Ray Peat on GABA

January 3, 2026

Biological Effects of Magnetic Fields: Sedation and Changes in Brain Chemistry

“Magnetic fields likely act biologically 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). The activity of oxygen 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 system acts protectively against adrenaline. Protective steroid hormones also work on many levels. Magnesium, which is mostly maintained 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 protective anti-glucocorticoids: progesterone, testosterone, pregnenolone, and DHEA.”

June 1992 – Ray Peats Newsletter

Anti-Stress Effects of GABA and Protective Mechanisms

“Meerson’s laboratory has studied the anti-stress and anti-adrenaline effects of GABA and its metabolite gamma-hydroxybutyrate, especially in the form of the lithium salt. (Lithium appears to have its own anti-stress effect, probably partly as a sodium agonist and partly through its ability to complex with ammonium, which forms in the brain during exhaustion—just when the GABA system activates.) GHB protects against stress-related damage in many tissues. It prevents stress-induced leakage of enzymes from tissues, gastric mucosal ulcerations, lipid peroxidation, epileptic seizures, impaired heart contraction function, and heart rhythm disturbances 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 asparagine and succinic acid. GABA has many anti-stress effects in addition to its direct calming effect in the brain. For example, it causes sequestration of insulin, so that some of the sugar is not 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 Supplements

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

June 1988 – Ray Peats Newsletter

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