Protein Drinks Should Carry Warning, Says UK Official After 16-Year-Old Boy's Death

A senior UK official said that health warnings should be added to protein drinks after the death of a 16-year-old boy. Rohan Godhania, 16, from London, fell ill after drinking a protein shake on August 15, 2020. He died three days later at West Middlesex Hospital after he suffered 'irreversible brain damage'.

Soon after his death, his organs were donated before the hospital could identify the cause of his illness.

The boy's father had bought his son the drink to help him build muscle - as his son was 'quite skinny', reported Metro.

The protein shake brought on a rare genetic condition called ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, which triggered the breakdown of ammonia in Rohan's bloodstream and caused it to build to lethal levels, the media outlet reported.

A post-mortem examination could not initially identify the boy's cause of death from a rare disease, ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, an inquest at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court in Buckinghamshire previously heard, BBC reported.

The media outlet said that the disease prevents the breakdown of ammonia, causing it to build up to lethal levels in the bloodstream. And it can also be triggered by a protein load.

Coroner Tom Osborne said, "Concerning these protein drinks, my preliminary view about them is that I ought to write to one of the regulatory authorities that some sort of warning ought to be put on the packaging of these drinks because, although OTC is a rare condition, it can have harmful effects if someone drinks [one] and it causes a protein spike."