Assessment of the consumption of dietary supplements by bodybuilding athletes

Abstract

In bodybuilding, the objective is to achieve physical perfection, in proportions and muscular definition, in accordance with the standardization of the category in which the athlete is inserted and, to this end, these athletes undergo intense training, combined with a strict diet and supplementation. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the consumption of dietary supplements by Brazilian adult bodybuilding athletes. The athletes responded to an online questionnaire, which addressed demographic, socioeconomic and health issues, as well as characteristics of nutrition, supplementation, and training. 56 athletes were included (64.3% men) with a median age of 26.5 years, ranging from 18 to 47 years, with no differences between sexes (p=0.411). As for training, 73.2% have been training in bodybuilding for more than 5 years and 66.1% hold one or two competitions per year. Among the volunteers, 100% said they currently consume some supplement and 55.4% said they consume more than five supplements per day. The most consumed supplements were whey protein (89.3%), creatine (85.7%), omega 3 (60.7%), multivitamin and multimineral (58.9%), caffeine (53.6%) and vitamin D (51.8%). Regarding monthly spending on supplements, 39.3% reported spending between R$100 and R$400, while 37.5% between R$400 and R$800 and 21.4% more than R$800. This research demonstrated a high prevalence and frequency of supplement consumption by bodybuilding athletes, both men and women, often consumed without professional guidance, which highlights the importance of investigating the consumption of these products and providing guidance for better use of their benefits.