PERTH, AUSTRALIA — A bodybuilder's demise in western Australia is being blamed on an excessive intake of protein shakes. <br /> <br />Meegan Hefford, 25, was discovered unconscious in her Perth apartment on June 19, and was pronounced gone only a few days later, according to Yahoo 7 News. <br /> <br />Hefford had just begun a protein-rich diet and increased her gym workouts in preparation for an upcoming competition, according to her mother Michelle White. <br /> <br />Hefford, however, was unaware she suffered from urea cycle disorder, a rare genetic mutation. <br /> <br />A urea cycle disorder is caused by a mutation that leads to a deficiency in one of the six enzymes in the urea cycle, according to the National Urea Cycle Disorders Foundation (NUCDF). These enzymes remove excess ammonia from the blood stream. <br /> <br />The urea cycle removes nitrogen, a waste product created during protein metabolism, from the blood and converts it into a compound called urea. The urea is transferred into the urine and excreted from the body, according to the NUCDF. <br /> <br />In urea cycle disorders, nitrogen builds up in the blood in the form of ammonia, a highly toxic substance. The ammonia then reaches the brain, where it can lead to irreversible brain damage, coma and/or the pearly gates. <br /> <br />In Hefford's case, physicians believe her excessive protein intake may have led to the rapid buildup of ammonia in her blood and accumulation of fluid in her brain, Refinery 29 reported.
