Dietary supplements use by practitioners of physical activity in gyms in the city of Belo Horizonte-MG

Abstract

The use of dietary supplements by practitioners of physical activity in gyms is increasing and, very often, performed without the indication and monitoring of a qualified professional. Thus, our objective was to identify the prevalence of the use of nutritional supplements by practitioners of physical activity in gyms in the city of Belo Horizonte. In this study, 277 volunteers (50.9% men) aged between 18 and 59 years were evaluated, distributed among 28 gyms in the 9 administrative regions of the city. All participants answered to a questionnaire designed for this research. Of these, 63.2% said they practiced regular physical activity for more than a year and 51% between 3 to 6 hours/week. Regarding the dietary supplements use, 122 (44%) reported consuming any supplement currently, and the most consumed supplements were whey protein, creatine, branched-chain amino acids and pre-workouts. 33.2% of the volunteers showed a regular consumption (five or more times a week), and 37.7% spend between R $ 100.00 and R $ 200.00 monthly on these products. This study showed that the use of dietary supplements in gyms in the city of Belo Horizonte is frequent and, very often, performed without the guidance of a qualified professional. This study reinforces the importance of nutritional education with this population to ensure safety for the use of supplements, seeking better health and exercise performance.