Ray Peat on coffee

Defective storage of mental energy and the effects of stimulants

"A person with a defective system for storing mental energy might pace restlessly to keep their mind stimulated, or coffee or other nerve stimulants might raise energy levels enough to allow for calm integration."

Nutrition for Women

Dark roasted coffee provides the daily minimum requirement of vitamin B1.

"A study on the thiamine content of dark roasted coffee found that one or two cups cover the minimum daily requirement of vitamin B1."

Nutrition for Women

Caffeine for the relief of hypertensive headaches

"Caffeine is actually prescribed in doses equivalent to two to four cups of coffee (200 to 400 mg) to relieve hypertensive headaches."

Nutrition for Women

High coffee consumption and improved blood flow to the brain.

"Coffee improves blood flow to the brain; Benjamin Franklin and Goethe are said to have consumed 30 to 65 cups daily. This amount would be close to the maximum safe daily caffeine dose of 6 grams."

Nutrition for Women

Small doses of caffeine and their sedative effect on the brain

"Very small doses of caffeine have a paradoxical sedative effect, but this is a familiar effect of anything that increases the brain's energy level."

Nutrition for Women

The effect of caffeine on the sympathetic nervous system and cAMP levels

"Caffeine (which does not necessarily have the same physiological effect as coffee) stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and increases the cellular level of cyclic AMP."

Nutrition for Women

The metabolic effects of caffeine and adrenaline on sugar and fat utilization

"Since both caffeine and adrenaline boost metabolism, fat is likely burned more quickly. Adrenaline is known to raise blood sugar, apparently by inhibiting glucose utilization and increasing fat use. Coffee typically raises blood sugar due to its adrenaline-like effect."

Nutrition for Women

Coffee and adrenaline: Influence on glycogen breakdown during fasting

"During fasting, coffee and/or adrenaline can accelerate the depletion of glycogen reserves and thus promote the occurrence of hypoglycemia."

Nutrition for Women

The role of caffeine in the immune system and possible anti-cancer properties

"Caffeine can boost immunity, both through its effects on the nervous system and directly. When injected into the brain of an animal, it was found to slow the growth of cancer. Recently, it was discovered by chance that a very small amount of caffeine, mixed with the tars from cigarette smoke, prevented this material from causing cancer."

Nutrition for Women

The stimulating effect of caffeine on the thyroid gland

"Caffeine stimulates the thyroid gland."

Nutrition for Women

Amphetamines and their effects on appetite and hyperactivity

"Amphetamines mimic the action of the alarm part of the nervous system (sympathetic nervous system), thereby increasing blood sugar levels; this is probably the mechanism (or part of it) that suppresses appetite. Low blood sugar is associated with hyperactivity, and this is presumably why the same drug is effective in helping hundreds of thousands of hyperactive children sit still in school; coffee works just as well for hyperactivity and could also help dieters."

Nutrition for Women

Substances that reduce the harmful effects of carbon monoxide

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

November 2017 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The inhibitory effect of stimulants on cell division and tumor growth

"This effect of stimulants is probably also involved in their inhibition of cell division in cultured cancer cells (for example, ephedrine and theophylline) as well as in the ability of caffeine, which – when injected into the brain – slows tumor growth elsewhere in the body."

– Mind And Tissue Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain

Basic therapies of sleep and nutrition to restore energy

"The oldest and most fundamental therapies, sleep and nutrition, have the same function, namely the restoration of energy reserves. Pavlov worked with the simplest stimulants and sedatives, for example caffeine and bromide, to restore normal nerve functions, and of course always considered sensory stimulation essential for maintaining and restoring normal functions."

– Mind And Tissue Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain

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, antipsychotic drugs, 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

The influence of the gut and treatment approaches in Parkinson's disease

"The gut can influence the brain, and we have discovered a variety of factors that damage the substantia nigra and cause Parkinson's disease, as well as some practices—coffee or alcohol consumption, smoking, taking aspirin—that significantly reduce the risk. These observations suggest that there are effective ways to treat Parkinson's disease with diet, laxatives, and anti-inflammatory substances."

March 2017 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Protective factors in Parkinson's disease generally counteract estrogen.

"Things that are likely to have a protective effect in Parkinson's disease also generally protect against estrogen and the inflammatory-degenerative processes: progesterone, minocycline and other anti-inflammatory antibiotics, agmatine, aspirin, coffee, niacinamide, citrus flavonoids, vitamin D, ACE inhibitors, fiber-rich antiseptic foods."

March 2017 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Protective substances against the consequences of impaired glucose oxidation

“Other substances that protect against the effects of hypoglycemia or impaired glucose oxidation include progesterone, caffeine, certain anesthetics including xenon, niacinamide, agmatine and carbon dioxide.”

January 2017 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Defense mechanisms against nitric oxide: the nutritional approach

"Among the most important defense mechanisms against nitric oxide are progesterone, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin A, niacinamide, coffee, aspirin, and foods containing flavonoids, terpenoids, polyphenols, and sterols. Milk from grass-fed cows 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 substances."

January 2016 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The calming effect of thyroid hormone on hypermetabolism

"Although I was prone to hypermetabolism and for years confused by the simultaneous occurrence of symptoms of both hyper- and hypothyroidism, I finally tried taking thyroid hormone. Immediately afterward, I was able to sleep easily and deeply, and my appetite decreased. It was obvious that the thyroid had a calming effect on my overall metabolism. I slept more efficiently, woke up refreshed, had plenty of energy during the day, and began to seek out household chores purely for enjoyment. Before taking thyroid, the first thing I did every morning was drink two or three cups of coffee, but a few days after starting the thyroid medication, I noticed that I hardly thought about coffee anymore and was drinking about 90% less, without experiencing any withdrawal symptoms."

April 1994 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The role of Ritalin in improving concentration through brain energy

"Since the 1960s, a stimulant, Ritalin (methylphenidate), has frequently been prescribed to hyperactive children because it enables them to be quietly attentive. This effect has been described as paradoxical, but from the point of view of scientific physiology, there is nothing paradoxical about it. The frontal lobes of the brain, the most highly developed part, give us the ability to plan and understand complex things that require sustained attention. Without this higher part of the brain, which has a very high energy demand, humans and animals become hyperactive and unable to concentrate. Ritalin (or caffeine) makes everyone, even the most gifted students, more attentive and focused. Caffeine and Ritalin temporarily increase the brain's energy levels."

April 1994 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Physiological compensation for diet-related drug-like substances

"Physiology continuously compensates to maintain balanced functioning in the presence of a wide variety of drug-like substances in our diet. If the diet is suddenly changed by omitting alcohol, caffeine, or other biologically active substances, our compensatory counter-cyclic adaptation becomes apparent."

June 1991 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Misconceptions about dependence on hormones and dietary supplements

"Desires reflect needs, albeit rarely in a completely rational way. The fact that something makes you feel better and makes you feel worse when you stop taking it should not be taken as evidence of its addictive potential, yet many people feel this way about thyroid hormones, coffee, vitamins, and even very ordinary foods."

June 1991 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Dynamics of desire in relation to organismic stability

"The fact that a piece of chocolate can trigger an intense craving for more chocolate, or that a cigarette can renew an addiction, does not mean that the presence of chocolate or nicotine in the blood creates a craving. Rather, an organism in an unstable state perceives the availability of something that promises to partially restore the desired stability. It is obvious that smoking cigarettes is not a good way to achieve the necessary stability, but this observation cannot be generalized to the craving for potato chips, coffee, or the multitude of other things that people frequently crave."

June 1991 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Possible therapeutic effects of caffeine in cystic breast disease

“Other studies have found no link between caffeine and breast disease, but it would not surprise me if it ultimately turns out that caffeine is therapeutically effective in certain forms of cystic breast disease, due to its effects on hormones and cell regulation.”

May 1990 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The protective effect of caffeine against cancer in rats

"Several studies have found that caffeine has a protective effect against cancer. For example, Würzner et al. found that the incidence of tumors in rats fed coffee decreased as the caffeine content increased."

May 1990 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The protective effects of caffeine against cancer and the stimulation of the immune system.

"Caffeine has several effects that protect against cancer. It strongly protects against cancers caused by chemical carcinogens (including those in smoke), and even those caused by ultraviolet radiation. It stimulates the repair processes that correct mutations (in mammals, but not in bacteria), and it stimulates the immune system."

May 1990 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The beneficial effects of caffeine on the thyroid gland and inflammation

"I think that some of the beneficial effects of caffeine result from its stimulation of the thyroid gland and normal respiration. While it stimulates normal respiration, it has an anti-inflammatory effect, which likely includes both the regulation of prostaglandins and an antioxidant effect. Chemically, it is very similar to our natural antioxidant uric acid and increases uric acid levels in the blood."

May 1990 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

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