Hydrophobic

Hydrophobicity is a physical-chemical property that Ray Peat identified as a fundamental, dynamic characteristic of the living cell, varying directly with its energy level and degree of excitation. 1 Peat argued that the cell's hydrophobic state is not a static structural feature but a reflection of its redox potential, with the two properties seen to vary together and influence each other even in non-living systems. 1 In the relaxed, high-energy resting state, a network of hydrophobic interactions extends through the cell, and the cell water is less hydrophilic. 4 This resting state is associated with potassium ions, whose interaction with water is so weak it has been called negative hydration, allowing water to form stable structures in the presence of hydrophobic surfaces. 4

The shift from a hydrophobic to a hydrophilic state is a hallmark of cellular excitation and fatigue. During stimulation, potassium is exchanged for sodium and calcium, which are smaller atoms with a higher surface charge concentration that powerfully disrupt the delicate hydrophobic structures of intracellular water. 4 Peat described this process as the cell water becoming "wetter," with the increased movement of charged particles destroying water's structure and allowing bulk dielectric water to enter cells, causing swelling and separation of structural elements. 4 The presence of free fatty acids, which are soap-like molecules, spontaneously introduces "wetness" into the relatively water-resistant cell substance, impairing the last oxidative stage of respiration. 1 This shift is so fundamental that the oxidized form of cytochrome c is more hydrophobic and stable, while its reduced form is prone to being released from the mitochondrion to trigger apoptotic cell death. 1

Peat's view of hydrophobicity was central to his critique of the lipid bilayer membrane theory. He noted that the forces between fat molecules that allow them to form hydrophobic bonds are actually so weak that they should hardly be called bonds at normal temperatures, as fatty surfaces seem to seek each other out only because water molecules bind so powerfully to each other that they force out anything that doesn't bind to them. 3 He argued that a lipid bilayer has no more strength than the rainbow that forms on a puddle of water from a microscopic film of oil, making it structurally incapable of explaining the cell's cohesiveness. 3 Instead, Peat described the cell boundary as a phase boundary where an electric double-layer forms, and he emphasized that the balance within proteins between hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups determines the proportion of surface area in contact with bulk solvent water. 2

The concept extends to the organism's interaction with environmental materials. Peat noted that plastics are generally very hydrophobic, and that carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrate on the surface of plastic particles, delivering a concentrated dose of organic carcinogens when ingested. 2 Extremely small nanoparticles can pass through cells and, being foreign to the structure of the cytoplasm, make the cell leaky, causing ATP to leak out and be recognized as a danger signal. 2 The temperature-dependent nature of hydrophobicity also explains biological adaptation: organisms living at low temperatures require more unsaturated, flexible fats to maintain function, while those in warm climates, like coconuts and Amazonian fish, produce highly saturated fats that remain appropriately structured at higher temperatures. 6