Assessment between consumption of protein supplements and symptoms of intestinal dysbiosis in gym practitioners
Abstract
Protein consumption is associated with changes in the intestinal microbiota, and, among gym practitioners, it can be excessive, especially through dietary supplements. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the association between symptoms suggestive of intestinal dysbiosis and the consumption of protein supplements in gym practitioners. This is a cross-sectional, observational study, carried out through an online questionnaire with gym practitioners, aged between 18 and 60 years of both sexes. The questionnaire addressed sociodemographic, health and nutritional issues. To assess the symptoms suggestive of intestinal dysbiosis, the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) questionnaire was applied. A total of 291 volunteers (78.7% women) were included. Regarding supplement consumption, 88.3% of the volunteers consumed some supplement and 70.4% consumed some protein supplement. The most consumed supplements were creatine, whey protein and glutamine. In the analysis of gastrointestinal symptoms by the GSRS, women had a higher total score and total sum than men (p=0.027 and p=0.037, respectively). Women had more abdominal pain and constipation than men (p=0.010 and p=0.017, respectively). In the correlation analysis, there was no association between gastrointestinal symptoms and the consumption of protein supplements, assessed either by the total GSRS score (p=0.792), the total sum of responses (p=0.901) or the weekly frequency of use (p=0.387). The present study demonstrated a high prevalence of consumption of dietary supplements, including protein supplements, and of gastrointestinal symptoms in gym practitioners, although a correlation between them was not observed.
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