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Pregnancy assistance occurs in the public and private spheres. In this care, there is a greater nutritional demand during pregnancy, for the mother and the fetus. Among the causes of infant mortality, the following stand out: low birth weight, prematurity, and inadequate prenatal care. In the low-income social setting, nutrition fails. Thus, food supplements are extremely important in prenatal care. The objective is to describe the most appropriate food supplementation for pregnant women, whether in the public or private sector, highlighting the national policy, after a bibliographic review, carried out from May to August 2022. In Brazil, more than 70% of pregnant women have gained weight, however with poor nutritional status. In public prenatal care in Brazil, folic acid and iron are offered. Maternal multivitamin supplementation, with nutrients other than iron and folate, such as vitamins D, A, E, C, zinc, magnesium, and others, is important. The public maternal nutritional problem encompasses socioeconomic factors, as well as failures in care. The divergence with private care, prevalent in developed countries, is notorious when observing maternal mortality. In peripheral countries, maternal death is 50 to 100 times higher than in central countries. In these, more than 90% of pregnant women receive multivitamin supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nutritional supplements based on the amino acid L-arginine have been hypothesized to improve exercise performance by increasing levels of insulin and growth hormone (GH). Changes of these parameters in response to L-arginine supplementation may clarify the mechanisms underlying its putative physiological effects on physical performance. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of L-arginine supplementation on serum insulin, GH, Growth Factor Insulin-like (IGF-1), and cortisol in response to exercise. Exercise performance was also evaluated. Design: Fifteen trained runners were divided into groups supplemented with 6 g of L-arginine (ARG) or placebo (PLA). Blood samples were collected before supplementation (T0), immediately after the first exercise session (T1), after the second exercise session (T2), and after 20 min of rest (T3). The exercise consisted of two bouts of 5 km time-trial running test. Results: There was a significant increase in serum GH (T0: 3.28±0.95 vs. 3.21±0.5 ng/mL; T1: 4.35±0.23 vs. 4.17±0.13 ng/mL; T2: 4.22±0.25 vs. 4.17±0.09 ng/mL; T3: 4.14±0.29 vs. 4.13±0.18 ng/mL) and cortisol (T0: 198.71953.77 vs. 207.57±69.51 nmol/L; T1: 458.16±116.12 vs. 433.26±101.77 nmol/L; T2: 454.61±125.21 vs. 431.88±74.82 nmol/L; T3: 311.14±102.91 vs. 362.26±110.42 nmol/L) after T1, T2, and T3, with no significant difference between the ARGand PLA groups, respectively. There was also no significant difference observed in the variables of IGF-1, insulin, and total running time between the ARG and PLA groups. Conclusions: The supplementation of L-arginine did not appear to stimulate the production of insulin, GH, and IGF-1 and, thus, provided no benefit in hormonal response or exercise performance in trained runners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

l-Arginine (L-arg) is an amino acid precursor to nitric oxide (NO). Dietary supplements containing L-arg have been marketed with the purpose of increasing vasodilation, thereby elevating blood flow to the exercising muscle and enhancing the metabolic response to exercise. Our goal was to identify the acute effect of L-arg supplementation on biceps strength performance, indicators of NO production (nitrite and nitrate - NOx), and muscle blood volume (Mbv) and oxygenation (Mox) during recovery from 3 sets of resistance exercise. Fifteen males participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. After withdrawing resting blood samples, the subjects were supplemented with 6 g of L-arg (ARG) or placebo (PLA). Monitoring of Mbv and Mox with near-infrared spectroscopy began 30 min after supplementation and lasted for 60 min. The exercise protocol (3 sets of 10 maximal voluntary contractions of isokinetic concentric elbow extension at 60°·s-1, 2-min rest between sets) was initiated 80 min after supplementation. Blood samples were drawn at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after supplementation. Repeated measures ANOVA showed that Mbv significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) increased in ARG compared with the PLA during the recovery period of each set of resistance exercise. NOx, Mox, peak torque, total work, and set total work were not significantly different between groups. We found that acute L-arg supplementation increases Mbv during recovery from sets of resistance exercise with no increase in strength performance. It is still premature to recommend nutritional supplements containing L-arg as an ergogenic aid to increase muscle strength during resistance training in healthy subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To assess supplement intake in people who exercise regularly in gyms in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and discuss the influencing factors on its ingestion. Methods: A total of 1102 enrolled subjects who exercised in 50 gyms throughout the city were part of this cross-sectional study. Men and women were recruited and all subjects were at least 18 y old. Participants were asked to complete written questionnaires about their use of supplements. Data were collected over a period of 4 mo. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were performed. Results: The intake of nutritional supplements was reported by 36.8% of participants. The highest intake was in men (44.6%). Five products were consumed almost daily: those rich in proteins and amino acids (58%), isotonic drinks (32%), those rich in carbohydrates (23%), natural/phytotherapeutic (20%), and multivitamin/mineral supplements (19%). Most people (55%) reported using nutritional supplements without any specialized professional guidance and based primarily on self-prescription. Individuals younger than 30 y, mainly men (odds ratio 3.28, 95% confidence interval 2.06–5.20, P < 0.01), took supplements rich in proteins (odds ratio 2.73, 95% confidence interval 1.26–5.94, P < 0.05). In contrast, older participants reported taking supplements rich in multivitamin/minerals and natural/phytotherapeutic agents (odds ratio 5.52, 95% confidence interval 2.76–11.06, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Our results show that supplement intake in people exercising in gyms is high and is usually self-prescribed. We emphasize that the use of dietary supplements must be always done under the supervision of a specialist (physician or nutritionist). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]