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On August 15, 2020, a sad incident took place in Ealing, west London, when Rohan Godhania, 16, died after becoming ill after ingesting a protein shake. According to the latest legal investigation into his passing, the shake set off a rare hereditary disease that caused irreparable brain damage and finally took his life.
The Mirror reported that Rohan had ingested the protein drink that his father had bought in an effort to gain muscle as he was "quite skinny." Rohan's health dramatically declined days after ingesting the shake, necessitating an emergency transfer to West Middlesex Hospital. Tragically, he passed away from a permanent brain injury three days later.
Since Rohan had donated his organs for transplant, the cause of his death was previously unknown. The most recent legal investigation, however, shed light on the root reason and connected it to a rare genetic disorder called ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency. The high protein content of the shake precipitated this condition, which caused an abnormal breakdown of ammonia in Rohan's circulation that eventually reached deadly levels.
Unfortunately, given the organ transplants that had taken place, the post-mortem test was unable to pinpoint OTC as the cause of death. This information was previously shared at the Milton Keynes Coroner's Court investigation.
The tearful hearings featured testimony from Rohan's heartbroken parents, who described him as a bright, kind, trustworthy, and very clever youngster. His father said, "I bought it solely to get bigger muscles. He was really thin. We reasoned that, rather than merely bugging him, he would stand a little taller if he developed stronger shoulders.
Coroner Tom Osborne expressed throughout the hearings his preliminary belief that regulatory agencies should be informed of the need for warnings to be placed on the packaging of protein drinks. OTC is a rare disorder, but if someone with a deficit drinks something with a high protein content, it can have negative effects.
