Ray Peat on Aspirin

Dietary adjustments required by various medications – including estrogen.

"Every medication changes your nutritional needs. Tobacco, iron, aspirin, estrogen, tranquilizers, and diuretics must be taken into account. There are special diets for specific needs."

Nutrition for Women

Standard treatment of atrial fibrillation versus thermogenic substances

"The standard treatment for atrial fibrillation consists of destroying part of the heart's conduction system, a procedure known as ablation, which costs more than $25,000 in the US and leads to heart failure in a very high percentage of cases. Correcting the problematic prolonged QT interval with thermogenic substances such as progesterone, thyroid hormone, and aspirin (Korkmaz-Içez et al., 2016) is not of interest to the medical profession."

– November 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter

The role of aspirin in mitochondrial oxygen consumption and fever

"Probably because of aspirin's fever-reducing effect, medical culture tends to view it as antithermogenic, despite its known stimulating effect on mitochondrial oxygen consumption. Like thyroid hormone, aspirin prevents stress-induced sodium loss, which is an important component of our temperature and energy regulation system."

– November 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Compounds that lower carbon monoxide or reduce its harmful effects

"Safe substances that lower carbon monoxide or protect against its effects include methylene blue, caffeine, aspirin, progesterone, and red light."

– November 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Anti-inflammatory treatments in response to the new coronavirus

"In response to the new coronavirus, some groups reacted quickly and successfully treated patients with anti-inflammatory substances – losartan, cinanserin (a serotonin antagonist), aspirin, as well as azithromycin or erythromycin, which lower intracellular calcium levels. The effects of aspirin overlap with those of losartan, and it downregulates the angiotensin receptor ATR1."

– May 2020 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Factors for healthier pregnancies and life after birth

"The most important factors that can be optimized with existing resources. Healthier pregnancies lead to a healthier and happier life after birth. These factors include sunlight, vitamin D, milk, cheese, eggs, fruits and well-cooked vegetables, high-fiber foods, and optimizing thyroid function, pregnenolone and progesterone (which support mitochondrial function and protect against aldosterone, parathyroid hormone, excess serotonin, CRH and cortisol, as well as increasing allopregnanolone), and using the safest anti-inflammatory and antiserotonergic medications such as aspirin and cyproheptadine when needed."

– May 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Oxidative processes and factors of enzyme regulation

"The oxidative processes that support the targeted, creative functioning of the organism optimize CO₂ by inhibiting carbonic anhydrase; this enzyme is inhibited by the thyroid hormone T3, progesterone, urea, caffeine, antipsychotics, and aspirin. Substances that tend to cause a return to primitive anaerobic energy production activate the enzyme—for example, serotonin, tryptophan, cysteine, histamine, estrogen, aldosterone, HIF, SSRIs, angiotensin, and parathyroid hormone."

– March 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Basic drug combinations instead of disease-specific medications

“Combinations of substances such as CO₂, progesterone, angiotensin receptor blockers, acetazolamide, and aspirin, which influence fundamental properties of the organism, are suitable for a wide range of problems currently treated with drugs considered specific to certain diseases. The goal should be to support the patient's recovery, not to eliminate a disease.”

– March 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Aspirin and progesterone for the treatment of insomnia

"Taking aspirin before bed to inhibit prostaglandin synthesis is likely helpful for age-related insomnia. Progesterone and vitamin E work in different ways to prevent excessive stimulation by prostaglandins."

– March 2018 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Neuroprotective effects of caffeine, aspirin and melatonin

"Caffeine, aspirin and melatonin protect the substantia nigra from rotenone."

– March 2017 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Protective factors in Parkinson's disease generally counteract estrogen.

"Substances that are likely to protect against Parkinson's disease generally counteract estrogen and inflammatory-degenerative processes: progesterone, minocycline and other anti-inflammatory antibiotics, agmatine, aspirin, coffee, niacinamide, citrus flavonoids, vitamin D, ACE inhibitors, and high-fiber and antiseptic foods."

– March 2017 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

List of various medications and dietary supplements

"Acetazolamide, agmatine, amantadine, aminoguanidine, antibiotics (minocycline, tetracycline, etc.), antihistamines, aspirin, bromocriptine, DCA, emodin, glucagon, glucose, memantine, methylene blue, niacinamide, T3 (triiodothyronine), vitamin D, vitamin E."

– March 2016 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Measures to mitigate the harmful effects of excess serotonin

"Avoiding prolonged fasting and strenuous exercise, which increase free fatty acids, as well as combining sugar and protein to keep free fatty acids low, and using aspirin, niacinamide, or cyproheptadine to reduce the formation of free fatty acids due to unavoidable stress, avoiding an excess of phosphate relative to calcium in the diet, consuming milk and other anti-stress foods before bed or during the night, and maintaining a brightly lit environment during the day with regular sun exposure can minimize the harmful effects of excess serotonin and reduce the associated inflammation, fibrosis, and atrophy."

– July 2019 – Ray Peats Newsletter

The controversy surrounding aspirin in medical fields

"Aspirin is just one of many cheap generic drugs that have been frequently attacked in medical journals."

– July 2018 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Aspirin and inflammation: The lesser-known pro-oxidative effect

"The fact that the pro-inflammatory enzymes aromatase, cyclooxygenase and nitric oxide synthase, which are inhibited by an oxidizing environment, are also inhibited by aspirin would strongly suggest that aspirin and salicylic acid act as pro-oxidants."

– July 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Counteract oxidative damage with aspirin and bioflavonoids

"Oxidative damage, such as lipid peroxidation, is a seriously harmful phenomenon. Aspirin and bioflavonoids offer strong protection against lipid peroxidation as well as against DNA mutations and protein damage caused by the most toxic free radical, the hydroxyl radical."

– July 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Nutritional defense mechanisms against nitric oxide

"Among the most important defense mechanisms against nitric oxide are progesterone, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin A, niacinamide, caffeine, aspirin, and foods containing flavonoids, terpenoids, polyphenols, and sterols. Grass-fed milk contains a variety of polyphenols. Citrus fruits, many tropical fruits (e.g., guavas, longans, and lychees), and cooked mushrooms are good sources of apigenin, naringenin, and related compounds."

– January 2016 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Increased vitamin K requirement due to aspirin

"Aspirin increases your need for vitamin K, even if you don't use much of it. People who use aspirin for arthritis or cancer often take several grams per day."

– Email reply from Ray Peat

Germicidal properties of aspirin

"Aspirin has a mild germ-killing effect."

– Email reply from Ray Peat

Reduction of stomach reactions through aspirin

"I don't know anyone who has a stomach reaction when they dissolve aspirin in hot water and then take it with food."

– Email reply from Ray Peat

Prostaglandins in cancer and the therapeutic potential of aspirin

"Prostaglandins were discovered in prostatic fluid, where they occur in significant concentrations. They are so deeply involved in the development of all types of cancer that aspirin and other prostaglandin inhibitors should be considered a fundamental component of cancer therapy."

– 1998 – May – Ray Peats Newsletter

Back to blog