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Is a Protein Overdose Possible?

KaiGold

KaiGold

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Who would guess that someone could die from too much protein, especially a bodybuilder? Well, this woman did just that. Beautiful bodybuilder Meegan Hefford passed away recently from excessive protein shake intake!

Here are a couple pics of Meegan Hefford and an article.

Meegan Hefford

Meegan Hefford2

Meegan Hefford, died due to excessive intake of protein shakes


An Australian bodybuilder, Meegan Hefford has lost her life due to excessive protein shake intake, according to her family. She was found unconscious in her apartment on July 19 and passed away a couple of days later. Her family are blaming excessive protein shake intake for her demise. She was also suffering from a previously undiagnosed genetic disorder, as per Yahoo News reports. Ms Hafford had urea cycle disorder, which prevented her body from proper breakdown of protein in body. This genetic disorder causes ammonia to accumulate in blood and brain.


Ms Hefford’s family are raising awareness among bodybuilders regarding the health hazard of excessive protein shake in diet. Her mother, Michelle White, told Perth Now that she had previously warned her daughter, after Meegan complained about feeling lethargic and weird.


“I said to her, ‘I think you’re doing too much at the gym, calm down, slow it down,'” White recalled


Hefford was on a strict diet of protein shakes and egg whites to prepare herself for a competition in September. She used to go to the gym twice a day. She was found unconscious in her apartment, after which she was rushed to a hospital. It took two days for doctors to diagnose her urea cycle disorder.


The bodybuilder woman is survived by a 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. She was pronounced brain dead a day after she was admitted to hospital. Her death certificate lists ‘intake of bodybuilding supplements’ as one of the causes of death. Her urea cycle disorder was also to be blamed for her death.

“I couldn’t believe what the doctors were telling me, she was dying,” Ms White told Perth Now. “I said, ‘You have to give her more time,’ because she didn’t look sick, she looked beautiful.”


Urea cycle disorder affects one in 8,000 people, in which the body is unable to remove ammonia from bloodstream. The excessive amounts of ammonia in bloodstream can cause brain damage, come and eventually death.


Taking high dosage of protein, excessive dieting and exercising can create an excessive ammonia in the body. Ms White is hoping that her daughter’s death would raise the concern in supplement industry to enforce stricter regulations. She found a number of protein supplements containers in her daughter’s kitchen.

“I know there are people other than Megan who have ended up in hospital because they’ve overloaded on supplements,”


Excessive dietary protein can cause elevated blood sugar, weight gain, kidney failure, leaching of bone minerals and even stimulation of cancer cells. Be careful while you’re having a strict diet containing protein. Consult your dietician to regulate the amount of protein in your diet.

Bodybuilding news source: Caution bodybuilders! This Australian woman died from excessive protein shake intake
 
fitnessmara

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This is a terrible tragedy, but like it is said, this woman did not die from protein intake alone. She had a previously diagnosed genetic disorder that was a contradictory factor to even make an average protein intake daily because she was unable to process it.
I think that this case is a clear case of a person who was dishonest to herself and ended up in a way she shouldn't just because she wanted the best results fast.
It doesn't work like that. You can't fool the nature.
 
MuscleMecca Crew

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Very true! Thank you for posting!
 
KaiGold

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Here is an update and an alternate view from mensxp.com:

View attachment 14732

To Make Things Clear, This Girl DID NOT Pass Away Because Of High Protein Intake

SHANTANU PRASHER

The degree of infuriation while I pen down this article, is immense. It wouldn't be an understatement to say that 90% of the ‘journalists (read: click bait entertainers) writing or reporting about fitness' are complete idiots. There, I said it. After a classic example of idiocy that was ‘What The Health', a female bodybuilder's death is being blamed on high protein consumption. The saddening situation is being used as an opportunity to mock the scientifically backed relevance of high protein diets. The media knew they needed a catchy headline and it looks like some vegan pen pushers gave them exactly one.


Here's what the New York Post reported-
View attachment 14730

Women's Health Mag reported this-
View attachment 14731


More reports with such titles are flooding the internet as you read this. This, of course, has kicked off unnecessary hysteria about high protein diets. Without any rationale, novice journalists took quotes from chubby novice dieticians and doctors and started taking digs at high protein diets. Blame bombs are being thrown at the supplement industry and diets high in protein are being spat on.
This is what some ‘doctors' had to say about the supplement industry and supplements in general. Really, these are doctors saying this.
This Girl Did Not Pass Away Because Of High Protein Intake
Now, If You Believe These Reports, You Need To Read This And Apply Logic
1) First things first- Meegan Heeford died because of a disorder called ‘urea cycle disorder'. This was the PRIME cause of her death and not a high protein intake.
2) ‘In urea cycle disorders, the nitrogen accumulates in the form of ammonia, a highly toxic substance, resulting in hyperammonemia (elevated blood ammonia). Ammonia then reaches the brain through the blood, where it can cause irreversible brain damage, coma and/or death.' This is how the National Urea Cycle Disorders Foundation describes the condition.
3) It is also a very, very rare condition.
4) Meegan never knew about her condition. She was a professional bodybuilding athlete.
5) Doctors and her parents who are blaming the supplements industry need to understand that she could have taken all her protein from food and still met with her fate. It's not that protein from supplements alone killed her.
6) And what does it mean that ‘she was on a protein diet'?! How much protein was she consuming?! What was the timing?! There's still no clarity on this.
7) In recorded medical history, there's never been a death by over consumption of protein. Never.
You need to understand that most of what you read on the internet is just a biased one-sided reportage of a situation. Meegan Heeford's demise also lurks in the same category.
Shantanu Prasher is the Editor of Health at MensXP. You can follow him and his endeavors in the field of fitness here.

Source: http://www.mensxp.com/health/supple...pass-away-because-of-high-protein-intake.html
 
fitnessmara

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Things like this WILL flood the internet because of the ignorant people who basically will believe any nonsense and the tabloids who are starved to see the next big news bomb. It is a profit to them to exploit a tragic events, they make money of it.
The thing is that this kind of a thing will shed a wrong light on the bodybuilding and fitness.
The healthy body is finely tuned to get rid of any excess, so this sort of the thing can be only possible if a person has some sort of a condition already.
We had a gym member who had a heart issue, but when he tragically deceased everybody including his parents blamed on the bodybuilding. He didn't die of the bodybuilding, he died because he had a heart condition.
 
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Wow. It shocked me
 
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remnant

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I don't really get it why a protein overdose can be fatal. The body has a way of eliminating excess proteins through the process of deamination converting there into urea. What I know is that an exclusive diet of proteins commonly used by some as a weight loss strategy can cause stomach cancer and should only be used periodically. I think she died as a result of a host of complications.
 
fitnessmara

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I don't really get it why a protein overdose can be fatal. The body has a way of eliminating excess proteins through the process of deamination converting there into urea. What I know is that an exclusive diet of proteins commonly used by some as a weight loss strategy can cause stomach cancer and should only be used periodically. I think she died as a result of a host of complications.

An article clearly states that she had as ever kidney condition which she neglected and continue the protein intake. Her kidneys failed and she died of that.
I fairly believe she is not a unique case, but just a top of a visible iceberg.
 
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Wow that's is just horrible. However, the article explain why "Ms Hafford had urea cycle disorder, which prevented her body from proper breakdown of protein in body. This genetic disorder causes ammonia to accumulate in blood and brain" As a former bodybuilder it's really hard to abuse protein. We can easily waste it that's organized by our body.

However, what a loss. It really sad to see this beautiful builder just die like this and young too. RIP.
 
KaiGold

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True but she was also taking an exorbitant amount of protein.

RIP
 

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Kakashi2020

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I believe that one can't blame drinking protein shakes alone, because she also has a previously undiagnosed disease. I really believe that too much of anything isn't good for the body and that moderation is the key to good health.
 
Alexandoy

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My mother's cousin was afflicted with severe liver problem that I suspect was cancer although it was not declared as such. But after a month of confinement in the hospital, he died. The doctor said that his liver was overwhelmed with the protein he was eating mainly because that uncle doesn't eat vegetables. If only he had eaten vegetables once in a while, the excessive protein would have been neutralized. Maybe that was a food for thought particularly for meat eaters. In our home, it is my policy to have vegetables on the table at least once a week and fish as well.
 
to7update

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Everything needs to be well balanced. Protein helps, but too much of it doesn't. Sad news though.
 
NoviceNinja

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Wow, is this true? Never knew someone could die from too much protein intake. I remember one time I ate almost 22 boiled eggs in a day. It was a competition during a Christmas party. I lost the game but the good thing is I am still alive. :)
 
Folk Artist

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Although the work of filtering the byproducts of protein metabolism falls on the kidneys, this probably would not happen to a healthy person with no kidney issues. If you do increase your protein intake though, you should do it slowly and over time- but to much protein to fast, especially if you are predisposed to kidney problems could cause a issue.
 
KaiGold

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Do a search with in this site. There is an article all about it.
 
to7update

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Ouch, she was just too skinny, so her diet was not good, we can't blame it on the protein only.
 
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