CONTENT ANALYSIS ON FOOD, NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTATION DISCLOSED BY BODYBUILDER INFLUENCERS ON INSTAGRAM

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the content and information on food, nutrition, and supplementation presented by Brazilian Wellness Influencers, non-nutritionists, with the largest following. This descriptive study was based on a documentary analysis, using the social media platform Instagram as the data collection source. Stories and posts published by the selected profiles were collected, followed by a content analysis using an adapted checklist. A total of 662 posts were analyzed, of which 178 discussed food and/or nutrition. This phenomenon is relevant, since the recommendations posted on social media platforms allow the spread of inappropriate eating habits, potentially causing health risks. The results point to the dangerous media overemphasis on restrictive nutritionism that promotes misinformation by promulgating a cult of the perfect body, ignoring core requirements for nutritional individualization. The conclusion points out, based on the analysis carried out, that the athletes' profiles publish information about nutrition and supplementation even without having any training in the area of nutrition, offering nutritional risks to followers who capture such information as a reference for their eating habits.