Mother demands health warnings on protein shakes after son's sudden death

The mother of a teenage boy who suffered "irreversible brain damage" and died after drinking a protein shake has called for health warnings on the drinks.

Rohan Godhania, 16, of Ealing, west London, fell ill on August 15, 2020 and died three days later at West Middlesex Hospital.

His cause of death was eventually identified as a late onset of the rare disease ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency.

The urea cycle disorder prevents the breakdown of ammonia - a by-product produced when protein is broken down - causing it to build up to lethal levels in the bloodstream.

In a narrative conclusion to Rohan’s inquest, senior coroner Tom Osborne said that had doctors carried out a test for ammonia, it would have revealed the hyperammonaemia.

He said the failure to do this "resulted in a lost opportunity to render further medical treatment that may, on the balance of probabilities, have prevented his death".

Now, in a bid to prevent people suffering the same fate as her son, Pushpa Godhania is calling for health warnings on high-protein supplements.

She revealed that Rohan had made a shake from a tub of Ultimate Sports Nutrition (USN) protein powder purchased from Tesco.

The USN Core Series 100% Premium Whey Protein product contained 23g of protein per 34g serving and Rohan had just under a single scoop made with 200ml water, his parents said. Writing on the tub said “consult your doctor prior to use if you have a medical condition” but Rohan’s OTC was undiagnosed.

Mrs Godhania has now urged the company to add the additional warning in the hope it could save others. “They should put a warning on there that if anybody ends up having vomiting as a result of it and starts feeling unwell they should immediately get emergency attention and ask them to do an ammonia test,” she said. Mrs Godhania added that she is considering contacting USN directly to ask them to add the warning. She added: “Rohan is not the only case, I think there has been other similar cases with protein shakes, so yeah I plan to write to them and at least see what the response is, at least then people who buy it can see the warning. “The general public wouldn’t really understand if you say, you might have OTC or a urea cycle disorder, but if we just say if you feel very sick and you’re vomiting as a result of this, ask for an ammonia test, put it into some very simple language, then that would help.”

At the end of Rohan’s inquest at Milton Keynes Coroner’s Court last month, Mr Osborne indicated he would send a prevention of future deaths report to the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The report is yet to be issued but it is understood it will ask the FSA to consider whether the labels of high-protein drinks and supplements should feature a prominent warning about the potentially fatal risks a sudden spike in ingested protein can pose to people with undiagnosed urea cycle disorders, such at OTC.

This would detail symptoms to look out for and stress the need to seek urgent medical help if they develop, despite the rarity of the disease.

During the inquest, Dr Christopher Carswell, a consultant neurologist, said he thought a health warning should be added. “Consumers should be able to make an informed decision about taking that product,” he said. Although it’s rare, the potential hazard is massive.” USN has been approached for comment.

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