Rohan Godhania died in 2020; three days after drinking a protein drink
The death of a 16-year-old boy after drinking a protein shake has triggered global attention to the warning labels on such drinks. A senior UK official has said protein drinks should have health warnings. Rohan Godhania died in 2020 due to irreversible brain damage three days after consuming a protein shake.
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What happened exactly?
As per reports, Rohan's father Pushpa had bought the drink for his son to build muscles as he was quite skinny. But due to a spike in protein, a rare genetic condition called ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency developed in the teenager. Due to this condition, ammonia in Rohan's bloodstream disintegrated and its level in the blood increased to a lethal level.
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The cause of death could not be identified then
Reports say the cause of Rohan's death could not be identified because his organs were donated for transplant even before the reason for the sudden death could be found out, Metro reported.
"Warning ought to be put on the packaging of these drinks"
"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," Metro quoted coroner Tom Osborne saying.
"We imagined him to be a wonderful young man"
"He was quite skinny. We thought that rather than just nagging him, if he built up muscles in his shoulders he would stand a bit taller," his father told the inquest, media reports have said. He has said that the drink was purchased just for the purpose of building up the muscles.
The side effects of protein shakes should be aware of
Always check with your trainer for the right amount of protein drinks to consume. High doses of protein can affect bowel movement, cause acne, develop nausea, thirst, bloating, and reduced appetite. It can also lead to extreme fatigue and unexplained headache. The daily protein requirement for a man is 56 gram per day and for a women it's 46 grams per day, says Ms. Upasana Sharma, Head Dietician, Max Hospital, Gurgaon. "One good handful of nuts plus one or two glasses of milk, And if you are a non vegetarian maybe 4-5 pieces of chicken can fulfil protein intake," she adds.
Allergic reactions
Ms Sharma stresses the allergic reactions triggered due to protein drinks. "These drinks might cause allergic reactions which we are not aware of; someone who is lactose intolerant should be careful because they are derivatives of milk protein and are also high in calories. So when we feel that we are having a protein drink so the calories are less we are wrong. They do have calories more than that that we know of and thereby if not taken correctly, they can add to the weight and have a reverse effect," she explains. "They can also increase the calcium content in the urine thereby leading to kidney stone. There can be chances of gout," she adds.