Table 4.
Use of fitness supplements: type and source of purchase (total and by country).
| Type of fitness product (n = 785) | n (%) | UK n (%) | Italy n (%) | Spain n (%) | Hungary n (%) | Portugal n (%) | Japan n (%) | Lithuania n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamins | 318 (40.5%) | 61 (54.5%) | 91 (32.9%) | 14 (20.3%) | 25 (56.8%) | 30 (31.9%) | 23 (29.5%) | 74 (66.7%) |
| Proteins | 317 (40.4%) | 70 (62.5%) | 105 (37.9%) | 27 (39.1%) | 14 (31.8%) | 43 (45.7%) | 29 (37.2%) | 29 (26.1%) |
| Caffeine | 284 (36.2%) | 41 (36.6%) | 91 (32.9%) | 22 (31.9%) | 16 (36.4%) | 42 (44.7%) | 27 (34.6%) | 45 (40.5%) |
| Tea or infusions | 280 (35.7%) | 34 (30.4%) | 106 (38.3%) | 22 (31.9%) | 13 (29.5%) | 35 (37.2%) | 26 (16.3%) | 44 (39.6%) |
| Multivitamin supplement | 264 (33.6%) | 39 (34.8%) | 103 (37.2%) | 12 (17.4%) | 20 (45.5%) | 25 (26.6%) | 19 (24.4%) | 46 (41.4%) |
| Amino acids | 218 (27.8%) | 33 (29.5%) | 87 (31.4%) | 16 (23.2%) | 11 (25.0%) | 17 (18.1%) | 30 (38.5%) | 24 (21.6%) |
| Omega 3 fish oil | 208 (26.5%) | 42 (37.5%) | 51 (18.4%) | 9 (13.0%) | 12 (27.3%) | 26 (27.7%) | 10 (12.8%) | 58 (52.3%) |
| Multimineral supplement | 172 (21.9%) | 19 (17.70) | 91 (32.9%) | 5 (7.2%) | 7 (15.9%) | 14 (14.9%) | 9 (11.5%) | 27 (24.3%) |
| Creatine | 152 (19.4%) | 35 (31.3%) | 52 (18.8%) | 19 (27.5%) | 3 (6.8%) | 21 (22.3%) | 7 (9.0%) | 15 (13.5%) |
| Carnitine | 98 (12.5%) | 8 (7.1%) | 34 (12.3%) | 12 (17.4%) | 5 (11.4%) | 19 (20.2%) | 3 (3.8%) | 17 (15.3%) |
| Mineral salt | 96 (12.2%) | 6 (5.4%) | 66 (23.8%) | 4 (5.8%) | 4 (9.1%) | 6 (6.4%) | 3 (3.8%) | 7 (6.3%) |
| Turmeric | 93 (11.8%) | 19 (17.0%) | 27 (9.7%) | 7 (10.1%) | 5 (11.4%) | 8 (8.5%) | 7 (9.0%) | 20 (18.0%) |
| Fish oil | 89 (11.3%) | 17 (15.2%) | 12 (4.3%) | 2 (2.9%) | 6 (13.6%) | 8 (8.5%) | 7 (9.0%) | 37 (33.3%) |
| Herbal medicine | 88 (11.2%) | 13 (11.6%) | 24 (8.7%) | 9 (13.0%) | 7 (15.9%) | 4 (4.3%) | 6 (7.7%) | 25 (22.5%) |
| Green tea extract | 79 (10.1%) | 13 (11.6%) | 23 (8.3%) | 10 (14.5%) | 8 (18.2%) | 14 (14.9%) | 3 (3.8%) | 8 (7.2%) |
| Ibuprofen | 71 (10.3%) | 20 (17.9%) | 1 (0.4%) | 9 (13.0%) | 1 (2.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 8 (10.3%) | 32 (28.8%) |
| Antioxidants | 65 (8.3%) | 9 (8.0%) | 23 (8.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 7 (15.9%) | 9 (9.6%) | 5 (6.4%) | 12 (10.8%) |
| Glutamate | 64 (8.2%) | 10 (8.9%) | 19 (6.9%) | 7 (10.1%) | 5 (11.4%) | 10 (8.9%) | 5 (6.4%) | 8 (7.2%) |
| Glucosamine | 52 (6.6%) | 17 (15.2%) | 10 (3.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | 8 (18.2%) | 5 (5.3%) | 3 (3.8%) | 9 (8.1%) |
| Taurine | 51 (6.5%) | 4 (3.6%) | 18 (6.5%) | 6 (8.7%) | 1 (2.3%) | 10 (10.6%) | 5 (6.4%) | 7 (6.3%) |
| Diuretics | 49 (6.2%) | 3 (2.7%) | 17 (6.1%) | 9 (13.0%) | 1 (2.3%) | 17 (18.1%) | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (0.9%) |
| Ginseng | 48 (6.1%) | 8 (7.1%) | 17 (6.1%) | 2 (2.9%) | 4 (9.1%) | 8 (8.5%) | 3 (3.8%) | 6 (5.4%) |
| Laxatives | 43 (5.5%) | 7 (6.3%) | 11 (4.0%) | 4 (5.8%) | 1 (2.3%) | 6 (6.4%) | 9 (11.5%) | 5 (4.5%) |
| Guaran | 38 (4.8%) | 7 (6.3%) | 11 (4.0%) | 2 (2.9%) | 1 (2.3%) | 12 (12.8%) | 1 (1.3%) | 4 (3.6%) |
| Beta alanine | 25 (3.2%) | 4 (3.6%) | 9 (3.2%) | 5 (7.2%) | 1 (2.3%) | 2 (2.1%) | 1 (1.3%) | 3 (2.7%) |
| Other* | 24 (3.2%) | 9 (8.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (1.4%) | – | 6 (6.4%) | 6 (7.7%) | 2 (1.8%) |
| Nitric oxide | 16 (2.0%) | 2 (1.8%) | 5 (1.8%) | 3 (4.3%) | 1 (2.3%) | 2 (2.1%) | 2 (2.6%) | 1 (0.9%) |
| Stimulants (e.g., amphetamine, modafinil) | 15 (1.9%) | 5 (4.5%) | 1 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (2.3%) | 5 (4.5%) | 1 (1.3%) | 2 (1.8%) |
| Ketones | 14 (1.8%) | 7 (6.3%) | 2 (0.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (2.3%) | 2 (2.1%) | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (0.9%) |
| Beta blockers | 13 (1.7%) | 1 (0.9%) | 1 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 3 (6.8%) | 3 (3.2%) | 2 (2.6%) | 3 (2.7%) |
| Androgenic substances (e.g., steroids) | 11 (1.4%) | 3 (2.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (2.3%) | 4 (4.3%) | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (0.9%) |
| Hormones (e.g., EPO, insulin) or related (e.g., beta-2 agonists) | 11 (1.4%) | 2 (1.8%) | 1 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (2.3%) | 3 (3.2%) | 2 (2.6%) | 2 (1.8%) |
| Pyruvate | 8 (1.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (9.1%) | 1 (1.1%) | 2 (2.6%) | 1 (0.9%) |
| Orlistat | 8 (1.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (1.4%) | 1 (2.3%) | 3 (3.2%) | 2 (2.6%) | 1 (0.9%) |
| Glucocorticoids | 4 (0.5%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (2.3%) | 1 (1.1%) | 1 (1.3%) | 1 (0.9%) |
| Source of purchase |
Total n (%) |
UK n (%) |
Italy n (%) |
Spain n (%) |
Hungary n (%) |
Portugal n (%) |
Japan n (%) |
Lithuania n (%) |
| Pharmacy | 313 (43.8%) | 40 (38.8%) | 101 (40.2%) | 17 (29.3%) | 22 (52.4%) | 24 (28.9%) | 38 (52.1%) | 71 (67.6%) |
| Internet | 309 (43.2%) | 51 (49.5%) | 113 (45.0%) | 16 (27.6%) | 22 (52.4%) | 30 (36.1%) | 34 (46.6%) | 43 (41.0%) |
| Specialized food store | 178 (24.9%) | 33 (32.0%) | 58 (23.1%) | 23 (39.7%) | 12 (28.6%) | 30 (36.1%) | 6 (8.2%) | 16 (15.2%) |
| Food store | 156 (21.8%) | 33 (32.0%) | 47 (18.7%) | 16 (27.6%) | 5 (11.9%) | 26 (31.3%) | 17 (23.3%) | 12 (11.4%) |
| Other | 33 (4.6%) | 4 (3.9%) | 15 (6.0%) | 3 (5.2%) | 3 (7.1%) | 2 (2.4%) | 3 (4.1%) | 3 (2.9%) |
| Black market | 6 (0.8%) | 2 (1.9%) | 1 (0.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (2.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (1.0%) |
Note: Selected from multiple choice;
*
Main answers to the option “Other” products: berberine; black garlic; casein; Chlorella; collagen; collagen UC2; collagen peptides; hydration sport drinks; pea protein isolate. The percentages do not add up to 100 because some people reported more forms of supplements they use.