Cataracts

Cataracts are a focal, opaque state of the lens caused by a disorganization of water within the lens cells, rather than by denaturation of the proteins themselves. 2 Peat argued that the cataractous tissue is chemically almost identical to healthy surrounding tissue, but contains a slightly higher water content where the water has accumulated in a loose, uncontrolled form. 1 This process is analogous to the way cooking makes an egg white opaque; the protein-water interaction is disrupted, destroying transparency. 8 Peat distinguished a true cataract, which is a focal white opacity, from the normal yellowing and browning of the lens that occurs with aging, which can remain perfectly clear. 2

The fundamental mechanism driving this opacity is a loss of cellular energy leading to a failure to maintain the organized, coherent state of water. 2 Peat explained that the lens, though lacking a blood supply, has its own circulatory system driven by oxidative metabolism in its surface epithelial cells, creating electrical and osmotic gradients that move fluid through the lens. 2 When energy production fails, the cells swell and take up excess water, losing their transparency. 2 This is consistent with Peat's view of the lens as a model of age-related inflammatory diseases, where a localized reversal of the general trend toward dryness occurs, and tissue takes up too much unbound water. 8 The stressed cells also take up large amounts of calcium and sodium, while potassium and ATP decrease, and proteolytic enzymes are activated. 9

Peat identified several specific promoters and protective factors for this energetic failure. Carbon dioxide is a central protective molecule, and its deficiency, along with an increase in lactic acid, is typically found in cataracts. 5 This explains why high altitude, which increases carbon dioxide retention, is strongly protective against cataracts, decreasing incidence by 2.7 times in one study, even despite increased ultraviolet radiation. 2 Conversely, stressors that damage the cell's energy state promote cataracts, including ionizing radiation, ultraviolet light, excessive estrogen, and endotoxin from the intestine. 3 Peat also noted that free fatty acids are toxic to the lens, and that a surge of free fatty acids from stress can block glucose utilization, directly antagonizing the lens's energy supply. 2 Excessive cortisol or hypoglycemia can quickly produce cataracts, demonstrating the basic importance of glucose metabolism for lens health. 9

The condition is potentially reversible if the systemic environment is corrected. Peat cited the example of his brother, whose diagnosed cataract was later found to have disappeared, and noted that in vitro, a slightly hypertonic solution can cause an opacity to regress by drawing out excess water. 2 While a hypertonic saline solution can immediately clear a waterlogged cornea, it cannot reach the lens directly; the whole body's fluid balance must be shifted to restrain water accumulation in the lens. 10 Peat highlighted the suppression of curative research due to the immense profitability of lens replacement surgery, but pointed to the steroid lanosterol, a cholesterol precursor found in mushrooms, which was shown in a major publication to reverse established cataracts in rabbits and dogs when applied as eye drops or injected. 2 Other protective substances he mentioned include aspirin, progesterone, caffeine, and red light, which reactivates cytochrome oxidase to increase ATP production. 7