Cancer

Cancer is fundamentally a metabolic disease characterized by a regression to a primitive, fermentative energy state, a process Otto Warburg identified as aerobic glycolysis—the conversion of glucose to lactic acid even in the presence of adequate oxygen. 2 Peat argued that this shift is not caused by random genetic mutations, but by a reduced redox state within the cell, a condition where the flow of energy is blocked and the cell shifts toward a more reduced, electron-rich environment. 1 This metabolic defect involves a failure of oxidative phosphorylation, where oxygen fails to act as the terminal electron acceptor, and instead, pyruvic acid accepts electrons, forming lactic acid. 11 The resulting lactate production is not merely a byproduct but an active driver of the disease, modifying the extracellular matrix and activating pathways like mTOR that sustain the cancerous state. 4

The development of the cancer field is a cooperative phase transition driven by chronic stress and energy depletion, not a collection of "bad cells" to be killed. 2 When cells are stressed beyond their capacity to respire, oxygen and glucose are depleted, forcing a reliance on glycolysis. 1 This state is self-reinforcing; lactate promotes the activation of mTOR, and mTOR in turn activates aerobic glycolysis, creating a vicious circle of cancerization. 4 Peat emphasized that glucose deprivation, a common misinterpretation of Warburg's work, is countertherapeutic because it accelerates the tumor's consumption of the body's own protein and fat stores, leading to wasting and increased stress. 2 The tumor's high glucose uptake on a PET scan reflects a perceived lack of glucose due to inefficient oxidation, not a sugar addiction. 7 Dinkov has elaborated that this metabolic state involves excessive fatty acid oxidation, which blocks complex II of the electron transport chain, causing a buildup of electrons and further oxidative stress. 7

Corrective therapy, in Peat's framework, reinforces the organism's health rather than attacking the tumor, aiming to restore oxidative metabolism and suppress lactate formation. 4 Substances that favor the production of carbon dioxide over lactate include thyroid hormone, progesterone, and sodium bicarbonate. 4 Progesterone, in particular, has been shown to be protective against cancer, and Peat extensively documented how studies claiming it is carcinogenic were methodologically flawed, often using known tumor-promoting vehicles like corn oil or toxic solvents like cyclodextrins without proper controls. 3 The systemic nature of the disease is underscored by the fact that the ratio of lactate to pyruvate in the blood is abnormal in many chronic conditions, including mental health disorders, indicating a broader mitochondrial dysfunction. 9 The protective effects of sodium are also relevant, as it improves immunity and reduces inflammation, while its absence activates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which is involved in degeneration. 5

The futile "War on Cancer," driven by the genetic theory of disease, has ignored this metabolic reality, leading to treatments that often cause harm without reducing mortality. 2 The mass screening and over-diagnosis of conditions like neuroblastoma and prostate cancer have not decreased death rates, and in the case of prostate cancer, the use of estrogen as a treatment likely increased them. 6 The drug industry's focus on targets like angiogenesis inhibitors, proteins induced by lactate, has generated billions of dollars without a noticeable change in cancer mortality, as they neglected the basic needs of normal tissues. 11 Peat maintained that the organism's state of health can be reinforced by a great number of synergistic substances that inhibit the inflammatory, degenerative processes at multiple levels, a supportive approach that has nothing in common with the ruling paradigm of attacking the disease. 4