HMB supplementation may enhance the effects of resistance exercise in sarcopenia patients, says recent study

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A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study¹ found that Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation may enhance the effects of resistance exercise training on muscle strength, physical performance, and muscle quality, as well as reduce inflammatory factors in older adults with sarcopenia. In the study, 18 subjects aged 60 or over with sarcopenia were assigned to receive HMB twice daily for 12 weeks, and 16 subjects were given placebo. Both groups performed resistance exercise training twice a week for 12 weeks.

Results showed that compared to placebo, after 12 weeks the HMB group saw significantly greater improvements in handgrip strength, gait speed, five-time chair stand test, muscle quality, and tumor necrosis factor like weak inducer of apoptosis. No significant differences were found in skeletal muscle mass, skeletal muscle index, and other body composition parameters between the two groups.

“HMB, in conjunction with other nutrients, has been shown to have an effect on muscle wasting. From TSI Group’s perspective, this is another confirmatory study that takes it one step further by demonstrating HMB’s impact on a sarcopenic population, instead of simply hypothesizing about it,” said TSI Group vice president of business development Shawn Baier, MS, MBA, about the study’s significance.

Reference

1. Yang, C.; Song, Y.; Li, T.; Chen, X.; Zhou, J.; Pan, Q.; Jiang, W.; Wang, M.; Jia, H. Effects of Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate Supplementation on Older Adults with Sarcopenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. JNHA. 2023. 27: 329-330, DOI: 10.1007/s12603-023-1911-1