David Protein Bars & EPG: The Return of Olestra Toilet Runs?

If you’re old enough to remember the ‘WOW’ chips of the 90s, you remember the bathroom-run warnings and the ‘anal leakage’ labels concerning Olestra. Therefore, the current hype around David Protein Bars will feel eerily familiar. This fats substitute is no longer used in foods, for obvious reasons. Fast forward to 2026, and the wellness industry is swooning over EPG (Esterified Propoxylated Glycerols). While a recent lawsuit argues over calorie counts, the real question is: Why are we once again replacing real food with engineered, indigestible fats and calling it a ‘system’?

Generic protein bar in gold wrapper used to discuss David Protein Bars and EPG fat substitutes. — Not a David Protein Bar, So Not A Golden Ticket to the ‘Optimal Form’

Olestra (sucrose polyester) promised us the impossible: the taste and mouthfeel of real fat with zero calories. What it delivered instead was a national conversation about emergency bathroom runs in the middle of a staff meeting, and vitamin depletion. How soon we forget! This lawsuit over David Protein Bars argues that the label is misleading. The real story is much deeper. We aren’t just looking at a calorie discrepancy; we are looking at the resurrection of engineered, indigestible fats, this time rebranded as a “Fat System” using an ingredient called EPG (Esterified Propoxylated Glycerols).

🧪 The “Clean Label” Smoke Screen: While David Protein Bars rely on a “Protein System” featuring milk protein and collagen, the source of these ingredients matters more than the marketing. I’ve previously explored how even “medically reviewed” supplements can hide dangerous secrets. Read my investigation into Heavy Metals in Collagen to see why a flashy package isn’t a guarantee of purity.

The “Scientific Halo” of the “System”

The marketing for these bars is intentionally dense. They don’t just have ingredients; they have a “Protein System,” a “Binding System,” and a “Fat System.” Calling something a “system” or wrapping it in shiny, metallic packaging creates a scientific halo.

But let’s be clear: There is no “system.” It’s just ingredients. Replacing time-tested, digestible food components with unabsorbable, engineered fats like EPG and high doses of sugar alcohols is a GI wallop waiting to happen. We are effectively swapping “safety with side effects” for “novelty with no evidence of safety.”

The GI Double-Whammy: The lawsuit misses the point, entirely. These protein bars combine EPG and sugar alcohols. One is a fat replacer that can’t be absorbed; the other is a sweetener known for osmotic laxative effects. It’s a literal race to the bathroom. This sweetener, maltitol, is listed as part of the bars’ “binding system.” In the words, it’s used as an emulsifier.
The GMO Hypocrisy: It is a striking irony of modern wellness: many consumers will meticulously avoid “GMO corn” or “bioengineered” soy out of a fear of the “unnatural,” yet they will happily consume a bar built on a foundation of EPG, a lab-engineered, propoxylated plant fat that doesn’t exist in nature. We’ve been coached to fear traditional breeding techniques while giving a free pass to actual “fictional fats” because they make the calorie math work.
The Lawsuit Irony: And what are people upset about, now? Well, according to many negative reviews on Amazon, they are upset because they’ve heard about the class action lawsuit against the company, which, to these reviewers, proves there is more fat in the bars than claimed! Not a peep about this mysterious engineered ingredient.
GRAS vs. Healthy: Yet, EPG ((Esterified Propoxylated Glycerols) is certified GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the FDA. This means that if you eat it, you won’t drop dead tomorrow. However, it says absolutely nothing about its effect on long-term health. You know what doesn’t require GRAS certification? Sugar.

🏛️ The Regulatory Truth: It’s easy to assume that if a bar is on a shelf, the government has vetted its “Optimal Form.” In reality, the system is reactive, not proactive. To understand how engineered ingredients and “novel” supplements bypass the scrutiny we expect, see my guide on whether dietary supplements require FDA approval before they are sold.

The “Mushroom Coffee” Logic: Novelty Over Evidence

This trend of embracing engineered “systems” reminds me of the recent explosion in mushroom coffees. We have hundreds of years of data on coffee; we know its safety profile, its side effects, and its benefits in moderation. Yet, thousands of people are happily swapping their morning brew for a beverage containing “indigenous” fungi they’ve never heard of, simply because a flashy ad told them it was “functional.”

Many of the mushrooms used in these blends aren’t your typical grocery store varieties. They are species with virtually no credible scientific evidence regarding long-term safety or human consumption at these concentrated levels. You’ve never heard of Chaga; never seen it, yet you’ll happily drink it in a brew because a company told you it is superfood?

The Chaga Caution: > This is a common ‘superfood’ additive in these blends. It is extremely high in oxalates, which can lead to permanent kidney damage or acute renal failure. While you might be worried about the acidity of your morning coffee, you are unknowingly swapping it for a mushroom that has zero human safety trials and a documented history of sending people to the dialysis ward.

Almost all “evidence” for Chaga comes from mice or test tubes. There are virtually no large-scale human clinical trials proving it is safe for long-term daily consumption, let alone “superior” to coffee. We have 800+ years of data on coffee; we have a handful of alarming case studies on Chaga. This is directly comparable to EPG!

Blind Faith in “Science” in an Anti-Science Era

It is a strange form of blind faith we have in the science of supplement or food company, while being cocksure we know more than our doctors about nutrition and health. We are willing to abandon time-tested ingredients for a “designer” alternative based on three shaky pillars:

The Scientific Halo: If it sounds technical (like a “Protein System”) or earthy (like “Adaptogens”), we assume it’s superior.
The “Anything is Better Than X” Fallacy: We are so convinced that sugar or caffeine are “poison” that we will accept literally any substitute, regardless of its own risks.
The Sourcing Box Is Empty: Can we actually trust these startup companies to properly source and verify these “novel” ingredients?

Whether it’s a mushroom you can’t pronounce or a “fictional fat” like EPG, we are trading the knowns of foods like sugar and plant oils traditional food for the complete unknowns of food engineering. And we’re worried about the fat grams?

The “Binding” Shell Game: Hiding Sweeteners in Plain Sight

The “System” marketing goes beyond just the fats. David Protein also lists a “Binding System” that includes Maltitol and Allulose.

The Maltitol “Binder”: Maltitol is a sugar alcohol frequently used in “sugar-free” candies. While it does have a syrupy consistency that can help hold a bar together, it is also a potent sweetener with a glycemic index that isn’t exactly zero.
The Allulose Mystery: Allulose is a rare sugar found in figs and raisins. While it can technically contribute to the structure, its main “job” is to provide sweetness without the calories of table sugar. It has about 70% of the sweetness of sugar with 10% of the calories.
The Tactic: By labeling these as “binders,” the company effectively “hides” them from being grouped with the Sucralose and Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K) listed elsewhere as primary sweeteners. This prevents the ingredient deck from looking like a list of five different artificial and alternative sweeteners, even though that is exactly what it is.

🥗 The “Whole Food” In a Capsule Shortcut: The “optimal form” marketing used for EPG and protein systems isn’t new; it’s a staple of the supplement industry. We see the same tactics used to sell the idea that a few capsules can replace actual produce. Before you buy into the hype of “designer” nutrition, read my investigation into whether Balance of Nature actually provides a daily serving of fruits and vegetables.

The Proprietary “Form”: Why They Bought the Fat

The most telling detail in the Food Network’s breakdown isn’t the calorie count, it’s the corporate strategy. David Protein didn’t just decide to use EPG; they acquired the company that makes it.

By securing exclusive rights to this “fictional fat,” they have created a proprietary monopoly on a specific type of label appeal. When their website claims to offer the “optimal protein for your optimal form,” they are intentionally using a “Scientific Halo” to avoid a much simpler question: Optimal for what?

The Purpose of the Substitution

The marketing is carefully veiled to avoid identifying the true purpose of replacing natural fats with EPG. Yet, the front page of the company’s website simply says, “The optimal protein for your optimal form.” To be clear, there is nothing all that special about the protein ingredients used in the bars. It’s a good mix, but it’s not “optimal” as such a thing does not exist in a single bar.

Oddly, nothing is mentioned in the website’s marketing about EPG. Funny to basically buy an ingredient so that you control it, and only mention “protein.”

It’s not about nutrition: It’s about achieving a “low calorie” and “low fat” number on a sticker while maintaining the mouthfeel of a high-fat product.
The “Optimal Form” is Not Functional: The phrase “optimal form” is about as useful as “functional training.” It’s a classic marketing ruse of the fitness industry. It implies biological superiority without making a single verifiable health claim.
The New Industry Standard: Just as the “WOW” chips were a tool for Frito-Lay to dominate the “guilt-free” snack market in the 90s, EPG is being used here to sell ingredient marketing as medical science.

The Economic Moat: Paying the Toll for Novelty

The company’s acquisition of the sole producer of EPG paints a clear picture of the company’s true goal. It’s not just to make a bar, but to popularize an ingredient and then force customers to overpay for it across the entire industry. If EPG becomes the ‘must-have’ for the health-conscious, David Protein becomes the landlord of the low-calorie fat market. We’ve seen this before with big pharma and tech; seeing it in a protein bar should make every consumer pause. You aren’t just a customer; you’re a data point in a plan to make ‘fictional fat’ a high-priced necessity.

This isn’t just about a better protein bar; it’s about creating an economic toll booth. By owning the exclusive rights to EPG, the company is positioning itself as the gatekeeper of a “novel” ingredient.

The Safety Data For EPG: Not a Heck of a Whole Lot

The company claims EPG is backed by “over 65 studies.” However, the vast majority of those are animal-based (rats, mice, and even minipigs). Despite the hype, the primary human safety study cited in the FDA’s GRAS notice was a small, 8-week trial involving only about 139 healthy volunteers.

Two Months Ain’t Crap: Eight weeks is barely enough time to see a change in a wardrobe, let alone the long-term metabolic effects of a fictional fat.
The Dosing: The human study found that 10 grams per day was “reasonably well tolerated,” but adverse events (diarrhea, oily stool, gas) spiked significantly at 25 or 40 grams.
The David Protein Reality: A single David Bar might stay under that 10g threshold, but if a consumer treats these as “optimal” and eats two or three a day, they are flying directly into the “GI Distress Zone” documented in the original safety trials.

The “Lipid Sink” Effect (Vitamin Robbery)

Now, when I said I was getting shades of Olestra from this, I wasn’t just whistling Dixie.

The company claims EPG “does not deplete fat-soluble vitamins.” Lo and behold, the actual peer-reviewed data tells a different story:

Vitamin K & Beta-Carotene: Even in that short 8-week human study, participants showed lower levels of Vitamin K (phylloquinone) and Beta-Carotene. Depleting levels of beta carotene will actively affect your body’s ability to produce Vitamin A. The ingredient is therefore not just a neutral passenger on a whirlwind trip through your intestines; it’s a pickpocket that robs you along the way.
The Mechanism: Because EPG is indigestible, it acts as a “lipid sink” or “fat sponge.” It essentially “soaks up” the vitamins from the other healthy foods you eat and carries them right out of your body. This seems to be a feature of fat substitutes. Haven’t we learned?

The “Orange Waste” Side Effect (Keriorrhea)

I’ll be honest with you. I wouldn’t have “purchased” this ingredient. I’m old enough to actually remember what happened to Olestra. The problem is that when humans consume indigestible wax esters (like those found in EPG or certain oily fish), it can lead to Keriorrhea, the medical term for the discharge of orange-colored, oily waste. Google affectionally calls this “oil spotting.” The company markets this as a “Fat System” but your body sees it as a lubricant that it needs to eject as quickly as possible.

Conclusion: A Crap Shoot With Your Health

We are currently in an era where consumers are hyper-fixated on GMOs and “processed” foods, yet we are being asked to have blind faith in a “Fat System” that is essentially a lab-grown chemical curiosity.

If a food requires a company to own the patent on the fat just to make the math work on the label, it isn’t optimal nutrition, it’s a designer experiment. GRAS certification is not a guarantee of long-term healthfulness; it is simply the bare minimum requirement to be allowed on a shelf.

It is important to note that pointing out the flaws in EPG is not an act of food alarmism. At CulinaryLore, I spend significantly more time debunking viral food myths and ‘chemical’ scares than I do raising red flags. My concern here isn’t that David Protein Bars are ‘poison,’ but rather that the conversation surrounding them is missing the reality of how these engineered ingredients work. We should be able to enjoy a protein bar without having to buy into a proprietary ‘system’ that treats our digestive health as a secondary concern to a calorie label.

Do I know whether this EPG fat replacer is safe or unsafe for long-term consumption? No, I do not. Because the data does not exist. On the other hand, I know that most seed oils, including palm oil, used in protein bars are perfectly safe. Remember, safe and healthful are not synonyms. You can disagree that a food is healthful, but this does not mean it is unsafe. David Protein Bars may well taste good to you and they may never cause a problem for you. I cannot tell you that they will and it is not my place to do so. The foods and supplements you consume are up to you. However, it is important to know that the right answers only come from the right questions!