David Protein Bar Review: 7 Facts From the Current Label

The David protein bar in three numbers

Three numbers from the label explain why the David protein bar sells. They also explain the trade offs.

Label figures come from the David Cake Batter Nutrition Facts panel and the David home page, checked on 27 October 2026. Flavors differ slightly, so read the wrapper you buy. We do not sell this product and take no payment for reviews.

What this David protein bar review covers

David protein bar nutrition facts: the current label

Here are the David protein bar nutrition facts for the Gold Cake Batter bar, as printed on the panel David publishes, rechecked 8 November 2026 (David label). Protein and calories are the same on every flavour. Everything else moves, so check the wrapper you actually bought; the next table shows the spread.

Five flavours checked on the same day show how far the panel moves. Protein stays at 28 g and calories at 150 on all of them (David label, 8 November 2026).

Sodium nearly doubles between Cake Batter and Salted Peanut Butter, and Pumpkin Spice carries three grams of fiber where the others carry under one. An older print of the wrapper also exists, listing 2 g saturated fat, 2 g fiber, 8 g sugar alcohol and 150 mg calcium, with soy under may contain rather than contains. If your wrapper reads that way, it is the earlier formula (David label).

The ingredient list is grouped into four systems. Within each, ingredients appear in the order David prints them (David label).

Allergens: the current flavours contain milk, egg and soy, and the label says they may contain peanut, sesame and tree nuts. On the earlier print soy sits under may contain instead (David label).

One change matters. Our earlier version of this review listed whey second. The current list puts collagen second, ahead of whey (David label). The label does not give the gram split.

Is the David protein bar good for building muscle?

Not all protein grams build muscle equally. Collagen is the weak link, because it is low in the amino acids that switch on muscle building.

One trial tested this directly. Older women took 30 g of whey or 30 g of collagen twice a day for 6 days (PMID 31919527).

Whey raised muscle building in both legs. Collagen did not raise it above baseline over the 6 days (PMID 31919527).

The study used older women and pure collagen. The David protein bar mixes collagen with milk, whey and egg. So the bar is not a collagen bar, but some of its 28 g works less well.

Even if a few grams are collagen, the milk, whey and egg part likely still lands near 20 g. That is a rule of thumb, since the label does not split the blend.

Per calorie, the David protein bar sits close to a whey isolate shake. It beats a full meal shake by a wide margin.

EPG and maltitol: the trade off for low calories

Two ingredients make the David protein bar macros possible: EPG for fat and maltitol for sweetness.

EPG, the fat replacer

EPG (esterified propoxylated glycerol) is a modified plant fat that the body mostly does not absorb. Safety studies were published in 2014 and 2015.

In an 8 week trial, 139 adults ate 10, 25 or 40 g of EPG a day. 10 g a day was reasonably well tolerated (PMID 25497998).

At 25 and 40 g a day, gut side effects such as gas, oily stool and loose stool were more common. Beta carotene and vitamin K levels were lower in the EPG groups (PMID 25497998).

A separate study raised single day doses from 30 to 150 g in 16 men. Bowel function mostly did not change (PMID 26255106).

The David label does not state how many grams of EPG are in one bar. So we cannot tell you how close two or three bars get to 10 g.

Maltitol, the sugar alcohol

Maltitol has a glycemic index of about 35, against 65 for table sugar (PMID 19087388). It is also a mild osmotic laxative.

In a tolerance study, the dose that caused diarrhea or a severe symptom averaged about 92 g of maltitol (PMID 12548293). That is far above one bar.

In another study, 35 g of maltitol and fiber mixes caused mild, short lived gas and bloating (PMID 24642779). Blood sugar responses were lower than with dextrose.

David protein bar Gold vs Bronze

David now sells two bar lines. Both have 150 calories and 0 g sugar on the home page (David product lines).

Bronze still gives 20 g, the dose that maxed out muscle building after training in the whey trial (PMID 24257722). Gold gives 8 g more for the same calories.

Are David protein bars healthy? Who the bar fits

Healthy depends on the job. As a lean protein snack, the David protein bar does that job well. As a whole food, it is highly processed.

Daily totals matter most. Gains from protein supplements stopped rising around 1.6 g per kg a day (PMID 28698222).

The protein position stand suggests 20 to 40 g per serving. For the day, it gives 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg for most people who train (PMID 28642676).

Spreading protein across four meals of about 0.4 g per kg each is one practical plan (PMID 29497353). For an 80 kg lifter, that is about 32 g per meal.

4 mistakes people make with the David protein bar

1. Counting all 28 g as whey. Part of it is collagen, which did not raise muscle building in the 6 day trial (PMID 31919527).

2. Eating three a day on a sensitive stomach. EPG side effects rose with dose (PMID 25497998).

3. Replacing meals with bars. The bar has less than 1 g of fiber (David label).

4. Trusting old ingredient lists. The order has changed; read the current wrapper.

7 facts from the current David protein bar label

1. 28 g protein, 150 calories. That is 18.7 g of protein per 100 calories (David label).

2. Collagen is now listed second. The blend is milk protein isolate, collagen, whey, egg white (David label).

3. 0 g sugar, 7 g sugar alcohol. Maltitol is the main sweetening bulk (David label).

4. 2 g fat, thanks to EPG. The label does not state the EPG grams (David label).

5. Less than 1 g fiber. It is a protein bar, not a fiber bar (David label).

6. Contains milk, egg and soy. May contain peanut, sesame and tree nuts (David label).

7. Bronze has 20 g protein for the same 150 calories (David product lines).