dietary supplement use in sport gyms in lebanon: are they necessary and are there side-effects?

Background: the use of dietary supplements is very common in sport gyms worldwide. however, their use in exercisers in lebanese gyms has never been investigated. objectives: the study aim was to evaluate the dietary intake of food macronutrients and to explore any side-effects associated with this kind of consumption. patients and methods: three hundred and sixty exercisers aged 20 - 50 years were randomly selected for participation in this cross-sectional study. the majority were men (60%) aged 20 - 30 years (78%). results: the intake of dietary supplements was observed in 38% of the study participants, with the highest prevalence in men (73%). it was also found that daily protein intake exceeded dietary needs in 92% of the participants, while daily fat intake was less than that required in 76% of them. it was noteworthy that 63% of supplement users in this study reported having experienced between one and several side-effects. conclusions: these results indicate a lack of awareness among people who exercise regularly on the benefits and side-effects of dietary supplements. there is an urgent need for the implementation of campaigns that target gym users in lebanon to raise awareness in this regard.