title: Intake of nutritional supplements among people exercising in gyms and influencing factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess supplement intake in people who exercise regularly in gyms in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and discuss the influencing factors on its ingestion.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1102 enrolled subjects who exercised in 50 gyms throughout the city were part of this cross-sectional study. Men and women were recruited and all subjects were at least 18 y old. Participants were asked to complete written questionnaires about their use of supplements. Data were collected over a period of 4 mo. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intake of nutritional supplements was reported by 36.8% of participants. The highest intake was in men (44.6%). Five products were consumed almost daily: those rich in proteins and amino acids (58%), isotonic drinks (32%), those rich in carbohydrates (23%), natural/phytotherapeutic (20%), and multivitamin/mineral supplements (19%). Most people (55%) reported using nutritional supplements without any specialized professional guidance and based primarily on self-prescription. Individuals younger than 30 y, mainly men (odds ratio 3.28, 95% confidence interval 2.06-5.20, P < 0.01), took supplements rich in proteins (odds ratio 2.73, 95% confidence interval 1.26-5.94, P < 0.05). In contrast, older participants reported taking supplements rich in multivitamin/minerals and natural/phytotherapeutic agents (odds ratio 5.52, 95% confidence interval 2.76-11.06, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that supplement intake in people exercising in gyms is high and is usually self-prescribed. We emphasize that the use of dietary supplements must be always done under the supervision of a specialist (physician or nutritionist).
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Department of Food Science, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. jananutricao@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Janaina Lavalli
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Goston
authors.forename: Maria Isabel Toulson Davisson
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Correia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001688:Biological Products / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012648:Self Care; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D018977:Micronutrients