Excessive dietary supplement use and blood pressure among Brazilian male resistance training practitioners and bodybuilders

ABSTRACT

Objective: The aims of the present research were to determine the prevalence of the use of dietary supplements and anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) without professional guidance in the countryside of Northeastern Brazil, and to compare blood pressure (BP) between nonusers of dietary supplements, thermogenic supplement users and AAS users. Methods: The sample consisted of 346 resistance training (RT) practitioners and bodybuilders. The participants answered a questionnaire on the use of dietary supplements and/or AAS. In addition, the participants underwent BP assessment. Results: 76.9% of the sample consumed dietary supplements and AAS at some point in their lives. 66.8% (95%CI: 61.5–71.7) of our sample used only food supplements without any guidance from a qualified professional. AAS and cosmetic doping was reported by 8.1% (95%CI: 5.6–11.2%) and 2.0% (95%CI: 1.0–4.2%) of the sample, respectively. Regarding BP, a significant difference was observed for systolic BP when nonusers of dietary supplements were compared to users of thermogenic supplements (126.5 ± 15.1 mmHg s. 134.7 ± 14.5 mmHg; p= .034) and when compared to AAS users (126.5 ± 15.1 mmHg vs. 136.6 ± 12.2 mmHg; p= .010). Conclusions: Our findings point to excessive consumption of dietary supplements and AAS (without professional guidance) by RT practitioners and bodybuilders. In addition, we observed high systolic blood pressure in users of thermogenic supplements and AAS users.

KEYWORDS:

• Anabolic-androgenic steroids
• blood pressure
• resistance training practitioners

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the volunteers who participated in this study. We are also grateful to the Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE) for the financial support (Grant Number: 5013/2006) and to Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for providing undergraduate scientific scholarships.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE) under Grant number APQ-0246-4.06.