Physiol · 2010 · PMID 20635216 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  3. Endogenous alpha-synuclein is induced by valproic acid through histone deacetylase inhibition and participates in neuroprotection against glutamate-induced excitotoxicityJ Neurosci · 2006 · PMID 16837598 · cited in Fats, functions & malfunctions
  4. Endogenous sex hormones, cognitive decline, and future dementia in old menAnn Neurol · 2006 · PMID 16865684 · cited in Fats, functions & malfunctions
  5. The NMDA receptor antagonist memantine as a symptomatological and neuroprotective treatment for Alzheimer's disease: preclinical evidenceInt J Geriatr Psychiatry · 2003 · PMID 12973747 · cited in Fats, functions & malfunctions
  6. Omega-3 fatty acids and risk of cognitive impairment and dementiaJ Alzheimers Dis · 2003 · PMID 14624027 · cited in Fats, functions & malfunctions
  7. Neuroprotection by caffeine and adenosine A2A receptor blockade of beta-amyloid neurotoxicityBr J Pharmacol · 2003 · PMID 12711619 · cited in BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats
  8. Comparative biology and pathology of oxidative stress in Alzheimer and other neurodegenerative diseases: beyond damage and responseComp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol · 2002 · PMID 12458179 · cited in Serotonin: Effects in disease, aging and inflammation
  9. Acceleration of murine AA amyloidosis by oral administration of amyloid fibrils extracted from different speciesPathol Int · 2002 · PMID 11940205 · cited in BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats
  10. Nicotine breaks down preformed Alzheimer's beta-amyloid fibrils in vitroBiol Psychiatry · 2002 · PMID 12399141 · cited in BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats
  11. Targeting alzheimer amyloid plaques in vivoNat Biotechnol · 2000 · PMID 10932157 · cited in Meat physiology, stress, and degenerative physiology
  12. [Involvement of tau protein kinase in amyloid-beta-induced neurodegeneration]Rinsho Byori · 1998 · PMID 9816911 · cited in Sugar issues
  13. Aggregation of beta-amyloid peptide is promoted by membrane phospholipid metabolites elevated in Alzheimer's disease brainJ Neurochem · 1997 · PMID 9202319 · cited in BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats
  14. Free fatty acids stimulate the polymerization of tau and amyloid beta peptides. In vitro evidence for a common effector of pathogenesis in Alzheimer's diseaseAm J Pathol · 1997 · PMID 9176408 · cited in BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats
  15. Heart rate variation, age, and behavior in subjects with senile dementia of Alzheimer typeChronobiol Int · 1995 · PMID 7750156 · cited in Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 1
  16. Cerebral beta amyloid deposition in patients with malignant neoplasms: its prevalence with aging and effects of radiation therapy on vascular amyloidActa Neuropathol · 1995 · PMID 7484088 · cited in BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats
  17. Apolipoprotein E affects the rate of Alzheimer disease expression: beta-amyloid burden is a secondary consequence dependent on APOE genotype and duration of diseaseJ Neuropathol Exp Neurol · 1994 · PMID 8083686 · cited in Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 1
  18. Evidence for blood-brain barrier changes in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT)Ann N Y Acad Sci · 1982 · PMID 6185032 · cited in Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 1, Alzheimer's: The problem of Alzheimer's disease as a clue to immortality — part 2
  19. Alzheimer's disease and transmissible virus dementia (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)Ann N Y Acad Sci · 1982 · PMID 6758661 · cited in BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats
  20. Amyloidosis, Alzheimer's disease, and ageingLancet · 1970 · PMID 4196010 · cited in BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats
  21. Arsenic toxicity induced endothelial dysfunction and dementia: pharmacological interdiction by histone deacetylase and inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitorsToxicol Appl Pharmacol · 2013 · PMID 23921152 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  22. Pharmacological inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, convalesce behavior and biochemistry of hypertension induced vascular dementia in ratsPharmacol Biochem Behav · 2013 · PMID 23201648 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  23. Linking pesticide exposure and dementia: what is the evidence?Toxicology · 2013 · PMID 23416173 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  24. Progesterone and neuroprotectionHorm Behav · 2013 · PMID 22732134 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  25. [Progesterone exerts neuroprotective effect on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy-induced brain damage via inhibition expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and nitric oxide production]Zhongguo Ying Yong Sheng Li Xue Za Zhi · 2012 · PMID 22860428 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  26. Nitric oxide in neurodegeneration: potential benefits of non-steroidal anti-inflammatoriesNeurosci Bull · 2011 · PMID 22108814 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  27. Endothelin receptor antagonists: potential in Alzheimer's diseasePharmacol Res · 2011 · PMID 21193044 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  28. Association between bone mineral density and the risk of Alzheimer's diseaseJ Alzheimers Dis · 2011 · PMID 21187587 · cited in Osteoporosis, aging, tissue renewal, and product science
  29. Nitric oxide signaling in brain function, dysfunction, and dementiaNeuroscientist · 2010 · PMID 20817920 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  30. Nitric oxide: target for therapeutic strategies in Alzheimer's diseaseCurr Pharm Des · 2010 · PMID 20698819 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  31. Low energy laser light (632.8 nm) suppresses amyloid-β peptide-induced oxidative and inflammatory responses in astrocytesNeuroscience · 2010 · PMID 20884337 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness), Cancer: Disorder and Energy
  32. [Personality and risk of dementia]Psychol Neuropsychiatr Vieil · 2010 · PMID 21147663 · cited in Serotonin: Effects in disease, aging and inflammation
  33. Estrogen treatment impairs cognitive performance after psychosocial stress and monoamine depletion in postmenopausal womenMenopause · 2010 · PMID 20616673 · cited in Hot flashes, energy, and aging
  34. Fetal learning and memory: weak associations with the early essential polyunsaturated fatty acid statusProstaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids · 2009 · PMID 19303277 · cited in Fats, functions & malfunctions, Regeneration and degeneration: Types of inflammation change with aging
  35. Effects of glucose infusion on neuroendocrine and cognitive parameters in Addison diseaseMetabolism · 2009 · PMID 19709691 · cited in Sugar issues
  36. The epigenetic bottleneck of neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseasesBiol Chem · 2009 · PMID 19747081 · cited in Protective CO2 and aging
  37. Nicotinamide restores cognition in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice via a mechanism involving sirtuin inhibition and selective reduction of Thr231-phosphotauJ Neurosci · 2008 · PMID 18987186 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  38. Nitric oxide synthase 3-mediated neurodegeneration after intracerebral gene deliveryJ Neuropathol Exp Neurol · 2007 · PMID 17413318 · cited in The dark side of stress (learned helplessness)
  39. Asymmetric synthesis of 14-A4t-neuroprostane: hunting for a suitable biomarker for neurodegenerative diseasesJ Org Chem · 2007 · PMID 17994761 · cited in Fats, functions & malfunctions
  40. The possible role of active oxygen in the memory of waterHomeopathy · 2007 · PMID 17678817 · cited in Radiation and Growth: Incoherent imprinting from inappropriate irradiation

Showing 40 of 132. Search all of them in the database →

Not affiliated with raypeat.com. This page describes Ray Peat's published articles in our own words and links to the originals. Educational content, not medical advice.

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