Boy, 16, died after protein shake ‘irreversibly’ damaged his brain

Rohan Godhania was only 16 when he died (Picture: PA)

A senior coroner has called for protein shakes sold in supermarkets to have ‘life-saving’ health warnings added after a teenage boy died from a rare disease triggered by drinking one.

Rohan Godhania, 16, of Ealing, west London, fell ill after drinking a protein shake on August 15, 2020.

He died three days later at West Middlesex Hospital after suffering ‘irreversible brain damage’.

His father Pushpa told Rohan’s inquest he had bought his son the drink to help him build muscle – as his son was ‘quite skinny’.

But the spike in protein 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.

A post-mortem examination could not identify OTC as the cause of death because Rohan’s organs were donated for transplant before the schoolboy’s sudden illness was solved, the inquest at Milton Keynes coroner’s court previously heard.

On Tuesday 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.’

Finbar O’Callaghan, professor of paediatric neurology at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, agreed intervention was needed, describing it as ‘potentially life-saving’.

Rohan’s (centre) parents Pushpa and Hitendra said their son’s loss had ‘reverberated’ (Picture: PA)

Rohan’s dad bought him the protein shake as he thought his son was ‘quite skinny’ (Picture: PA)

Rohan (second from right) with his father and mother Pushpa and Hitendra and sister Alisha (Picture: Family collect)

He told the inquest if an ammonia test had been carried out on the day Rohan was admitted to hospital, it was ‘probable’ he would have survived, agreeing that it was a ‘missed opportunity’.

Bereaved father Pushpa told the inquest: ‘I purchased it just to build up muscles.

‘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.

‘Rohan had only just turned 16. We imagined Rohan developing into a wonderful young man.

‘Rohan had his entire life ahead of him, so many hopes and so many dreams.

‘The loss reverberates out to so many people whose lives Rohan touched

‘This world is a darker place with the loss of such a kind and gentle soul.’

The inquest, originally set to continue today, has been postponed for the coroner to consider legal submissions before delivering his findings.

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His father Pushpa told Rohan’s inquest he had bought his son the drink to help him build muscle – as his son was ‘quite skinny’.