Additional Human Studies

This study looked at the effect of 12 weeks of HMB supplementation, with and without resistance training (RT), on abdominal adiposity in elderly men.  Forty-eight men 66 to 78 years of age were assigned in a factorial design to either no exercise-placebo, RT-placebo, no exercise-HMB, or RT-HMB.  After 12 weeks the RT-HMB group had significantly less abdominal adiposity when compared to the other treatment groups.  This study suggests that HMB combined with 12 weeks of RT decreases abdominal adiposity in elderly men.

Consumption of HMB, arginine, and glutamine by healthy, AIDS patients and cancer patients was studied.  No adverse effects were seen and the mixture enhanced hematological parameters such as red blood cell numbers.

In this multi-center study, a combination of HMB, arginine, and glutamine was shown to improve body composition in cancer wasting by targeting nutrition to increase protein synthesis and decrease protein degradation.

HMB combined with the amino acids arginine and glutamine increased collagen synthesis in human wound healing.

In hypercholesterolemic men participating in an exercise program, HMB decreased LDL cholesterol by 28 percent as well as increasing strength and improving body composition.  No changes in LDL were seen in the placebo group.

AIDS patients, who had previously lost body weight, gained back body weight and improved body composition as well as increased T-cells and decreased viral load when they consumed a dietary supplement containing HMB, arginine, and glutamine in this eight-week clinical study.

HMB is produced from leucine in humans and increasing plasma leucine will increase the rate of appearance and amount of plasma HMB.

In this study HMB was shown to decrease body fat and improve body composition in these well-trained collegiate football players.

This study is another showing HMB supplementation improved body composition in a brief, strenuous exercise program in highly trained athletes.

HMB and Betagen (HMB and creatine) were the only supplements shown to decrease muscle soreness after downhill running, and HMB, creatine, and Betagen all decreased the loss in strength associated with the running.

The trend for increased strength maintenance with HMB was not due to a change in muscle protein synthesis or whole-body protein turnover during periods of bed rest.

Three grams of HMB per day tended to decrease the strength loss associated with extended periods of bed rest.

HMB improved in vitro and in vivo immune function in rainbow trout and carp which resulted in better growth and reduced mortality

This paper reviews the first seven human studies with HMB and summarizes health and safety data generated as well as the muscle and strength gain data from these studies. The only significant changes in blood chemistry are decreases in total and LDL cholesterol.

In two separate studies, one with and one without exercise, women were supplemented with HMB.  No effect of HMB on body composition was measured in the non-exercising group of women, but in women undergoing exercise, HMB improved body composition and had increased fat loss, and strength gains.