This article was first published in 听
When it comes to scientific controversies, I鈥檓 not accustomed to sitting on the fence, but I find myself in that uncomfortable position about Joe Wicks鈥檚 鈥淜iller Protein Bar.鈥�
On one side of the wrapper, we see a smiling Wicks along with the information that the bar has 19 grams of protein, is high in fibre, low in salt, contains 27 vitamins and minerals and has more than 200 health and nutritional benefits. Sounds good. Flip the bar over and we see a picture of an emaciated Wicks forlornly looking at us from a label that describes the contents as a 鈥渄eathly protein bar鈥� that is high in sugar, high in calories and high in saturated fat.
Then we note the chilling warning that excessive consumption may increase the risk of diarrhea, cancer, stroke and early death. This is followed by the kicker caution: 鈥淒o not eat this bar.鈥� Yup, this 鈥渒iller bar鈥� is for sale, but we are warned not to eat it. Sure seems like a curious marketing strategy. What is going on?
I had never heard of Wicks until an ad promoting his documentary Licensed to Kill on British television caught my attention. Wicks does not turn out to be the next James Bond. As I discovered, he is the most famous fitness influencer in the UK, with millions of followers on social media. With his multiple books and videos under the brand The Body Coach, he promotes physical fitness and healthy eating. To say that he has done well financially would be an understatement.
In Licensed to Kill, Wicks has partnered with physician and television presenter Chris van Tulleken to produce and market the Killer Protein Bar. Why would a couple of health gurus sell a 鈥渄eathly protein bar?鈥� Their stated goal is to pressure the government into changing the regulations around ultra-processed foods. They want warnings on packaging advising people about the health consequences of these products.
The killer bar has 96 ingredients, all of which are approved for use in foods. Wicks points out that some of these, like the white colouring titanium dioxide and the sweetener aspartame have been linked to cancer, that low-calorie sugar alcohols like xylitol and maltitol can cause diarrhea, and such emulsifiers as carboxymethylcellulose can upset the gut鈥檚 microbiome.
All of these, plus many more additives, are included in the protein bar at the maximum amounts allowed. They even add some carmine, a red colourant extracted from the cochineal insect. In the documentary, they sample the dried insects and are appropriately reviled by the taste. No manufacturer adds the insects to food; it is a purified extract that is used as a dye.
Obviously, I鈥檓 all for promoting a healthy diet. But I also fear that fear-mongering is not the way to do this. The message the viewer gets from this documentary is that ultra-processed foods are deadly, mostly because they contain poisonous food additives. The truth is that food additives require extensive safety studies before receiving clearance and the amounts allowed in food are regulated.
The Killer Protein Bar contains as many additives as can be stuffed into such a product, but the amounts do conform to what is allowed. What then prompts the cancer scare on the label?
Titanium dioxide and aspartame have both been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as 鈥減ossibly carcinogenic,鈥� based on animal feeding studies that use amounts far in excess of what people actually consume.
Ultra-processed foods laden with additives have been linked with health problems. But that is more likely due to their nutritional profile than the additives. These foods are generally high in fat, sugar and salt. However, not all ultra-processed foods need to be shunned.
A breakfast cereal I like has guar gum, cellulose gum, sucralose, modified wheat starch and caramel colour, so it is an ultra-processed food. But a serving has no fat, no sugar, is low in salt and has 19 grams of fibre, which suits me just fine. I also sometimes buy a frozen vegetarian lasagna that has a bunch of additives like calcium chloride, citric acid, modified milk ingredients, powdered cellulose and microbial enzymes that firmly land it in the ultra-processed food category. Yet, a serving has only 220 calories, six grams of fat, six grams of sugar and 600 mg of sodium with which I have no problem at all.
How about the protein bar that we are urged not to eat? Wicks and van Tulleken have bloated the bar with a kitchen sink full of additives, yet it contains only 206 calories, six grams of fat, seven grams of sugar, almost no salt, 4.5 grams of fibre and 19 grams of protein. I would have no problem eating that. Of course, I wouldn鈥檛 eat it three times a day. The Killer Protein Bar is not really a killer, but a diet based on ultra-processed foods may well be, although not all such foods are villains.
If Wicks鈥檚 exaggeration of the risks of ultra-processed foods makes people think twice about their diet and leads to more informative labels, he will have provided a worthwhile service.
In Chile, where highly visible warnings are mandated if a packaged food is high in saturated fat, sugar, calories or salt, there has been a significant decline in the purchase of such foods.
Licensed to Kill has been criticized food producers, as one might expect. The program is basically fear-mongering and creates unnecessary panic, they say, noting out that many processed foods are nutritious or harmless and can be enjoyed within the recommended diet. Also, they maintain that instead of attacking processed foods, emphasis should be on exercise and basic nutrition education. That is a misplaced argument because these two endeavours are not mutually exclusive.
You see my quandary. Calling a bar deadly, when it really isn鈥檛, is misleading, as is portraying all additives as felons. However, calling attention to illegitimate health claims on products and steering consumers away from ultra-processed foods and promoting home cooking is laudable.
I think about that as I sit on the fence trying to decide whether to bite into the Killer Protein Bar, which is advertised as being available online with profits going to charity. It鈥檚 an inviting offer. After all, how often do you see a food product with a label telling you not to eat it? I wanted to order two. One to eat and one to keep in my cabinet of curiosities in my office. Alas, they don鈥檛 ship to Canada.
