Meegan Hefford, a mother of two and bodybuilder, died after an overconsumption of protein shakes, supplements and protein-rich foods. Hefford was found unconscious in her apartment in West Australia and was quickly transported to the hospital where she was declared brain-dead. She passed away two days later. Hefford, who had been competing as a bodybuilder since 2014, was also ramping up her gym routine in the weeks before her death. The 25-year-old mom and paramedic trainee had put herself on a special restricted diet while she was preparing for a bodybuilding competition in September. Upon her death, the doctors discovered Hefford had been living with a rare disorder – urea cycle disorder –
She died from that. What a misleading headline.
A urea cycle disorder or urea cycle defect is a genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of one of the enzymes in the urea cycle which is responsible for removing ammonia from the blood stream. The urea cycle involves a series of biochemical steps in which nitrogen, a waste product of protein metabolism, is removed from the blood and converted to urea. Normally, the urea is transferred into the urine and removed from the body. In urea cycle disorders, the nitrogen accumulates in the form of ammonia, a highly toxic substance, and is not removed from the body. Urea cycle disorders are included in the category of inborn errors of metabolism. There is no cure.