Loaded Protein · Little Debbie® Cosmic Brownies

Tropical Oils

• ℹPalm Kernel Oil

  Palm oil is pressed from the fruit of the oil palm; palm kernel oil comes from the seed inside that same fruit. Neither is a typical seed oil: the concerns people cite when avoiding seed oils are a high omega-6 linoleic acid load and the oxidation that polyunsaturated fats are prone to during refining and heating, and both palm oils are mostly saturated fat, with very little omega-6 and much greater oxidative stability. Palm oil is around half saturated fat, mostly palmitic acid, and a meta-analysis of controlled trials found it raises LDL cholesterol compared with vegetable oils low in saturated fat; palm kernel oil is more saturated again. Both stay solid at room temperature without hydrogenation, which is why coatings use them.

  Sun et al., Journal of Nutrition (2015)

Synthetic Colours

• ⚠Titanium Dioxide

  A whitening agent. The EU banned it as a food additive in 2022 after its safety panel could no longer rule out damage to DNA. It remains permitted in the US and UK.

  EFSA safety assessment of E171 (2021)
• ⚠Blue 2, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Red 3, Yellow 6

  Synthetic dyes. Six of them, including Allura Red, Tartrazine and Sunset Yellow, must carry a label in the EU warning that they may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children, following the 2007 Southampton study.

  McCann et al., The Lancet (2007)

Refined Carbohydrates

• ℹMaltodextrin

  A rapidly digested glucose polymer made from corn, rice or tapioca starch. It raises blood glucose at least as fast as table sugar but counts as carbohydrate rather than sugar on the label, so a low-sugar product can still deliver a fast glucose load. The amounts used in protein products are usually small.

  Hofman et al., Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2016)

Emulsifiers & Thickeners

• ℹCellulose Gum

  Cellulose-based thickeners: cellulose gum (carboxymethylcellulose) and cellulose gel (microcrystalline cellulose), often used together in shakes. A randomised controlled feeding trial of carboxymethylcellulose in healthy adults found it altered gut bacteria and reduced the protective mucus layer of the gut. The trial was small and short.

  Chassaing et al., Gastroenterology (2022)
• ℹCarrageenan

  A seaweed extract used to stop drinks separating. Animal and cell studies report inflammation and irritation of the gut lining. Human evidence at the levels used in food is limited, and regulators currently consider it safe.

  Tobacman, Environmental Health Perspectives (2001)

Stimulants

• ℹCoffee

  A stimulant, and ingredient lists rarely state the amount. The EU safety authority puts single doses of no concern at 200mg and habitual daily intake at 400mg for healthy adults, lower in pregnancy.

  EFSA opinion on the safety of caffeine (2015)

Sweeteners

• ℹSucralose, Acesulfame Potassium

  Synthetic zero-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose, acesulfame potassium and aspartame. Regulators consider them safe at typical intakes, but the WHO advises against using non-sugar sweeteners for weight control, finding no long-term benefit, and in 2023 classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic while leaving its acceptable daily intake unchanged.

  WHO guideline on non-sugar sweeteners (2023)