Ray Peat

Raymond "Ray" Peat Obituary: Ray Peat (December 2022) IM-1776. was an American conspiracy theorist,Danny Roddy (January 22, 2021). "#47: The Power Elite | Vaccines | Hair Loss | UFOs | Surviving The Great Reset with Ray Peat, PhD". YouTube. quack, and cholesterol denialistCholesterol, longevity, intelligence, and health. raypeat.com. who promoted pseudoscientific views about nutrition. His most bizarre claim was that essential (omega-3 and omega-6, found in e.g. certain fish"Polyunsaturated Fats". American Heart Association.) are harmful to human health and should be reduced in the diet to the lowest amount possible.Unsaturated fatty acids: Nutritionally essential, or toxic?. raypeat.com. Peat delusionally argued that a tablespoon of sucrose in honey can cure animals and emergency patients with fatal injuries, but was unaware that honey only contains between 0.8-5% sucrose. He made many other ridiculous claims such as avocados causing cancer."Vegetables". raypeat.com.
Peat's dietary views have been embraced by some people on the far right,Joshua Molloy and Dr. Eviane Leidig (October 10, 2022). The Emerging Raw Food Movement and the ‘Great Reset’. Global Network on Extremism & Technology notably Bronze Age Pervert.Bronze Age Pervert on Twitter. Archived. Some of Peat's other followers found this somewhat baffling,(June 14, 2022). "why is there a connection between peating and being right wing", r/raypeat (Reddit). and in January 2021, he himself reported receiving a surge in "really insane sounding people" emailing him within those past few weeks about things like Jesuits purportedly inventing numerology "than all 20 years that I've used the Internet". Some of Peat's statements also coded more far left, such as his belief that militarism is the "biggest 'anti-civilization' factor",Danny Roddy (July 24, 2020). "#32: Hormonal Imprinting | Fake History | Aristotelian Philosophy | Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and Lysenko". YouTube. and his praise for communism as an alternative to capitalism. 
In 2022, about 8 months before his death, much to the dismay of his followers, Peat contradicted his own dietary advice and admitted that he was eating oatmeal and putting oat bran on his food.Patrick Timpone (March 23, 2022). 03.23.22 Peat Ray
==Overview==
Peat held a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Oregon, but had absolutely no training in nutrition, yet used to spend much of his time writing ridiculous essays about the health effects of different foods on his website.About Ray Peat. raypeat.com None of his ideas on nutrition were published in peer review. Peat argued against the scientific consensus by claiming that foods high in sugar and saturated fat are not harmful in excess. He has been cited as encouraging people to eat ice cream and Mexican Coca-Cola.RIP Ray Peat: Death of Diet Pioneer 86 Sees Fanbase Pay Tribute. HITC (archived).
===Coconut oil===
Peat argued that coconut oil is a health food because it contains saturated fat, whilst all seed and vegetable oils are "toxic" because they contain polyunsaturated fat.Coconut Oil. raypeat.com. However, the high saturated fatty acids in coconut oil significantly increase LDL-c. According to a review of clinical trials "coconut oil should not be viewed as healthy oil for cardiovascular disease risk reduction, and limiting coconut oil consumption because of its high saturated fat content is warranted." In his essays, Peat did not cite any reviews of clinical trials and based most of his research on animal studies.
===Nuts and seeds===
Peat argued that nuts and seeds are toxic to humans because they contain high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids and plant chemicals which protect themselves from predators.Ray Peat on nuts, macadamiaRay Peat on eating seeds, tomato seeds, toxic effect of seedsRay Peat on sprouted grains, toxic effects of seeds Peat said there is only one exception, the macadamia nut because it is higher in saturated fat. Despite what Peat believed, there is strong evidence from clinical trials and epidemiological studies that consumption of nuts and seeds (which are good sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids) improves the lipid profile and lowers the risk of atrial fibrillation, cardiovascular disease and stroke.Nuts and seeds consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and their risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysisNuts and Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes: A Review of the Evidence and Future DirectionsConsumption of Nuts and Seeds and Health Outcomes Including Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and Metabolic Disease, Cancer, and Mortality: An Umbrella ReviewNut Consumption in Relation to Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and Mortality Among Patients With Diabetes MellitusWalnut consumption and health outcomes with public health relevance-a systematic review of cohort studies and randomized controlled trials published from 2017 to present A 2022 review noted that "there is a substantial amount of evidence that supports that consuming nuts will have a positive impact on primary and secondary prevention of CVD".Nuts and Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes: A Review of the Evidence and Future Directions
===Polyunsaturated fatty acids===
On his website, Peat embarrassed himself by trying to dispute the fact that polyunsaturated fats are essential fatty acids and argued they are "toxic" and cause atherosclerosis.Ray Peat on PUFA link to atherosclerosis He was notorious for cherry-picking animal studies (mostly mice and rats), whilst ignoring all clinical research.Oils in context The opposite to what Peat claimed is true. For example, clinical trials have shown that polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) improve blood lipids and reduce incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD).Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart AssociationEffects of ω-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Coronary Atherosclerosis and Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisEffect of omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysisReduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular diseaseBeneficial Outcomes of Omega-6 and Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Human Health: An Update for 2021 Similar to James DiNicolantonio and other conspiracy theorists, Peat promoted the false idea that linoleic acid from vegetable oils is toxic to health. In reality, clinical trials have shown that by lowering the intake of dietary saturated fat in the diet and and replacing it with polyunsaturated vegetable oil it can reduce CVD to around 30%.
Peat claimed that the more polyunsaturated fat consumed in the diet the higher incidence of cancer there will be. Like all of his health claims, he failed to back this up with scientific evidence.Ray Peat on more PUFA in the diet more cancer research Few clinical trials have been done but epidemiological studies have found that marine omega-3 PUFA consumption is associated with a lower breast cancer risk and a lower mortality in patients with ovarian cancer.Intake of fish and marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of breast cancer: meta-analysis of data from 21 independent prospective cohort studiesDietary Intake of N-3 and N-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Risk of Cancer: Meta-Analysis of Data from 32 StudiesDietary fish and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids intake and cancer survival: A systematic review and meta-analysis
===Coca Cola===
Peat defended Mexican Coca-Cola because it contains cane sugar rather than the high-fructose corn syrup of American Coca-Cola but there is no evidence that he consumed it personally.Ray Peat's Defense of Mexican Coke (Sucrose, Coca Leaf, Caffeine)Ray Peat on Mexican coke, HCFS. On his website, Peat said that Coca-Cola can be used to relieve hypoglycemia symptoms (this is one of the few things he got correct).Eclampsia
===Orange juice===
Peat was a big fan of orange juice which he said is "anti-estrogenic".Ray Peat on orange juice being anti-estrogenic He also claimed that orange juice is good because it raises people's cholesterol.Ray Peat on how to increase cholesterol There is not any evidence in the medical literature that shows orange juice consumption raises cholesterol. Studies have found the opposite, as it lows LDL-c and total cholesterol.Long-term orange juice consumption is associated with low LDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B in normal and moderately hypercholesterolemic subjectsOrange juice decreases low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic subjects and improves lipid transfer to high-density lipoprotein in normal and hypercholesterolemic subjects A 2022 review of clinical trials found that orange juice significantly reduces circulating total cholesterol levels.Effects of orange juice intake on cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials Everything Peat said about foods should be fact-checked because in most cases he was entirely wrong in what he had claimed.
===Sucrose===
Peat argued that sucrose is a great therapeutic agent and could cure many diseases, including fatally injured animals and human patients in emergency wards. He said that there are stories of dying dogs, ducks, sheep and emergency patients who were fed a tablespoon of honey and all their symptoms miraculously disappeared. He said that this convinced him that in an "emergency of any sort" a big dose of sucrose is "very important". Peat was unaware that honey only contains between 0.8-5% sucrose.What sugars is honey made up of?. Capilano Honey Ltd.Physical and chemical screening of honey samples available in the Saudi market: An important aspect in the authentication process and quality assessment
===Avocados===
Peat claimed that avocados are carcinogenic because they contain a lot of unsaturated fat. Like all the other nonsense he spouted, he failed to back up this ridiculous claim with any scientific evidence.
===Meat===
Peat said that beef and lamb are the best meats to eat because they are high in saturated fat and that chicken, pork and turkey should be avoided because they are high in unsaturated fat.Ray Peat on the best meat to eat He said he consumed chicken if the fat was trimmed off (see below).
===Macular degeneration===
Peat who had bad eyesight and wore glasses for decades of his life claimed without providing any evidence that consuming polyunsaturated fatty acids in foods damages the retina and causes cataracts and macular degeneration.Ray Peat Quotes. Twitter. The opposite is true as there is high-quality evidence that DHA and EPA reduce the risk of early to late macular degeneration.What did we learn in 35 years of research on nutrition and supplements for age-related macular degeneration: a systematic review
High levels of DHA are present in the retina, specifically in the disk membranes of the outer segments of photoreceptor cells.Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Eye Health: Summary DHA is the most abundant omega-3 fatty acid in the brain and the retina, representing about 97% and 93% of omega-3 fatty acids.Docosahexaenoic Acid There is not any evidence in the medical literature that consuming polyunsaturated fatty acids such as DHA in foods or supplements causes cataracts or oxidative damage to the retina.The Eye, Oxidative Damage and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
Peat was wrong about polyunsaturated fats damaging the mitochondria. A 2017 review concluded "a great body of evidences obtained from experimental studies shows the promising role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on mitochondrial function and dynamics".Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and mitochondria, back to the future
===Brain size===
Peat claimed that polyunsaturated fats can reduce brain size at birth.Ray Peat Quotes. Twitter. There is no evidence for this in the medical literature. Lower PUFA concentrations in fetal life are associated with less brain volume in childhood.Maternal polyunsaturated fatty acids during pregnancy and offspring brain development in childhood
===Diabetes===
Contrary to what Peat claimed, there is no reliable evidence in the medical literature that polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils cause diabetes.Intake of dietary fats and fatty acids and the incidence of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective observational studies A recent review of clinical trials found that PUFA has no effect on diabetes or glucose metabolism.Omega-3, omega-6, and total dietary polyunsaturated fat for prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials Another review suggested that plant-derived polyunsaturated fatty acids offer a "protective effect of total PUFA or omega-6 PUFA on diabetes risk in non-diabetic populations".Plant-derived polyunsaturated fatty acids and markers of glucose metabolism and insulin resistance: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled feeding trials
===Tobacco===
Peat argued that tobacco lowers incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.
There is strong evidence that smoking increases Alzheimer’s disease and dementia risk.Laura Williamson (July 6, 2021). "Smoking harms the brain, raises dementia risk – but not if you quit". American Heart Association News.(November 2021). "Smoking and Dementia". Action on Smoking and Health.Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission Overall, systematic reviews have estimated that smoking increases risk of dementia by 30% and Alzheimer's disease by 40% respectively.Smoking Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Dementia: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies with Investigation of Potential Effect Modifiers"Smoking and dementia". Alzheimer's Society.Katie Puckering (January 13, 2020). "All you need to know about smoking and dementia". Alzheimer's Research UK. This is another case of Peat having no idea what he was talking about.
==The Ray Peat diet==
Ray Peat said that everyday he normally ate gelatinous tail ( or chicken soup (with all the fat trimmed off) and would also drink up to a gallon of milk.Ray Peat on what he normally eats He would eat one large egg a day, fried in butter. He also drank 1 pint of orange juice and once a week would eat liver and oysters. His diet also included ice cream and a large amount of coconut oil. That was it. Peat's diet was extremely bland and restricted. He said he did not eat grains, legumes, nuts or seeds. However, Peat later confessed to eating oatmeal and oat bran. This has confused and pissed off some of his fanatical followers.
Because his diet was restricted, his followers have created large lists of foods that you can eat on the "Ray Peat diet", however, there is no evidence that Peat actually ate these foods. For example, a Ray Peat diet list has bananas and many other fruits on it but there is no evidence he consumed these.Ray Peat Sample Diet
===Ray Peat Forum===
The Ray Peat Forum is a crazy forum for alt-righters, crackpots and science-haters who promote all kinds of irrational conspiracy theories about nutrition. They have a thread about this RationalWiki article but not one user has been able to refute any of the evidence on it.Ray Peat labeled ´quack for white supremacists
==See also==
*Eric Berg
*Paul Saladino
==External links==
*Raypeat.com
==References==
Category:Cholesterol and statin denialists
Category:Conspiracy theorists
Category:Food woo promoters
Category:Pseudoscience promoters
Category:War on science