Consumption of nutritional supplements by teenagers attending gyms supplements and exercise in teenagers

Abstract

Objective: To describe the supplements used by adolescents in gyms in the city of São Paulo and the factors related to their use. Methods: Participants were 1,012 adolescents of both sexes, aged between 13 and 18 years old, all of them regular regulars at gyms in the city of São Paulo. For data collection, a questionnaire was used to identify the main supplements consumed by adolescents. The chi-square test was used to verify possible associations with a significance of p<0.05. Results: The use of supplements was more frequent in the age group between 16 and 18 years, in the socioeconomic level B, and the use of these supplements was higher as the time of exercise in the gym was longer (>12 months). The amount of exercise modalities practiced in the gym was inversely associated with the use of supplements. Male adolescents consumed significantly more supplements than females, and Physical Education professionals, friends and parents were the ones who most influenced adolescents to use supplements. The main supplements used by the boys were carbohydrate gel (90.9%) and hypercaloric (94.5%). In girls it was fat burner (55.0%) and vitamins and minerals (50.0%). Conclusion: The use of supplements was common among adolescents who exercise in gyms in São Paulo and the indication was made by physical education professional.

The Reason for Vitamin-Mineral Supplement Intake Among Secondary School Adolescents in Malaysia and Its Association With Nutritional Status and Dietary Practice

“…Previous studies found that the reason for supplementation among adolescents was due to the parent's advice rather than doctors' instruction or other unspecified reasons (Lee et al, 2013;Sien et al, 2014). In another study by Ceschini et al (2022), 29.3% of adolescents in the municipality of Brazil were found to consume VMS without any professional guidance (self-prescription). Additionally, a vast number of current findings highlighted that no matter whether adults or adolescents, the reason they consumed dietary supplements is to maintain and improve their overall health level, also to prevent diseases (Cebula et al, 2018;Elsahoryi et al, 2023;Perlitz et al, 2019;Shahzad et al, 2022;Sicinska et al, 2022;Yazid et al, 202) as they believed that supplements help achieve their recommended nutrient intake (Hoover et al, 2017).…”