Ray Peat on Calcium

The role of parathyroid hormone and its effects in aging

"Phosphate, which predominates in grains, beans, nuts, meat, and fish, increases our production of parathyroid hormone, while calcium and magnesium inhibit its production. This hormone, which increases with age, suppresses the immune system, and in excess causes insomnia, seizures, dementia, psychoses, cancer, heart disease, shortness of breath and pulmonary hypertension, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, histamine release, inflammation, and soft tissue calcification, as well as many other problems."

September 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Effects of increased parathyroid hormone on body tissues

"When vitamin D or calcium is lacking, or when phosphate is in excess, as well as during hypoglycemia and stress (Ljunghall et al., 1984), parathyroid hormone rises. This can lead to softening of the bones and hardening of soft tissues, especially the arteries, sometimes also the brain, skin, and other organs. Parathyroid hormone raises blood pressure even before calcium-induced stiffening is detectable."

September 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Nighttime activity of parathyroid hormone and calcium loss

"Parathyroid hormone normally rises during the night (Radjaipour 1986; Logue 1989, 1990; Fraser 1998), and especially with age, this leads to significant calcium loss from the bones. Taking a large portion of the daily calcium amount before bedtime reduces the nighttime rise of PTH as well as calcium loss from the bones."

September 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Effects of calcium and vitamin D on metabolism

"A moderate increase in calcium and vitamin D reduces obesity and raises metabolic rate, and a great deal is known about the mechanisms involved."

September 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Lowering parathyroid hormone in relation to obesity and associated problems

"The reduction of parathyroid hormone through increased calcium and vitamin D is closely linked to a decrease in obesity as well as the health problems associated with obesity – high blood pressure, insulin resistance, heart arrhythmias, depression, and various inflammatory conditions."

September 2017 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Nutrient requirements for stress resistance and recovery

"Stress apparently increases a person's need for all nutrients, including calories and protein. The vitamins most commonly used to combat stress are A, C, E, and pantothenic acid. The minerals magnesium, calcium, potassium, and zinc can help in the early stages of stress, and sodium supplements may be necessary in the final extreme stage of stress when the adrenal glands are exhausted."

– Nutrition For Women

Dietary and nutritional recommendations for managing stress-related mineral imbalances

"Adrenal hormones and mineral balance are disrupted by stress, regardless of whether the cause is a disorganized lifestyle or injury from surgery. The diet should include about 90 grams of protein (in frequent meals), eggs as a sulfur source (important for synthesizing joint lubricants, for example), and a high magnesium-to-calcium ratio (as found in vegetables, bran, fruit), while phosphate intake should be kept low (this might involve using green leafy vegetables instead of some meat and including cheese). Vitamins C, E, and pantothenic acid are needed in especially large amounts during stress. Vitamins A and B2 are also essential for producing anti-stress hormones. Inositol is known to protect biological materials from many types of damage and might have this effect in arthritis, though I am not aware of any research on this specific application."

– Nutrition For Women

The debate over the effectiveness of estrogen in treating osteoporosis

"The argument for using estrogen to treat or prevent osteoporosis is based on the fact that estrogen reduces calcium excretion through urine. A vitamin E deficiency (and it is known that estrogen increases the need for vitamin E) causes calcium to be retained in the muscles. In fact, any toxin leads to calcium retention in soft tissues—for example, the heart absorbs calcium when it is oxygen-deprived. Since no improvement in the skeleton can be demonstrated by X-rays, I suspect that the improved calcium retention is merely a toxic effect of estrogen."

– Nutrition For Women

The role of magnesium in preventing blood clots and supporting vascular health

"Magnesium counteracts calcium (and estrogen) in the coagulation system, can prevent vascular spasms, and conserve oxygen."

– Nutrition For Women

The importance of nutrients for mitochondrial function and aging

"In old age, the walls of blood vessels tend to harden due to calcium. It is known that in at least some tissues, calcification begins in degenerating mitochondria, and mitochondria tend to degenerate in aging tissue. Nutrients such as iodine, vitamin E, magnesium, and vitamin B2 are especially important for maintaining the function of mitochondria, which produce most of our energy."

– Nutrition For Women

Tooth sensitivity as an indicator of nutrient deficiencies

"Teeth that are sensitive to heat or cold indicate a deficiency of calcium, magnesium, or vitamin D."

– Nutrition For Women

Heavy metal accumulation and aging in human tissue

"As we age, we accumulate more heavy metals in our tissues. Lead replaces calcium and reaches concentrations in bones many times higher than in soft tissues."

– Nutrition For Women

American dietary habits lead to bone and tooth damage

"Almost all Americans have porous, weakened bones and teeth by age 50 due to the large amount of meat consumed relative to other foods. When excess phosphate (for example, from meat or wheat germ) is eaten, calcium and magnesium are removed from teeth and bones to be excreted along with the phosphate."

– Nutrition For Women

Milk improves the calcium-phosphorus ratio but provides too little magnesium

"Consuming large amounts of milk improves the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio but does not provide enough magnesium to prevent cavities, heart problems, and cramps."

– Nutrition For Women

ATP stability and the role of magnesium

"ATP is more stable than many chemists assume — only a magnesium deficiency or excess calcium destabilizes its molecular structure. This seems to be involved in magnesium’s calming and antispasmodic effects."

– Nutrition For Women

Dietary thermogenesis and endogenous energy regulation

"Dietary thermogenic factors include sodium, calcium, vitamin D, carbohydrates – especially sugar – and protein, which interact with our endogenous energy regulation factors, primarily thyroid hormone and progesterone."

November 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Treatment of new diseases with drugs for high-altitude pulmonary edema

"He proposed using calcium channel blockers and acetazolamide to treat the new disease because of their therapeutic effect on high-altitude pulmonary edema. He did not mention it, but both drugs can correct tissue carbon dioxide deficiency."

May 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Treatment of high-altitude pulmonary hypertension with calcium channel blockers

"Calcium channel blockers, which mimic the effect of CO₂, are effective treatments for high-altitude pulmonary hypertension."

May 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Treatments for altitude sickness and CO₂ retention

"Like acetazolamide, the other recognized treatment for altitude sickness, calcium channel blockers inhibit carbonic anhydrase and help the body retain CO₂."

May 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The Role of Lactate in Regulating Cellular Excitation

"The presence of lactate corresponds to a certain degree of reductive excess in the cells, and the extent of this reduction regulates calcium channels and controls the excitatory effects of intracellular calcium."

May 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The Role of Progesterone as a Calcium Channel Blocker

"Progesterone and its neuroactive metabolites, including tetrahydroprogesterone or allopregnanolone, are very effective calcium channel blockers (Todorovic et al., 2004; Pathirathna et al., 2005; Hu et al., 2007). A main function of progesterone is the inactivation of the estrogen receptor; estrogen and its receptor are strong activators of cellular calcium uptake."

May 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Progesterone and Vitamin D in Nerve Function Recovery

"Studies on the effects of progesterone on nerve function recovery after traumatic brain injuries have shown that vitamin D enhances its effectiveness. By improving calcium homeostasis and counteracting the effect of parathyroid hormone, which activates calcium channels, vitamin D (25-hydroxycholecalciferol) is increasingly regarded both as a neurosteroid (Groves et al., 2014; Gezen-Ak and Dursun, 2019) and as an essential factor for immunity."

May 2020 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Anti-inflammatory Treatments in Response to the New Coronavirus

"In response to the new coronavirus, some groups reacted very quickly and successfully treated 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 Peat's Newsletter

Pregnancy, Energy, and Nutritional Adequacy

"The importance of salt and calcium during pregnancy is related to their effects on the respiratory energy system, and the fact that these effects are hardly known has led most doctors to believe that a diet providing all necessary nutrients is sufficient for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Despite the presence of all required nutrients – which would be enough for someone with an overall supportive environment – good nutrition is not necessarily sufficient for someone with a problematic environment or a history of stressful experiences."

May 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The Influence of Nutrition on Hormone Secretion

"Increasing the amount of sodium and calcium (and vitamin D, which also helps lower parathyroid hormone and aldosterone) in the diet can reduce the secretion of aldosterone and parathyroid hormone, leading to increased oxidative energy production."

May 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Nighttime bodily processes: protein breakdown

"During the night, even under the calming effects of sleep, protein breakdown proceeds much faster than its synthesis, and calcium is lost from the bones."

March 2018 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Snacks as a means to support restful sleep and brain health

"Using snacks to minimize the nighttime rise of free fatty acids and hypoglycemia is an effective method to support restful sleep and slow the brain-aging effects of accumulating unstable fatty acids. Calcium and vitamin D, in sufficient amounts to keep parathyroid hormone low, contribute to this process."

March 2018 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Salty snacks and improving sleep quality

"Salty snacks are especially helpful to induce sleep, presumably by stabilizing blood sugar and lowering adrenaline. Ice cream, which combines sugar, calcium, and some fat—slowing sugar absorption—is often effective in improving sleep quality."

March 2018 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Enzymatic control of serotonin synthesis in the brain

"The synthesis of serotonin in the brain depends on the activity of the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), and this enzyme is activated by cell excitation, with increased intracellular calcium and reduced glutathione (GSH), and inactivated by the oxidation of glutathione."

July 2019 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Mitigating the harmful effects of excess serotonin

"Avoiding prolonged fasting and stressful physical activity that increase free fatty acids, combining sugar with proteins to keep free fatty acids low, as well as using aspirin, niacinamide, or cyproheptadine to reduce free fatty acid formation caused by unavoidable stress, avoiding an excess of phosphate relative to calcium in the diet, consuming milk and other anti-stress foods before bedtime or during the night, and staying in a brightly lit environment during the day with regular sunlight exposure can minimize the harmful effects of excess serotonin and reduce the associated inflammation, fibrosis, and atrophy."

March 2019 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

Progesterone stabilizes cells and improves metabolic functions

"In addition to directly stabilizing the internal structures of the cell, progesterone increases ATP concentration and oxygen consumption, reduces excitatory systems and numerous inflammation-related processes, lowers intracellular calcium concentration, and enhances glucose utilization, leading to increased carbon dioxide production, as well as adjustment of respiration and pH."

January 2018 - Ray Peat's Newsletter

The Multiple Benefits of Cyproheptadine for Sleep and Cancer

"Cyproheptadine, 2 to 4 mg before bedtime, would help both sleep and cancer. It also has a calcium-blocking effect, acts as an aldosterone antagonist, and antagonizes the antidiuretic effect of serotonin."

Email Response by Ray Peat

Calcium and Iron Deposition in Mitochondria and Diseases

"Calcium and iron tend to be deposited together, and mitochondria are usually the starting points for this deposition. Iron overload is associated with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and many other degenerative diseases, including brain disorders."

February 2001

Carbon Dioxide and Lactate Dynamics in Cellular Processes

"While the flow of carbon dioxide from the mitochondrion into the cytoplasm and beyond tends to remove calcium from the mitochondrion and the cell, the flow of lactate and other organic ions into the mitochondrion can lead to calcium accumulation in the mitochondrion, under conditions where carbon dioxide synthesis and consequently urea synthesis are reduced and other synthetic processes are altered."

July 2000

Glucose, Glycolysis, and Energy Production in Cells

"Glucose and apparently also glycolysis are required for the production of nitric oxide, as well as for the accumulation of calcium, at least in some cell types, and these coordinated changes that reduce energy production could be caused by a decrease in carbon dioxide, through a physical change that is even more fundamental than the energy level represented by ATP. The use of Krebs cycle substances in the synthesis of amino acids and other products would reduce the formation of CO₂ and create a situation where the system would have two possible states: on the one hand the glycolytic stress state and on the other the carbon dioxide producing, energy-efficient state."

July 2000

The Role of Carbon Dioxide in Cellular Respiration and Ion Balance

"Both spontaneously and enzymatically, carbon dioxide combines with water. Formed inside the respiring cell, it constantly leaves the cell as carbonic acid, bicarbonates, and carbonates. As it flows out of the cell, any positively charged group, such as a calcium ion it carries, will enter the extracellular fluids along with the carbonate or bicarbonate ion, roughly as a pair with equal positive and negative charges, but the removal of the alkaline metal ion will tend to restore the acidic character of the proteins."

January 2000 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The role of carbon dioxide in cellular ion regulation

"The adsorptive effects of carbon dioxide as well as a wide variety of other chemical effects modulate the structure and function of the cell so that it retains significantly more potassium than sodium and is able to excrete calcium while binding magnesium."

January 2000 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Studies on parathyroid hormone and mineral interchangeability

"About 88 years ago, W. K. Koch (known for his cancer therapy) studied parathyroid hormone and its connection to tetany (sustained muscle contraction) and seizures and was able to show that the main minerals sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are interchangeable to some extent to relieve tetany and seizures caused by removal of the parathyroid gland, with magnesium being the most effective."

December 1999 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Cellular response to various types of poisoning

"Practically every type of poisoning causes cells to take up calcium from the blood."

December 1999 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Treatment of hypocalcemic tetany with calcium and magnesium

"The study of hypocalcemic tetany led to the practice of treating tetany with intravenous calcium solutions; for example, veterinarians often treat pasture tetany in cows with large intravenous doses of calcium. The treatment works, but today tetany is attributed to a magnesium deficiency (since magnesium supplementation works better, as Koch discovered), and excess ammonia produced in the cow's rumen can contribute to magnesium deficiency."

December 1999 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The activating role of calcium in the cellular cytoplasm

"Wherever calcium is studied, it acts as an activator, a trigger, a drive to activity as soon as it enters the cytoplasm."

December 1999 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The role of iron and calcium accumulation in aging and stress

"Iron and calcium both tend to accumulate with age or under stress, and both promote excitatory damage; bicarbonate helps keep iron in its inactive state and likely has a similar effect on a wide range of excitatory substances."

December 1999 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Koch's Findings on Clotting and Carbon Dioxide

"W. F. Koch also noted that in the toxic anti-respiratory state, excessive clotting occurred. Carbon dioxide is, probably through controlling calcium availability, an important protection against abnormal blood clotting."

December 1999 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Neuroprotection Against Excitotoxicity and Excess Intracellular Calcium

"The neuroprotective steroids progesterone and pregnenolone, as well as magnesium and carbon dioxide, all protect against excitotoxicity and the associated excess of intracellular calcium, while simultaneously promoting normal calcification."

December 1999 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

ATPases: More Than Pumps in Muscle Contraction and Cell Function

"But the pump proteins – calcium-ATPase, sodium/potassium-ATPase, etc. – are proteins that actually exist, even though their functions are far more interesting than mere pumping. An important connection for understanding these ATPases is that the muscle's contractile protein (myosin) is a calcium-dependent ATPase."

1998 – Ray Peat's Newsletter 4

The Energizing Role of Sodium in Cellular Functions

"In fact, sodium acts as an energizer. It helps remove calcium from the cell, produce ATP, and promote the uptake of glucose and amino acids."

1998 – Ray Peat's Newsletter 4

The Role of Carbon Dioxide in Regulation and Energy Production

"Carbon dioxide is significantly involved in regulating both sodium and calcium, as well as in respiration and energy production. It tends to relax both nerves and muscles. Apparently, it is one of the essential factors in preventing edema."

1998 – Ray Peat's Newsletter 4

The Role of Sodium in Cellular Water and Ion Management

"Sodium binds water to itself, and this property causes it to be excluded from the normal cell. Carbon dioxide combines, when in water, especially with the help of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, with water. Since it is produced in the mitochondria, this means it transports water (as well as calcium and sodium) into the cytoplasm and out of the cell."

1998 – Ray Peat's Newsletter 4

Cellular Excitation and Injury: Effects on Electric Fields

"Cellular excitation, exhaustion, and injury affect the cell's electric fields in different ways, depending on the availability of oxygen, glucose, salts, etc., but in each of these states there is an increased influx of calcium into the cytoplasm."

1998 – Ray Peat's Newsletter 2

The protective effects of CO₂ on calcium and water binding

"Carbon dioxide has many other effects that act in the same protective direction, such as calcium removal, iron binding, and water binding, and these other effects are at least as important as the pH effect."

1998 – Ray Peat's Newsletter 2

The similarity of estrogen to aging processes in cellular calcium uptake

"Oxygen deficiency causes tissues to retain calcium (and iron), just as estrogen does in many cases, since it resembles aging by promoting cellular calcium uptake. Because porphyrins strongly bind metals, it has been suggested that they may play a role in mediating metal deposition in stressed tissues."

1997 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Treatment of scleroderma with thyroid, magnesium, and progesterone

"Men diagnosed with scleroderma have reported to me that their symptoms improved through the use of thyroid and magnesium supplements, Epsom salt baths, as well as topical progesterone and vitamin E. I suspect that the carbon dioxide produced in the mitochondria is the main factor in removing calcium from them."

1997 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Thyroid and magnesium in normalizing mitochondria

"Thyroid and magnesium are often the factors needed to normalize mitochondria and prevent calcification. In general, exhausted cells take up calcium and lose magnesium."

1997 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Calcium and iron deposition in damaged tissues: a mystery

"Early in the century, it was noted that calcium and iron tend to be deposited together in damaged tissues, but the exact reason for this connection is still unknown. I think the role of iron in the aging pigment lipofuscin is an important part of the mechanism."

June 1994 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Estrogen and toxins as triggers of calcium retention in tissues

"Estrogen and a variety of toxins cause even soft tissues to retain calcium. It is clear that scleroderma, a hardening of the skin, involves the interaction of calcium, iron, lipid peroxidation, and hormones."

June 1994 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Adrenaline, energy production, and impaired recovery

"Glucose deficiency leads to the release of adrenaline, which causes fat mobilization as well as calcium-activated overstimulation of cells, impairing the energy production necessary for recovery (including muscle relaxation and calcium excretion, etc.)."

June 1992 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

The role of calcium in cell damage and energy depletion

"Calcium is a universal activator, but excess calcium is the central link in most forms of cell damage. The uptake and retention of calcium are promoted by adrenaline, histamine, vasopressin, energy depletion, and lipid peroxidation as well as by the activity of phospholipases; since calcium can activate phospholipases and lipid peroxidation and impair energy production, vicious cycles can develop."

June 1992 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

Adrenaline and the role of calcium in heart disease and clotting

"Excess adrenaline and calcium also promote clotting, and when the beta-adrenergic receptors become desensitized, spasms occur in the coronary arteries. A changed vascular tone, which can result from severe stress, can lead to venous blood pooling, which together with impaired relaxation of the heart can cause cardiogenic shock."

June 1992 – Ray Peat's Newsletter

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 system acts protectively against adrenaline. Protective steroids also work on many levels. Magnesium, which is mostly retained in the cell under the influence of ATP and the thyroid, 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 Peat's Newsletter

Dietary supplementation in the treatment of degenerative diseases

"In degenerative diseases, the accumulation of iron and other mitochondrion-toxic substances caused by stress and aging (e.g., calcium, aluminum, and products of lipid peroxidation including age pigment) as well as the failure of detoxifying systems make therapy with ordinary dietary supplements relatively ineffective. Therefore, direct supplementation of various natural protective substances (or their analogs) in addition to the protective vitamins (especially vitamin E) and minerals (especially magnesium) is more appropriate."

August–September 1992 – Ray Peat's Newsletter
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