Applicability of cluster analysis to study the adequacy of Hydroelectrolytic Supplements for Athletes

Abstract

The supplement industry for athletes has accumulated increasing profit records for years. However, under the same name of the supplement class for athletes, there is in the market an immense range of products with different centesimal compositions. The prescription of Hydroelectrolytic Supplements for health and athletic performance is backed by national and international guidelines. However much less is known about the standardization of products available in the Brazilian market for effective nutritional prescription. The objective of the study was to evaluate the use of cluster analysis*, patterns of similarity among the commercialized Hydroelectrolytic Supplements in the Brazilian market, and to verify in the face of Brazilian legislation its adequacy and impact for supplementary prescription. Hydroelectrolytic Supplements were purchased in stores and through an Internet search for websites. Data from the centesimal composition labels were organized for later use in the cluster analysis. From a total of 57 products two clusters were obtained with distinct centesimal composition, and a sub-sample of products presented less variability in their nutritional components and better adaptation to supplementary prescriptions directed to athletes’ income and health. Thus, the evaluation of the centesimal composition of products for nutritional prescription purposes through statistical analysis tools was fundamental in view of the heterogeneity of products under the same designation and ergogenic basis.