However, protein bars<\/a> are also the subject of new Channel 4 documentary Joe Wicks: Licensed to Kill, and the show presents a far less favourable outlook. <\/p>\n On the programme, Joe Wicks and Professor Chris van Tulleken create a protein bar packed with \u201charmful\u201d ingredients to highlight the perceived hazards of ultra-processed foods (UPFs)<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople eat this food [UPF] because it’s the only food they can afford \u2013 it’s sold to them as healthy, and that’s a really crucial part of this programme I’m doing with Joe,\u201d van Tulleken, a professor of global health and infection at University College London, and author of Ultra-Processed People, tells me. <\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve picked these bars because they are all sold as being not just healthy, but super healthy, like almost a replacement for real food.\u201d<\/p>\n This stunt has drawn both strong support and opposition. Those in support say it highlights a key issue in our food system; those in opposition have accused Wicks of \u201cscaremongering\u201d. But where do I fall in this debate, as someone immersed in the fitness industry?<\/p>\n What is ultra-processed food (UPF)?<\/p>\n Ultra-processed food is an interchangeable term with NOVA group 4, van Tulleken says. This is taken from the NOVA food classification system, which is used by the likes of the World Health Organisation<\/a> to monitor global dietary patterns.<\/p>\n For a more accessible definition, he offers the following: \u201cIf the packaging you are reading has an ingredient that you don’t typically find in a domestic kitchen, like an emulsifier or a flavouring, then it’s very likely to be an ultra-processed food.\u201d<\/p>\n Products such as crisps, ready meals, sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks usually fall under this umbrella, as do some less expected items like many kinds of bread. These products make up almost 60 per cent of the average UK diet. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n \u2018If the packaging you are reading has an ingredient that you don’t typically find in a domestic kitchen, like an emulsifier or a flavouring, then it’s very likely to be an ultra-processed food\u2019 (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n Read more: How politics, ultra-processed food and toxic masculinity are killing the Mediterranean diet<\/a><\/p>\n In our discussion, van Tulleken tells me about the ingredients he avoids when buying food for his children. I check the ingredients lists of the protein bars in my kitchen cupboards and find several of them \u2013 non-nutritive sweeteners, emulsifiers, flavourings and colours. <\/p>\n \u201cThose are the things that allow the food company to tell you a lie,\u201d he tells me. They deliver artificial tastes and textures without the usual, natural cause \u2013 for example, sweetness without sugar. He also explains the rationale for companies including these ingredients in products marketed as health-promoting. <\/p>\n The first problem when selling food to elite athletes is that there aren\u2019t many elite athletes in the world, he says. The foods they have historically eaten, such as meat, rice and vegetables, are also commodity foods with a low profit margin.<\/p>\n \u201cLet’s start by saying: \u2018anyone who goes to the gym needs special food\u2019,\u201d van Tulleken continues. \u201cNow we’ve got a big market. And let’s create a bar that has a nearly infinite shelf life and uses very, very, very cheap ingredients [that allow us to] make a lot of health claims.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s why the protein bar is the ultimate example of [something with] no real ingredients, a very long shelf life and a very cheap production cost.\u201d<\/p>\n If the packaging you are reading has an ingredient that you don’t typically find in a domestic kitchen, like an emulsifier or a flavouring, then it’s very likely to be an ultra-processed food.<\/p>\n Professor Chris van Tulleken<\/p>\n Should you be concerned about protein bars and ultra-processed food? <\/p>\n One of the most common criticisms of the Channel 4 show was that it created unnecessary fear around food. As a health-conscious person, I want the things I eat to fuel and nourish me. As a journalist responsible for sharing health and fitness information, I also don\u2019t want to spread concern unnecessarily.<\/p>\n Alongside a generous hit of protein, van Tulleken argues that many bars \u2013 among other high protein products \u2013 come with a decent dose of saturated fats, salts and sugars, as well as further ingredients which don\u2019t fit his \u201cfound in a domestic kitchen\u201d description. <\/p>\n \u201cI think there are very good reasons to say they will be harmful \u2013 they\u2019ll be detrimental to your overall health and your athletic performance because they\u2019re full of so many other things, and because they\u2019re expensive,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n \u201c[…] What’s the point in wrapping up 19 grams of protein with sugar alcohols, emulsifiers and a bunch of supplements that you can’t absorb, and that aren’t going to do any good?\u201d<\/p>\n This is echoed in van Tulleken\u2019s book, which makes for a persuasive read. A few months ago, the book\u2019s contents led me to run a test: cut out protein bars and powders for a couple of weeks, then report back on how I felt. <\/p>\n It was far from a closed experiment, with many other uncontrolled variables at play, but subjectively I did feel better; the main differences being less bloating and an absence of stomach aches. I later went back to consuming these products, but at a reduced volume, and I actively sought out more familiar ingredient lists. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Joe Wicks and Professor Chris van Tulleken joined forces to create an ultra-processed protein bar for new Channel 4 documentary, Joe Wicks: Licensed to Kill (Channel 4)<\/p>\n Read more: The five ultra-processed food ingredients to avoid on packaging \u2013 and what to buy instead<\/a><\/p>\n What the science says<\/p>\n The Killer protein bar\u2019s packaging was intended to shock. It states that \u201cexcessive consumption may increase risk of diarrhoea, cancer, stroke and early death\u201d, and van Tulleken stresses that each of these claims is supported by multiple cited studies, as well as \u201ca wide body of research linking diets high in ultra-processed food to these same outcomes\u201d.<\/p>\n One citation<\/a> on the Killer bar\u2019s website classifies the artificial sweetener aspartame as \u201cpossibly carcinogenic to humans\u201d. An article from the American Cancer Society<\/a> reports how \u201csome studies have suggested a possible link, but others have not,\u201d and shares the European Food Safety Authority<\/a>\u2019s acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 40mg per kilogram of body weight per day.<\/p>\n \u201cA person weighing 70kg would have to consume at least nine to 14 cans of diet soda per day (depending on the level of aspartame in each can) to exceed the ADI,\u201d the article adds.<\/p>\n As is often the case, it appears the dose makes the poison. Moderation would seem to be an effective dietary approach for swerving many downsides to UPF. I put this to van Tulleken when we speak.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people online are making this moderation argument, which I totally agree with,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you smoke one cigarette a month, it won’t hurt you; one glass of wine every few weeks is fine. The problem is that’s not what we’re doing. And that’s the nature of cigarettes, alcohol and ultra-processed food \u2013 they are engineered so you over-consume them, and that’s the crucial thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more: Scientists reveal the small lifestyle changes that can reduce your risk of heart disease and add 10 years to your life<\/a><\/p>\n A second cited study from the European Heart Journal <\/a>concludes that Xylitol [another artificial sweetener in the bar] is associated with \u201cincident major adverse cardiovascular event risk\u201d but \u201cfurther studies examining the cardiovascular safety of xylitol are warranted\u201d.<\/p>\n And further referenced research<\/a> states: \u201cSpecific markers of UPFs, such as flavour enhancers, colouring agents and sweeteners, are significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality, raising concerns about the health impact of hidden additives in everyday diets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe findings highlight the importance of looking beyond broad UPF categories to the individual additives driving adverse outcomes. Public health interventions may need to target specific additives most strongly implicated in harm,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n My main takeaway from this further reading was that the ingredients and nutritional profile of food and drink are what make them harmful, rather than their categorisation as a UPF. The point van Tulleken makes is that the crossover between UPF and harmful ingredients is considerable and can\u2019t be ignored.<\/p>\n This is why he and Wicks are calling for \u201cmandatory warning labels on harmful food\u201d based on the amount of salt, sugar, saturated fat and sweeteners they contain, rather than the level of processing they have been subjected to. This would naturally encompass most UPF, he adds.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Joe Wicks and Professor Chris van Tulleken want more stringent labelling on the packaging of ‘harmful’ foods (Channel 4)<\/p>\n Is there a link between UPFs and disordered eating?<\/p>\n On social media, many commenters have suggested Wicks\u2019 ultra-processed protein bar could encourage disordered eating, potentially impacting the eating habits of those already following restrictive diets.<\/p>\n \u201cThe risks of demonising UPFs outweigh any benefits of cutting them out, especially when we all know deep down that moderation is key,\u201d one social media user writes.<\/p>\n In an Instagram post about the Channel 4 show, Wicks says that he \u201cmade this Killer bar, not to scare people, but to really raise awareness on the topic [of UPF] and to understand just how misleading the health claims on these bars can be\u201d.<\/p>\n Despite his words, it\u2019s hard not to find the bar alarming. The name Killer \u2013 derived from references to \u201ckiller abs\u201d as a common fitness goal, according to marketers on the documentary \u2013 does nothing to dispel the shock factor. <\/p>\n I am not an expert in this area, far from it, but from my perspective fear and food should not coexist. I put this to van Tulleken. <\/p>\n He tells me that both he and Wicks were \u201cvery concerned to not drive up rates of eating disorders\u201d, and he has \u201cquite a disordered relationship [with food]\u201d himself. The problems he has encountered always relate to ultra-processed food.<\/p>\n \u201cFood addiction isn\u2019t a formally recognised diagnosis, but many of my patients and friends would say they feel unable to stop eating certain types of food despite knowing it\u2019s harming them \u2013 that\u2019s the definition of an addiction,\u201d van Tulleken says. \u201c[…] In my experience, those foods are almost always ultra-processed.\u201d<\/p>\n He believes improved labelling of unhealthy foods could have a positive impact in this area, adding: \u201cI don\u2019t think you drive eating disorders by asking for labelling of unhealthy food \u2013 we have no evidence that this is the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Professor van Tulleken references a study published in the JAMA journal<\/a> earlier this year, which reported that \u201cnutrient warnings performed best compared with other front-of-package food labels types at simultaneously maximising perceived effectiveness and minimising perceived stigmatisation\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes people feel crappy about themselves and their bodies in this country is a food environment that makes them eat too much harmful food,\u201d van Tulleken argues. <\/p>\n \u201cThat is what drives shame and stigma and illness and anxiety and depression. What doesn’t drive the problem is people saying that the food industry needs to be better regulated. That, I feel, is really important; you have to criticise the people who are making the food and the people who are failing to regulate the food.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n The Killer bar has been launched by Joe Wicks to encourage the government to make changes to food labelling laws (Channel 4)<\/p>\n Read more: Tim Spector \u2013 Joe Wicks\u2019s \u2018killer\u2019 protein bar is getting attention, but this is what he\u2019s getting wrong about UPFs<\/a><\/p>\n Public health issues vs. personal responsibility<\/p>\n Reading van Tulleken\u2019s book, one of the most compelling sections presented the idea that obesity is a public health issue, rather than the responsibility of the individuals affected. This ties in with his comments above. <\/p>\n What people eat is determined by their budget and the foods that are marketed to them, and UPFs are engineered to drive profits and overconsumption, van Tulleken says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve had decades of policies around the world where people have been nudged and pushed and told what to eat and what not to eat. I’ve spent 10 years making programmes where I’m like, \u2018Don’t eat chocolate bars. Do eat fresh fruit\u2019. And what happened? Everyone ate more and more ultra-processed food.\u201d<\/p>\n He explains that the UK has a food environment that is unfair for many people. People cannot go home and cook a nutritious stir fry if they don\u2019t have the requisite tools and can\u2019t afford the ingredients; UPF usually represents a cheaper, more accessible alternative. <\/p>\n As someone in the fitness industry, I\u2019ve had myriad conversations with people who say they struggle to eat in a way that supports their health and fitness goals, whether that\u2019s losing weight, building muscle or becoming generally fitter. <\/p>\n There have also been several studies, such as this one in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/a>, which found people consistently underreport their calorie consumption. Whatever the cause, there is a disconnect between people\u2019s interpretation of the food they eat and the reality of the situation. <\/p>\n![\"\u2018If](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/iStock-2165840389.jpeg\")
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