In rats with kidney problems, blocking a specific protein receptor stops kidney damage caused by acidic diets, showing this receptor is important for acid-related kidney harm.

Eating a protein called casein makes rats with damaged kidneys sicker by making their blood too acidic and slowly worsening their kidney function, and this happens because of a specific part in their body called endothelin A receptors.

In rats, male kidneys make more endothelin-1 when they eat salt—but in humans, it’s the opposite: female kidneys make more. This shows we can’t just assume animal results apply to people.