If you spend time in GLP-1 communities, you've seen David protein bars: roughly 28 grams of protein for about 150 calories and almost no fat. Numbers like that invite suspicion, and the ingredient that makes them possible, EPG, is where the controversy sits.
What EPG is
EPG stands for esterified propoxylated glycerol. It's a modified, plant-based fat engineered so that your body largely doesn't digest or absorb it. Regular fat carries about 9 calories per gram; EPG contributes roughly 0.7 calories per gram. In the bar it does fat's job (mouthfeel and texture) while adding almost none of fat's calories. That's how the label numbers work.
On safety status, FDA has raised no questions about the maker's GRAS ("generally recognized as safe") notices for EPG. Those notices, GRN 583, 640 and 761, covered specific uses including confectionery coatings, baked goods, frozen dairy desserts and fry oil (FDA response letter, GRN 640 (external link)). A "no questions" letter means FDA didn't challenge the company's own conclusion that EPG is safe for those uses. FDA doesn't issue a GRAS "designation" itself.
Why GLP-1 users got interested
On a GLP-1, appetite drops and protein becomes the hardest target to hit, because you need a lot of it in not much food. A high-protein, low-calorie, low-volume snack fits that problem closely, so these bars spread fast in the community as a convenient way to close the protein gap (the same role a protein supplement plays).
One caveat on the protein itself: part of David's 28 g comes from collagen, which does little for muscle. That's why our protein quality guide grades the bar B+ and suggests counting less than the labeled amount toward your target.
What the lawsuit was about
The flashpoint was a class-action lawsuit, filed in January 2026, claiming the bars contain far more fat and calories than the label states. As reported by NBC News, the suit alleged "400% more fat and 80% more calories than the products advertised."
At its core, the dispute was about measurement. Standard lab methods for measuring fat count EPG as ordinary fat at 9 calories per gram, because chemically it is a fat. But your body doesn't absorb most of it, so the calories you take in are much lower. David labels the bars based on the ~0.7 calories per gram your body absorbs, while a conventional lab assay "sees" the full fat weight and reports a much higher number. Both describe the same bar with different rulers. How novel ingredients like this should be measured and labeled is still unsettled.
The plaintiffs dropped the case, NBC News reported on March 31, 2026, and the company said the matter "has been resolved." No court ruled on the claims, so the labeling question was never decided either way.
The safety question that outlasts the lawsuit
Separate from the calorie math, it's fair to ask about EPG itself, and the published human data are thin. The one tolerance study we found gave 16 healthy men single-day doses of EPG rising from 30 g to 150 g. Bowel function was generally unaffected, except for one man who reported more frequent bowel movements after the 150 g dose. At 60 g and above, some men had raised liver enzymes (ALT and/or AST) and lower HDL cholesterol. The author suggested these were possibly due to the study's high-carbohydrate, increasingly low-fat diet and not to EPG itself, and all abnormal values returned to normal after the study. The author, a researcher who represented the ingredient's maker in its FDA filings, noted that expected intake from foods was about 20 g a day or less (Bechtel, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2015, DOI (external link)). The longer studies were done in animals, and FDA's GRN 640 letter notes that some showed lower levels of fat-soluble vitamins, without signs of deficiency. We found no published studies of people eating EPG regularly for years.
Because EPG is fat that passes through your gut undigested, people often compare it to olestra, an older fat substitute known for GI effects. EPG is chemically different, but the "undigested fat through the gut" idea is similar.
The effect people talk about most comes from community reports: eating several bars in a short span can lead to loose, oily, or noticeably orange stool. People attribute it to unabsorbed fat passing straight through, and those who describe it usually say it settled once they cut back. The small tolerance study above didn't see this at single doses, so treat it as reported experience; nobody has measured how often it happens. If it happens to you, you've found your personal limit.
That GI angle matters most for this audience. GLP-1 medications already come with their own gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea, constipation and general gut sensitivity. Adding a fat replacer that can loosen or upset digestion calls for some caution, and tolerance varies a lot from person to person.
So should you eat them?
- The protein is real, with the collagen caveat above. As a convenient protein source the bars deliver, and the calorie-labeling debate matters little for a snack: by the absorption mechanism, the calories you take in are low either way.
- Tolerance is individual and dose-related. The practical question is whether your gut is happy with EPG, especially while you're managing GLP-1 side effects. Spacing bars out, instead of eating several a day, is how people report avoiding loose or orange stool. Try one and see before you buy a case.
- Whole foods still come first. As with any supplement, a bar is a useful gap-filler on a busy or low-appetite day. It shouldn't replace real, protein-rich meals.
This is general education, not medical, dietary, or legal advice. If you have a sensitive gut or GI side effects on your medication, see how a single bar sits before making it a staple.