Supplementation prevalence and adverse effects in physical exercise practitioners.

INTRODUCTION: The use of nutritional supplements is prevalent among physical exercise practitioners and some adverse effects have been reported, however not sufficiently substantial, because they originate from isolated cases. OBJECTIVES: Investigate nutritional supplements consumption prevalence and adverse effects of the use of such products. METHODS: An epidemiological, representative and transversal study, with 180 physical exercise practitioners in gyms, who answered questionnaires about sports supplementation, associated factors and self-perceived adverse effects. In a subsample of 86 individuals, blood pressure was measured and blood was collected for the evaluation of lipid profile markers, hepatic and renal function. RESULTS: The supplementation prevalence level was 58.3%, whereas the physicians and nutritionists indicated only 21.9%. The reported adverse effects were observed only by supplement users (acne, insomnia, aggressiveness, headaches and tachycardia). Systolic blood pressure was higher in the supplemented group when compared to the control group (p = 0.04), as in the subgroup of thermogenic users (p < 0.0001) and among those who had consumed any type of supplementation for over 2 years (p = 0.005). Serum creatinine levels were higher only in the subgroup of carbohydrates when compared to the control group (p = 0.03). Diastolic blood pressure, lipid profile and hepatic function did not present differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of nutritional supplements without specialized orientation was elevated among physical exercise practitioners, being associated to adverse effects both by the users themselves and by clinical diagnosis.

Chia induces clinically discrete weight loss and improves lipid profile only in altered previous values.

INTRODUCTION: chia (Salvia hispanica L.) has an elevated concentration of dietary fiber, it has been used to weight loss and enhance blood glucose and lipid profile. However, data in human are still scarce or do not exist, according to the analyzed variable. AIM: to evaluate the effect of chia supplementation in body composition, lipid profile and blood glucose in overweight or obese individuals. METHODS: men and women were randomly allocated in groups that ingested 35 g of chia flour/day (CHIA; n=19; 48.8±1.8 years) or placebo (PLA; n=7; 51.4±3.1 years) for 12 weeks. Body composition and food intake were evaluated in each four weeks. Lipid profile and blood glucose were measured in the beginning and in the end of the study. RESULTS: Chia induced significant intragroup reduction in body weight (-1.1±0.4 kg; p<0.05), with a greater reduction among obese than overweighed individuals (-1.6±0.4 kg; p<0.00), but without difference when compared to PLA. Waist circumference reduced 1.9±0.6 cm in CHIA group (p <0.05), but only intragroup. It was observed a reduction in total cholesterol (p=0.04) and VLDL-c (p=0.03), and an increase in HDL-c (p=0.01) but only in the groups that ingested chia flour and presented abnormal initial values. Triglycerides, blood glucose and LDL-C showed no changes for either group. CONCLUSION: consumption of chia for 12 weeks promotes significant but discrete reduction in weight and waist circumference, and enhances lipid profile dependent of initial values.

Introducción: Debido al alto contenido de fibra dietética, la chía (Salvia hispánica L.) han sido propuesta para la pérdida de peso y mejora del perfil lipídico y glucémico. Pero los datos en humanos son escasos o inexistentes, en función de la variable analizada. Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto de la suplementación con harina de chía en la composición corporal, perfil lipídico y glucémico de individuos con sobrepeso y obesidad. Métodos: hombres y mujeres fueron asignados aleatoriamente en grupos que consumieron 35 g / día de chía (CHIA; n = 19; 48.8 ± 1.8 años) o placebo (PLA; n = 7; 51.4 ± 3.1 años) durante 12 semanas. La composición corporal y el consumo de alimentos fueron evaluados la cada cuatro semanas de intervención. Perfil lipídico y los niveles de glucosa se midieron al principio y al final del estudio. Resultados: La chía promovió reducción significativa en el peso corporal (-1.1kg; p.