OBJECTIVE:

to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with excessive consumption of dietary supplements among professionals working at gyms in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

METHODS:

this is a cross-sectional study with all local fitness professionals identified in 2012; excessive consumption of dietary supplements was defined as the use of three or more types of supplements simultaneously; multivariate analysis was carried out using Poisson regression with robust variance.

RESULTS:

497 professionals were interviewed; the prevalence of excessive consumption of dietary supplements was 10.5% (95%CI 7.9;13.5); there was association with the male sex (PR=3.2; 95%CI 1.6;6.7) and with length of time of dietary supplement consumption ≥4 years when compared to <1 year (PR=2.8; 95%CI 1.7;4.7); lower consumption was found among professionals with higher levels of education, regardless of whether they had a degree in physical education or not (p=0,007).

CONCLUSIONS:

prevalence of excessive consumption of dietary supplements can be considered high and was associated with sociodemographic variables.

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