Evaluation of nutritional supplement consumption by practitioners in a gym of São Paulo-SP

Abstract

In addition to increased physical activity people have sought resources to achieve desired aesthetic standards and supplemental feeding is used as a means to achieve that. This study aims to evaluate the intake of nutritional supplements for attendees of an academy in the city of São Paulo. This study was cross-sectional design and was conducted in a gym located in the north of the city of São Paulo, in 2012. The sample was composed of individuals who habitually frequented the gym. For data collection was used a semi-structured questionnaire on general characteristics of the participants and containing 10 objective questions about the use of supplements. 354 practitioners of physical activity were studied, with mean age of 31.2 years (SD = 8.8). The distribution of subjects by sex was very similar, with a slight predominance of men (50.6%; n = 179). Most participants did not use supplements (67.8%). Among the most commonly used supplements highlighted theuse of Whey Protein, held by 32.5% of the practitioners assessed physical activity. Regarding the prescription of nutritional supplements and prescription autoprescrição conducted by nutritionist, equaled 28.9%. A third of physically active used supplements and approximately half of the sample investigated had already consulted a nutritionist. Our participants had higher education, which may have influenced their search for nutritional guidelines that came from a senior professional and less consumption ofsupplements in relation to other Brazilian research.