HMB with vitamin D3 supports muscle function in aged adults, says recent study

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A recently published year-long randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study¹ found that a combination of a branded HMB (Calcium β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate) from TSI USA LLC (Missoula, MT) and vitamin D3 enhanced muscle function in adults over the age of 60. In the study 117 subjects were divided into four groups: 1) control with exercise, 2) control without exercise, 3) HMB and vitamin D3 with exercise, and 4) HMB and vitamin D3 without exercise. The exercise consisted of 60-minute supervised progressive resistance training sessions, three days per week. Measures of physical function, muscle strength, and body composition were taken at three-month intervals. The study lasted 12 months.

Results showed that supplementation with HMB and vitamin D3 significantly improved muscle function and strength in subjects without exercise compared to controls without exercise. The addition of HMB and vitamin D3 to exercise did not improve muscle function compared to controls with exercise. This may indicate that HMB and vitamin D may support muscle health in those who are unable or unwilling to exercise, such as older adults who may be frail.

“The most exciting thing about this study is that with HMB+D, there was a significant improvement in muscle function in the non-exercise group specifically. That is very powerful given the percentage of our older adult population who are unable or unwilling to exercise,” concludes John Rathmacher, PhD, in a press release. Rathmacher is the study’s principle investigator as well director of clinical research and laboratory services at Metabolic Technologies, LLC, the company that discovered HMB and is now owned by TSI.

“While the benefits of exercise are much broader than muscle mass or muscle strength, the improvement of physical function is potentially very powerful for the health of this population. I am unaware of any other nutrient capable of doing this,” Rathmacher adds. “While HMB generally works best with higher intensity exercise than used in this study, the likelihood of this age group starting and following such an intensive exercise regimen is in the single digits at best. The number willing to consistently do resistance training to maintain muscle mass is even smaller. HMB may be an incredible alternative.”

Reference

1. Rathmacher JA et al. “Long-term effects of calcium β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate and vitamin D3 supplementation on muscular function in older adults with and without resistance training: A randomized, double-blind, controlled study.” The Journals of Gerentology, Published online ahead of print on August 28, 2020