# Gelatin

Category: Foods & Substances

Gelatin is an anti-inflammatory protein derived from collagen-rich animal parts such as skin, bones, and connective tissue, which Ray Peat distinguished sharply from muscle meats due to its unique amino acid profile. Unlike muscle meats, gelatin contains significantly less…

9 passages · 2 authors · 2009–2022 · Most-cited: [Ray Peat](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/voices/ray-peat/index.md)

Canonical page: https://bioenergeticoracle.com/concepts/gelatin

## Synthesis

**Gelatin** is an **anti-inflammatory protein** derived from collagen-rich animal parts such as skin, bones, and connective tissue, which Ray Peat distinguished sharply from muscle meats due to its unique amino acid profile. [Source 1, 2] Unlike muscle meats, gelatin contains significantly less **cysteine**, **methionine**, and **tryptophan**—amino acids that Peat identified as having antithyroid and pro-inflammatory effects when consumed in excess. [Source 1, 2] Instead, gelatin provides a large amount of the protective amino acid **glycine**, which Peat considered to have drug-like stabilizing properties, acting as an inhibitory neurotransmitter that promotes the GABA system and opposes estrogen’s excitatory features. [Source 1, 3]

Peat argued that gelatin’s therapeutic effects extend far beyond simply providing building blocks for joint cartilage, a common but mistaken nutritional assumption. [Source 2] He observed that the relief of pain and inflammation from gelatin is often almost immediate, resembling the anti-inflammatory effect of cortisol or aspirin, rather than resulting from the slow process of tissue repair. [Source 2] Glycine achieves this by suppressing the formation of inflammatory messengers such as **tumor necrosis factor (TNF)**, **interleukin-6 (IL-6)**, and serotonin, while also electrically stabilizing nerve cells through a mechanism described as a *chloride current*. [Source 1, 3] This nerve-stabilizing action is protective in conditions like epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and stroke, and is important for regulating sleep, breathing, and heart rhythm. [Source 3] Peat personally reported that taking several grams of gelatin before bedtime allowed him to sleep through the night without interruption for the first time in years, and he noted that friends and relatives recovered from long-standing arthritic and rheumatic pain within days of taking 10 to 15 grams daily. [Source 2]

Because gelatin lacks the tryptophan that can exacerbate muscle pain and is low in the cysteine that suppresses thyroid function, Peat recommended it as a safe protein that can be increased considerably without worrying about increasing inflammation. [Source 1, 4, 7] He explained that all conditions involving excess **prolactin**, **serotonin**, and **cortisol**—including autism, premenstrual syndrome, Cushing's disease, and diabetes—should benefit from a reduced intake of tryptophan and the specifically anti-inflammatory amino acids in gelatin. [Source 2, 5] Peat viewed diabetes as fundamentally an inflammatory problem driven by the accumulation of *polyunsaturated fats*, and he believed gelatin’s anti-inflammatory effect could be therapeutic for the condition. [Source 4] For adults, he suggested that a large part of the daily protein requirement could be met with gelatin, noting that older studies used 30 grams of glycine for muscular dystrophy and that a daily intake of 100 grams of gelatin would not be unreasonable for decreasing fatigue. [Source 5] When consuming a large serving of meat, he advised taking 5 or 10 grams of gelatin at approximately the same time so that the amino acids enter the bloodstream in balance. [Source 5]

On practical use, Peat emphasized that gelatin must be thoroughly dissolved in hot water or milk until no granules remain to ensure easy digestion, and he considered it unusual for someone to be truly allergic to it, though some individuals might react more to pork gelatin than to beef. [Source 4, 7, 9] He preferred whole gelatin over isolated glycine supplements due to potential contaminants in manufactured amino acids, and he noted that gelatin made from skin likely contains very little fluoride, as most fluoride in an animal is concentrated in the bones. [Source 6, 8] Danny Roddy has reiterated that gelatin’s high glycine content acts as an anesthetic and anti-inflammatory agent, opposing estrogen’s excitatory features and suppressing serotonin. [Source 1] Peat also pointed out that reducing stress to increase the ratio of *progesterone to estrogen* helps reverse the aged state of collagen, positioning gelatin as part of a broader anti-stress physiological strategy. [Source 6]

## People also ask

### How does gelatin reduce inflammation differently than muscle meat?

Peat argued that gelatin is low in the pro-inflammatory amino acids cysteine, methionine, and tryptophan found in muscle meat, while its high glycine content suppresses inflammatory messengers like TNF and IL-6, providing a rapid, drug-like anti-inflammatory effect.

### Why did Peat recommend taking gelatin alongside a meat-heavy meal?

Peat advised taking 5 to 10 grams of gelatin with a large serving of meat so that its anti-inflammatory amino acids enter the bloodstream in balance with the pro-inflammatory ones from muscle meat, reducing the overall stress response.

### What immediate benefits did Peat observe from regular gelatin intake?

Peat reported that taking several grams before bed allowed him to sleep uninterrupted, and he noted that friends recovered from long-standing arthritic and rheumatic pain within days of consuming 10 to 15 grams of gelatin daily.

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## Cited passages

Passage numbers match the `[Source N]` markers in the synthesis above.

### Source 1 — The Peat Whisperer

Danny Roddy · Book · 2012

> ### Gelatin
>
> **Danny Roddy:** Gelatin is an anti-inflammatory protein that can be made from bones, chicken feet, pig ears, and oxtail. Unlike muscle meats, gelatin contains significantly less cysteine, methionine, and tryptophan.20 Gelatin contains a large amount of the protective amino acid glycine. Glycine can act as an anesthetic, promoting the GABA system (calming). This system opposes estrogen’s excitatory features and most likely has anti-estrogenic activity.21,22 In addition, glycine acts as an anti-inflammatory suppressing the formation of the inflammatory messengers tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and serotonin. 23,24

### Source 2 — Gelatin, stress, longevity

Ray Peat · Article · 2009 · https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/gelatin.shtml

> Pavlov's observation of its effectiveness in stimulating the secretion of digestive juices occurred because the stimulating value of broth was already recognized.
>
> Although I pointed out a long time ago the antithyroid effects of excessive cysteine and tryptophan from eating only the muscle meats, and have been recommending gelatinous broth at bedtime to stop nocturnal stress, it took me many years to begin to experiment with large amounts of gelatin in my diet. Focusing on the various toxic effects of tryptophan and cysteine, I decided that using commercial gelatin, instead of broth, would be helpful for the experiment. For years I hadn't slept through a whole night without waking, and I was in the habit of having some juice or a little thyroid to help me go back to sleep. The first time I had several grams of gelatin just before bedtime, I slept without interruption for about 9 hours. I mentioned this effect to some friends, and later they told me that friends and relatives of theirs had recovered from long-standing pain problems (arthritic and rheumatic and possibly neurological) in just a few days after taking 10 or 15 grams of gelatin each day.
>
> For a long time, gelatin's therapeutic effect in arthritis was assumed to result from its use in repairing the cartilage or other connective tissues around joints, simply because those tissues contain so much collagen. (Marketers suggest that eating cartilage or gelatin will build cartilage or other collagenous tissue.) Some of the consumed gelatin does get incorporated into the joint cartilage, but that is a slow process, and the relief of pain and inflammation is likely to be almost immediate, resembling the antiinflammatory effect of cortisol or aspirin. Inflammation produces fibrosis, because stress, hypoxia, and inadequate supply of glucose stimulate the fibroblasts to produce increased amounts of collagen. In lungs, kidneys, liver, and other tissues, glycine protects against fibrosis, the opposite of what the traditional view would suggest.
>
> Since excess tryptophan is known to produce muscle pain, myositis, even muscular dystrophy, gelatin is an appropriate food for helping to correct those problems, simply because of its lack of tryptophan. (Again, the popular nutritional idea of amino acids as simply building blocks for tissues is exactly wrong—muscle protein can exacerbate muscle disease.)

### Source 3 — Gelatin, stress, longevity

Ray Peat · Article · 2009 · https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/gelatin.shtml

> At the time Selye was observing stress-induced bleeding, standard medicine was putting gelatin to use—orally, subcutaneously, and intravenously—to control bleeding. Since ancient times, it had been used to stop bleeding by applying it to wounds, and this had finally been incorporated into medical practice. The 1936 Cyclopedia of Medicine (G.M. Piersol, editor, volume 6) mentions the use of gelatin solution to quickly control nosebleeds, excessive menstrual bleeding, bleeding ulcers (using three doses of 18 grams as a 10% solution during one day), and bleeding from hemorrhoids and the lower bowel, and hemorrhage from the bladder.
>
> But since Selye's work relating the thrombohemorrhagic syndromes to stress wasn't known at that time, gelatin was thought of as a useful drug, rather than as having potentially far-reaching physiological effects, antagonizing some of the agents of stress-induced tissue damage. Skin cells and nerve cells and many other cells are “electrically” stabilized by glycine, and this effect is currently being described in terms of a “chloride current.” A variety of mechanisms have been proposed for the protective effects of some of the amino acids, based on their use as energy or for other metabolic purpose, but there is evidence that glycine and alanine act protectively without being metabolized, simply by their physical properties.
>
> A small dose of glycine taken shortly after suffering a stroke was found to accelerate recovery, preventing the spreading of injury through its inhibitory and antiinflammatory actions. Its nerve-stabilizing action, increasing the amount of stimulation required to activate nerves, is protective in epilepsy, too. This effect is important in the regulation of sleep, breathing, and heart rhythm. Glycine's antispastic activity has been used to alleviate the muscle spasms of multiple sclerosis. It is thought to moderate some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. A recent publication shows that glycine alleviates colitis; but the use of gelatin, especially in the form of a concentrated gelatinous beef broth, for colitis, dysentery, ulcers, celiac disease, and other diseases of the digestive system, goes far back in medical history. Pavlov's observation of its effectiveness in stimulating the secretion of digestive juices occurred because the stimulating value of broth was already recognized.

### Source 4 — Source Nutritional Show: Brain And Tissue ll

Ray Peat · Interview · May 12, 2012 · http://l-i-g-h-t.com/files/source-nutritional-show-brain-and-tissue-2.mp4

> **Karen:** So would it be unusual for someone to be allergic to gelatin?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Yeah, I think it's unusual, but some people think they react more to pork gelatin than to a beef, but the only reactions I've heard where it's mainly just poor digestion of it, getting gas or something.
>
> **Karen:** And so how could one offset that initially? Could they take some digestive enzymes temporarily to…
>
> **Ray Peat:** Or just try a different brand of gelatin.
>
> **Karen:** Okay.
>
> **Ray Peat:** Some people do okay with beef gelatin rather than pork.
>
> **Karen:** And do you think the Great Lakes Gelatin is a good one?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Yeah, they have both the kinds, and they also have hydrolyzed that some people think it’s much easier to use and they think it might digest more easily.
>
> **Karen:** Well, I'm intrigued that you mention that it has an effect on diabetes. How would that be?
>
> **Ray Peat:** I think it's the anti-inflammatory effect. Diabetes is basically an inflammatory problem resulting from chronic accumulative effect of the polyunsaturated fats that interfere with the use of sugar by the cells, and at the same time have a toxic inflammatory effect on the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. And those cells incidentally are actually being regenerated constantly. Cells in other parts of the pancreas are gradually transforming themselves into the insulin producing cells. So, it's like a stream of stem cells constantly waiting to replace the beta cells that produce insulin as they're destroyed, but if your body is saturated with the toxic unsaturated fats, every time they get replaced, they are killed again by the breakdown products of the unsaturated fats.

### Source 5 — Gelatin, stress, longevity

Ray Peat · Article · 2009 · https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/gelatin.shtml

> (Again, the popular nutritional idea of amino acids as simply building blocks for tissues is exactly wrong—muscle protein can exacerbate muscle disease.) All of the conditions involving excess prolactin, serotonin, and cortisol (autism, postpartum and premenstrual problems, Cushing's disease, "diabetes," impotence, etc.) should benefit from reduced consumption of tryptophan. But the specifically antiinflammatory amino acids in gelatin also antagonize the excitatory effects of the tryptophan-serotonin-estrogen-prolactin system.
>
> In some of the older studies, therapeutic results improved when the daily gelatin was increased. Since 30 grams of glycine was commonly used for treating muscular dystrophy and myasthenia gravis, a daily intake of 100 grams of gelatin wouldn't seem unreasonable, and some people find that quantities in that range help to decrease fatigue. For a growing child, though, such a large amount of refined gelatin would tend to displace other important foods. The National Academy of Sciences recently reviewed the requirements for working adults (male and female soldiers, in particular), and suggested that 100 grams of balanced protein was needed for efficient work. For adults, a large part of that could be in the form of gelatin. If a person eats a large serving of meat, it's probably helpful to have 5 or 10 grams of gelatin at approximately the same time, so that the amino acids enter the blood stream in balance.
>
> Asian grocery stores are likely to sell some of the traditional gelatin-rich foods, such as prepared pig skin and ears and tails, and chicken feet. Although the prepared powdered gelatin doesn't require any cooking, dissolving it in hot water makes it digest a little more quickly. It can be incorporated into custards, mousses, ice cream, soups, sauces, cheese cake, pies, etc., or mixed with fruit juices to make desserts or (with juice concentrate) candies. Although pure glycine has its place as a useful and remarkably safe drug, it shouldn't be thought of as a food, because manufactured products are always likely to contain peculiar contaminants.
>
> [references]

### Source 6 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 818

Ray Peat · Email · Dec 3, 2022

> **Question:** Hi Dr. Peat 1. What are the things that "break down" hardened collagen in our bodies? 2. And what would you think it's preferable? Pure high quality glycine supplement or gelatine made from factory farmed animals? Much love
>
> **Ray Peat:** I think gelatin is preferable. Things that reduce stress (and so increase the ratio of progesterone to estrogen) help to reverse the aged state of collagen.

### Source 7 — Brain and Tissue I and II KWAI 1080 Source Nutritional Show

Ray Peat · Interview · 2012

> **Damian Paul:** You mentioned butter, which happens to be my favorite food. I have a horrible craving for butter all the time. Is there a problem with exceeding a certain level of butter?
>
> **Ray Peat:** You can get fat on butter, but in context its main function is anti-stress and anti-inflammation. So if it's in balance with the nutrients you need such as calcium and sodium to keep your metabolism going at a high level, and adequate protein... and gelatin happens to be a protein you can increase considerably without worrying about increasing inflammation. The protein in milk, casein especially, is an anti-stress type of protein - but especially if you supplement that with gelatin, the balance is very anti-stress and, as a consequence, anti-obesity.
>
> **Damian Paul:** And how do you recommend that we use the gelatin?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Oh, it depends on your needs. For treating inflammatory bowel disease and liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes and so on, they've used as much as an once or two of pure gelatin added per day - even more - people sometimes use temporarily. It's important to have a good gelatin without additives. It generally should be thoroughly dissolved rather than eating it as a powder. It should be mixed with hot water or milk until there are no granules left, so that it's easy to digest.

### Source 8 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 7

Ray Peat · Email · Jan 16, 2013

> **Question:** [Concerns of Fluoride in Gelatin]
>
> **Ray Peat:** The only analysis of gelatin that I have seen showed very little fluoride. Since most of the fluoride in an animal is concentrated in the bones, and gelatin is made from skin, it probably doesn't contain much.

### Source 9 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 827

Ray Peat · Email · Dec 3, 2022

> **Question:** Hello Dr. Peat I was wondering where you stand with Gelatin supplementation. I've started reading and I found quite a few "negative" studies. I cannot find high quality animals here to make my own gelatine at the moment, so I've bought some high quality gelatin supplements. I mix it with milk/ice cream. Does it have downsides and do you have any advice on how and how much to take? Much love
>
> **Ray Peat:** It has various therapeutic effects. It’s important that it be very thoroughly dissolved for good digestion.

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