Quality of protein supplements: evaluation of composition and labeling

Abstract

The consumption of dietary supplements for physical activity practitioners has become common, highlighting the protein source supplements. However, the indiscriminate use of these supplements is a topic of concern in Brazil, because diet with high protein levels can be harmful to health. An aggravating is the fact that recent surveys on the quality of protein supplements showed a significant number of non-compliance products considering the regulated requirements. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the compliance of protein supplements for athletes, whey protein type, in relation to the chemical composition and regulated requirements for labelling. The parameters related to composition that were in disagreement with the Brazilian regulations were total lipids (70 %) and carbohydrates (30 %). Nonconformities were found in labelling of 100 % of samples, being more frequent those related to household measure information, validity, therapeutic indication and sale name. An important aspect of the labelling was the lack of standardization in the recommendations for use by the manufactures because some of which could lead the users to excessive protein intake. The results of this study indicated the urgent need of quality assurance of protein supplements consumed in Brazil.