Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to analyze the consumption of sports supplements (SS) in competitive level fencers and compare differences based on sex and competitive level (international and national).MethodsA total of 49 fencers (18 men and 31 women) of national (n = 16) and international (n = 33) level completed a questionnaire with questions about SS consumption and the possible repercussions on health and / or sports performance. The results were analyzed based on the different categorizations established by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), as well as by sex and level of competence to which the participants belonged to.Results46.9% of fencers have consumed SS with the main motivation being performance improvement (34.2%). Medical doctors were the individuals who were more likely to advise men to consume SS (50.0% vs 5.6%; OR = 3.29 [1.50–7.20]). Friends were most likely to advise women (38.9% vs 8.3%; OR = 1.75 [1.05–2.93]). The most consumed SS were sport drinks (44.9%), vitamin C (43.4%), sport bars (38.8%), and caffeine (28.6%). In regards to the SS categories, it was observed differences in the interaction level·sex in medical supplements (p = 0.017). In addition, there was a higher prevalence of whey protein consumption in women (25.8% vs 0%; p = 0.020) and iron consumption in men (33% vs 6.5%; p = 0.039).ConclusionsThe prevalence of SS use in fencers is within the values previously reported in athletes of the same competitive level. There were no differences by sex and competitive level in the total consumption of SS, nor in each of the groups of level of evidence, being sport drinks, bars and caffeine the most consumed SS.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to analyze the consumption of sports supplements (SS) in competitive level fencers and compare differences based on sex and competitive level
Regarding the weekly training sessions, no differences were observed for sex (p = 0.460), international level fencers had a more significant tendency to conduct a greater number of training sessions (p = 0.064). finding differences statistically significant in women (p = 0.019)
When the fencers were asked if they favored the consumption of SS within the law regulation, 61.2% agreed, while 28.6% disagreed and 10.2% answered that they were unsure or did not answer, without observing statistically significant differences between sex (p = 0.457) or competitive level (p = 0.870)
Summary
The aim of this study was to analyze the consumption of sports supplements (SS) in competitive level fencers and compare differences based on sex and competitive level (international and national). Fencers covered between 250 and 1,000 m [2] This distance includes high intensity actions interspersed with submaximal actions that can cause. In the Olympics, a difference corresponding to 1.6% can make the difference between finishing in first and fourth place [8]. These minimal differences encourage athletes to consider the consumption of sport supplements (SS) [9], which are defined as a food, nutritional component, or nutrient that is intentionally ingested. Only a small portion of current SS on the market have shown significant improvements in performance [11]
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