Bar Exam - energy bars

Nutrition Action Healthletter, Dec, 2000 by Bonnie Liebman, David Schardt

"A 40-30-30 bar doesn't have enough carbohydrate for an athlete," says Ball State's Pearson. "But if you're sitting behind a desk and you want a bar instead of a Big Mac for lunch, you're better off with a 40-30-30 bar than a high-carbohydrate bar, because it's closer to what you'd get in a typical American diet."

That's not to say that the highly processed milk and soy protein, high-fructose corn syrup, oils, vitamins, and minerals are anything approaching an ideal food. Missing are the vegetables, beans, low-fat diary, and other real foods that can cut the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke (see cover story).

"If you're using bars in place of a meal, look for at least 10 to 15 grams of protein," says Applegate. "I also recommend eating at least one real food--like a piece of fresh fruit or some carrots or low-fat cheese sticks--with the bar."

Ads boast that the new Balance Gold bars "taste like a candy bar!" That's because they are candy bars ... with some extra soy or milk protein and vitamins. Balance Outdoor bars use more natural ingredients, like soy pieces, fruit, and nuts. But watch out.

"You can still get a lot of calories from these bars," says Pearson. The 200-odd calories may not seem like much, but 200 calories in roughly two ounces of food means that bars are calorie-dense.

For a quick snack, you're better off with an apple, a handful of grape tomatoes, or some other fruit or vegetable that fills you up with fewer calories.

High-Protein Bars

They've got names like Ultimate Lo Carb, Met-Rx Protein Plus, Promax, Protein Fuel, Protein Revolution, Pure Protein, Solid Protein, and Steel. They're often bigger in calories (250 or so) and size (as much as three ounces), for people who want bigger muscles. Body builders--not dieters, soccer moms, or busy Yuppies--are the typical target audience.

Do they work?

"Protein needs increase with exercise, whether it's strength training or endurance," says Applegate. But that doesn't mean that people need protein bars.

"You can easily get the protein from food," she explains. "The bars are more expensive and it's just food protein they put in there. People are surprised to hear that. They think, `it's exactly what my muscles need.'"

Few companies have studies to show that their "proprietary blends" of milk or soy protein and other ingredients like "growth factors" and glutamine trump the competition.

Take Met-Rx's blend, which is called metamyosyn. Two published studies have tested its impact in healthy people in exercise programs. One found that overweight policemen gained more muscle mass and strength on metamyosyn than they did on another protein supplement, but the measurements were outdated and inexact.[3]

"The results of this study are interesting, but it needs to be repeated using more sophisticated methods of body composition assessment before definitive conclusions can be made," says Rick Kreider of the University of Memphis.

The other study, using more exact measures, found that Met-Rx was no better than a high-carbohydrate supplement at increasing muscle mass and strength in college football players.[4]