Ray Peat on GABA

January 3, 2026

Biological effects of magnetic fields: Sedation and changes in brain chemistry

"Magnetic fields likely have a biological effect by influencing the structure of water, and Kholodov has shown that a continuous sinusoidal magnetic field has a sedative and inhibitory effect by altering the EEG and increasing GABA levels in the brain (Speranskiy, 1973). Oxygen activity increases in magnetically treated water (Speranskiy, 1973), so there may be a direct effect on energy production."

– Mind And Tissue Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain

Systems that counteract the toxic effects of adrenaline

"There are several systems that counteract the toxic effects of adrenaline. GABA, dopamine, and adenosine have diverse anti-adrenergic effects. In many situations, the parasympathetic nervous system acts protectively against adrenaline. The protective steroid hormones also act on many levels. Magnesium, which is largely maintained in the cell under the influence of ATP and the thyroid gland, is our fundamental calcium blocker or calcium antagonist. GABA and dopamine inhibit the ACTH-glucocorticoid system and shift the steroid balance toward the protective anti-glucocorticoids: progesterone, testosterone, pregnenolone, and DHEA."

June 1992 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Anti-stress effects of GABA and protective mechanisms

“Meerson’s lab has investigated the anti-stress and anti-adrenaline effects of GABA and its metabolite gamma-hydroxybutyrate, particularly in the form of the lithium salt. (Lithium appears to have its own anti-stress effect, presumably partly as a sodium agonist and partly through its ability to complex with the ammonium produced in the brain during exhaustion—precisely when the GABA system becomes active.) GHB acts as a protective agent against stress-related damage in many tissues. It prevents stress-induced enzyme leakage from tissues, gastric ulceration, lipid peroxidation, epileptic seizures, impaired cardiac contractility, and cardiac arrhythmias caused by stress or ischemia.”

June 1992 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Anti-stress effects of GABA and promotion of progesterone

"The most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain is GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which is closely related to aspartic and succinic acid. GABA has many anti-stress effects, in addition to its direct calming effect in the brain. For example, it causes insulin sequestration, preventing some of the sugar from being converted into fat, and it promotes the production of progesterone, which protects many systems from harmful overactivity."

January 1991 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Non-toxic treatments, including progesterone and nutritional supplements

"Camphor, progesterone, nutritional supplements, and artificial fever have even fewer side effects than penicillin and should be tested much more widely. GABA analogs, besides being non-toxic, have the added advantage of being very cheap. In the bureaucratic world of the pharmaceutical industry, however, this has all too often been a fatal flaw."

June 1988 – Ray Peats Newsletter

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