HMB, also known as β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate or hydroxymethylbutyrate, is a metabolite of the amino acid Leucine and is produced naturally in the body in small amounts. Getting more HMB naturally isn’t always easy. In the body, less than five percent of all leucine is converted to HMB. Even on a good day, protein-packed foods can leave adults coming up short. As a result, athletes and bodybuilders have recognized this and have supplemented with HMB to build and repair muscle as well as improve recovery from exercise.
Regular consumption of HMB can assist in slowing protein breakdown and improving protein synthesis. In athletes who engage in intense weight and resistance training, research suggests that HMB may have several health benefits which include lean muscle gains, increased strength output, quicker recovery and an overall improved response to training. It also counteracts the muscle breakdown process because it stimulates protein synthesis via the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Research also suggests that HMB may enhance muscle strength in previously untrained individuals when used in combination with an intense resistance training program. It may also help to prevent muscle wasting (sarcopenia) in elderly adults when combined with exercise.
Benefits
- Slowing protein breakdown and improving protein synthesis
- Lean muscle gains
- Increased strength output
- Quicker recovery and an overall improved response to training
- Stimulates protein synthesis
- May enhance muscle strength in previously untrained individuals when used in combination with an intense resistance training program
- May help prevent muscle wasting (sarcopenia) in elderly adults when combined with exercise
