Consumption of Nutritional Supplements, Physical Activity, and Muscle Dysmorphia in Users of a Gym in Asunción, 2022-2023

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of supplement consumption and an unhealthy relationship with physical exercise is especially high in individuals with muscle dysmorphia (MD), a disorder characterized by the preoccupation that one's body is insufficiently muscular.

Objective: To identify the characteristics of nutritional supplement consumption, physical activity patterns, and the frequency of muscle dysmorphia in users of a gym in Asunción.

Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted between December 2022 and February 2023. The sample included 72 adult gym users selected through non-probabilistic consecutive case sampling. A virtual questionnaire was administered to evaluate sociodemographic data, physical activity, supplement consumption, and muscle dysmorphia using the Muscle Appearance Satisfaction Scale (MASS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test to evaluate associations.

Results: 40.28% of participants consumed nutritional supplements, with a predominance of protein products (23.38%). 33.67% complemented weight training with cardiovascular activities. The frequency of muscle dysmorphia was 19.44%, being more prevalent in men (57.14%) than in women (42.86%), although without statistically significant difference. No association was found between supplement consumption and the presence of muscle dysmorphia (p=0.826).

Conclusions: Four out of ten gym users consume nutritional supplements and two out of ten present muscle dysmorphia. No relationship was evidenced between these variables, suggesting that in this population, supplement consumption is not associated with the presence of this body dysmorphic disorder.