Ray Peat on Inflammation

Short answer: Ray Peat wrote that inflammation is what healing turns into when energy is short. In the fetus an injury is repaired cleanly. With age, stored unsaturated fats, estrogen and low thyroid function turn the same signals into chronic inflammation, scarring and degeneration.

What Ray Peat wrote about inflammation

Tissue injury that would cause inflammation in an adult triggers clean repair in the fetus. He attributed the difference largely to the fats that accumulate from the diet after birth. Source: Regeneration and degeneration: Types of inflammation change with aging

He described a vicious circle of inflammatory mediators and amino acid imbalance, and said the real question is our ability to limit the response. Source: Multiple sclerosis, protein, fats, and progesterone

A slight fall in body temperature can promote inflammation. The things that raise heat production, protein, sodium, sucrose, thyroid and progesterone, are anti-inflammatory. Source: Salt, energy, metabolic rate, and longevity

Magnesium deficiency causes inflammation. Source: Calcium and Disease: Hypertension, organ calcification, & shock, vs. respiratory energy

Estrogen, through the factor NF-kappaB, increases inflammatory signals. Aspirin, progesterone, testosterone, saturated fats and glycine can inhibit it. Source: Preventing and treating cancer with progesterone

Carbon dioxide is being used to prevent inflammation and edema. Source: Regeneration and degeneration: Types of inflammation change with aging

He named the things to reduce: endotoxin, polyunsaturated fats, amino acid imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, radiation and estrogens. Source: The Cancer Matrix

Antioxidants, thyroid hormone, progesterone and anti-inflammatory agents including glycine or gelatin, niacin and saturated fats can prevent, and in many cases reverse, degenerative inflammatory processes. Source: Leakiness, aging, and cancer ↗

What he suggested in practice

• Aspirin and vitamin E, which he names as protective against the clotting and inflammation promoted by estrogen.
• Niacinamide, to keep fatty acids out of the blood.
• Gelatin and saturated fats in place of muscle meat alone and seed oils.
• Thyroid function and warmth.

Where he wrote about it

This topic comes up in 77 of the articles on his site. These are the most relevant ones:

• Multiple sclerosis, protein, fats, and progesterone · original on raypeat.com ↗
• BSE ("mad cow"), scrapie, etc.: Stimulated amyloid degeneration and the toxic fats · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Regeneration and degeneration: Types of inflammation change with aging · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Food-junk and some mystery ailments: Fatigue, Alzheimer's, Colitis, Immunodeficiency · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Aspirin, brain and cancer · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Leakiness, aging, and cancer ↗ · original on raypeat.com ↗
• The dark side of stress (learned helplessness) · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Gelatin, stress, longevity · original on raypeat.com ↗

My take

Sugar does not promote inflammation. A cell that cannot make enough energy takes up water, sodium and calcium, and that is inflammation. Carbs, CO2 and thyroid hormone are anti-inflammatory. PUFA triggers the cascade.

Quick answers

What did Ray Peat say about inflammation?

That it is an incomplete repair process caused by an energy shortage, driven by polyunsaturated fats, estrogen, endotoxin and low thyroid function.

Which anti-inflammatory substances did Ray Peat mention?

Aspirin, vitamin E, niacinamide, glycine and gelatin, saturated fats, magnesium, carbon dioxide, thyroid hormone and progesterone.