Between 1990 and 2010, some of our leading causes of death and disability haven't changed. Heart disease was the leading cause of loss of life and health then and remains the leading cause today. Something's got better like HIV-AIDS, but others got worse, like chronic kidney disease, a doubling, and the tens of thousands of deaths and the hundreds of thousands whose kidneys fail completely, requiring kidney transplants or lifelong dialysis. And about one and eight of us now have chronic kidney disease, whether we know it or not. And most of those with chronic kidney disease don't know it, about three quarters of the millions affected, or unaware their kidneys are starting to fail. Which is particularly worrisome, giving that early identification, provides an opportunity to slow the progression and alter the course of disease. So what can we do about it? The Western style diet is a major risk factor for impaired kidney function and chronic kidney disease. Also known as the meat, sweet diet, or standard American diet, causing an impairment of kidney blood flow inflammation and subsequent leakage of protein in the urine and a rapid decreasing kidney function. The global sugar and hyphructose corn syrup associated with increased blood pressure in the ureth acid levels, they can both damage the kidney, and saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol found in animal fat and junk food negatively impact kidney function as well. The consumption of animal fat can actually alter the structure of the kidney, and the animal protein can deliver an acid load to the kidneys, increase ammonia production, and damage the sensitive kidney cells. That's why restricting protein intake is recommended for preventing kidney function decline, though it may be animal protein in particular, not just protein in general, so the source of the protein plant versus animal may be more important than the amount regarding adverse health consequences. Animal protein intake has a profound effect on normal human kidney function, inducing what's called hyper filtration, increasing the workload of the kidney. This may help explain why our kidneys fail so often. The intake of protein rich foods, now generally regarded as normal, may be responsible for dramatic differences in kidney function between modern human beings and their remote predecessors, who hunted and scavenged for meat here and there, sustained rather than intermittent excesses of protein, requires us to colon our kidney reserves continuously, causing a kind of unrelenting stress in our kidneys that can predispose even healthy people to progressive kidney scarring and deterioration of kidney function. It's like always revving our engine into the red. On the other hand, administration of an equal quantity of vegetable protein does not appear to have the same effect, eating meat, for example. Increases the workload on the kidneys within hours of consumption, but, apparently, taking care of plant protein appears to be a cinch. This was done with beef, but any animal protein will do. Eat a meal of tuna fish and you can see the increased pressure on the kidneys go up, again, within just hours, for both non-diabetics with normal kidneys and diabetics with normal kidneys. If instead of having a tuna salad sandwich, you had a tofu salad sandwich, with the same amount of protein, no effect. And same thing happens with eggs and dairy protein, both in people with normal and disease kidneys. For term studies have indicated the substituent plant proteins like soy for animal protein is associated with less hyper filtration and protein leakage, therefore, slowing deterioration of kidney function. However, the long-term effect has not been adequately studied until this study was published in 2014. A six-month double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trossoi versus dairy protein. And the consumption of whole soy tended to preserve renal function, kidney function, compared with milk and individuals with lowered renal function. Similar results were reported in diabetics, even just giving isolated soy protein, appeared to make things better compared to dairy protein, which made things worse. Once once kidneys have deteriorated to the point where they're actively losing protein in the urine, a plant-based diet may help turn it off and on like a light switch. Here's protein leakage. On a standard low sodium diet switched to a supplemented vegan diet, low sodium, vegan, low sodium, vegan. What is going on? Why does animal protein cost that overload reaction, but not plant protein? It appears to be an inflammatory response triggered by the animal protein. We know this because administration of a powerful anti-inflammatory drug abolishes the hyperfiltration, protein leakage response to meat ingestion. Here's the typical kidney stress response to a meat meal, but here's with the anti-inflammatory drug on board confirming the role of inflammation in the impact of animal protein on our kidneys.