INTRODUCTION: The use of supplements in professional sport is still a controversial subject; there is a discussion on the advisability of their use regarding the improvement of performance, as well as on the definition of ad hoc ranges that should be different from those of the normal population, which guarantee that there are no deficits and therefore possible pathologies; for example, the RDA of vitamin C guarantees not to have scurvy, but the goal of nutrition applied to the sport should guarantee an optimal value not only to preserve from possible pathological states. METHODS: 18 Italian professional soccer players being part of a Serie A team received a vitamin B (composition) supplement (B-Dyn®, Metagenics, Milan, Italy ) for 40 days; iDXA, BIA and a battery of biochemical-clinical analyses were performed at the initial time t0 (pre-season preparation), at time t1 (after 40 days) and at time t2 (after 3 months), to evaluate both the quantity of some vitamins (B9, B12 and D) and also the possible effect on the measured parameters of the supplementation. RESULTS: iDXA and BIA parameters did not show any remarkable change; although the values of vitamin B9 and B12 (value) were within the normal range, the integration intervention recorded an increase which then decreased by interrupting the integration (value); between the values considered the hematocrit shows a significant increase at time t2 (value), as well as the reticulocytes; the VES also shows a similar trend. The other parameters do not show statistically significant changes except for the plasma values of zinc and vitamin D, which both show a decreasing trend over time. CONCLUSION: In our opinion, although on a limited sample, this work can be a starting point to re-evaluate integration in professional sports. Evaluating a person who does not practice high-level physical activity, supplementation, in particular of vitamin B9 or B12, would not be justified, in this case, it is; on the contrary, it should probably be kept for the whole season or for longer periods (at least 3 months); the delayed improvement of hematocrit values and granulocytes (value linked to hematopoiesis) it might be justified by the fact that hematopoiesis is affected after a longer period of integration. Unfortunately, it is not easy to act on professional athletes during the season, therefore a larger sample and a control group would be useful in subsequent studies.
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