Relação entre o consumo de suplementos esportivos e biomarcadores renais, hepáticos, de genotoxicidade e de estresse oxidativo em praticantes de academia : uma análise correlacional e comparativa.

Abstract

Introduction: The increase in physical exercise practice has driven the consumption of sports supplements, especially in gym environments, stimulating the growth of the industry and the diversification of available products. The simultaneous intake of multiple supplements raises concerns regarding metabolic safety, with possible impacts on hepatic, renal, genotoxicity, and oxidative stress biomarkers. General objective: To investigate the relationship between dietary supplement consumption and renal, hepatic, genotoxicity, and oxidative stress biomarkers in gym-goers through correlational and comparative analyses. Manuscript 1: A total of 355 individuals engaged in physical activities at gyms were evaluated, of whom 59.4% reported the use of nutritional supplements. The concurrent consumption of two products was the most frequent practice among users (26.5%). Statistical analysis revealed significant, although low-magnitude, correlations between the number of supplements used and serum levels of creatinine (Spearman r = 0.198; p < 0.001), urea (Spearman r = 0.107; p = 0.047), ALT (Spearman r = 0.193; p < 0.001), and ALP (Spearman r = 0.123; p = 0.023). However, after adjustment for potential confounding variables, only the association between the number of supplements and ALT levels remained statistically significant (r = 0.148; p = 0.006), indicating a possible hepatic influence related to multi-supplementation practices. Furthermore, no significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed between groups regarding genotoxicity markers (Visual score and frequency, micronuclei, and nuclear buds) or oxidative stress bio Manuscript 2: In this study, gym-goers were classified into three groups according to their pattern of dietary supplement consumption: non-use (n = 160), single-supplement use (n = 84), and multi-supplement use (n = 111). Comparative analysis between the groups revealed statistically significant differences in renal and hepatic biomarkers, with higher levels of creatinine, ALT, and ALP observed among participants who concomitantly used multiple supplements (Kruskal-Wallis: creatinine, p = 0.001; ALT, p = 0.002). However, after adjusting for confounding variables such as age, sex, body mass index, and physical activity level, these associations lost statistical significance (p > 0.05), indicating that the initially observed effects may be related to other factors, mainly sex and age. Moreover, no significant differences (p > 0.05) were detected between groups regarding genotoxicity markers (frequency of DNA damage, micronuclei, and nuclear buds) or oxidative stress biomarkers (TBARS and TEAC), suggesting that. Final considerations: The results demonstrate that the use of multiple supplements may lead to subtle alterations in renal and hepatic biomarkers, but these changes are mainly modulated by individual factors such as age and sex. Additionally, no significant effects were observed on genotoxicity or oxidative stress markers, indicating the safety of concurrent supplement consumption in healthy individuals. These findings reinforce the importance of professional monitoring and individualized assessment in supplement prescription, contributing to safer and evidence-based supplementation practices.