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Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB)

Overview

Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) is a chemical that is produced when the body breaks down leucine. Leucine is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. People use HMB to make medicine.

HMB is most commonly used for building muscle or preventing muscle loss.

Classification

Is a Form of:

Chemical

Primary Functions:

Building muscle, preventing muscle loss

Also Known As:

Calcium B-Hydroxy B-Methylbutyrate Monohydrate, Calcium HMB, Hidroximetilbutirato, HMB

How Does It Work?

HMB might promote muscle growth. It seems to reduce the destructive breakdown of muscle in people with AIDS.

Uses

  • Involuntary weight loss in people with HIV/AIDS. Taking HMB by mouth, along with the amino acids arginine and glutamine, seems to increase body weight and lean body mass in people with AIDS when used for 8 weeks. This combination may also improve the way the immune system works in these people.
  • Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia). Most research shows that taking HMB can slightly decrease the loss of muscle associated with aging.

Recommended Dosing

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY MOUTH:

  • For involuntary weight loss in people with HIV/AIDS: 3 grams HMB in combination with 14 grams each of arginine and glutamine in two divided doses daily.
  • For age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia): 220 mL of a specific liquid nutritional supplementation (Ensure Plus Advance, Abbott) twice daily.

Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) Supplements Frequently Asked Questions

What is HMB supplement used for?

Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) is a chemical that is produced when the body breaks down leucine. Leucine is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. People use HMB to make medicine. HMB is most commonly used for building muscle or preventing muscle loss.

Can you take HMB with creatine?

The simple answer is yes. By stacking HMB, plus creatine together, in your regime you can combine the efforts of both supplements and you could increase the results of training.

Is HMB really effective?

Although HMB may be most effective when increasing training volume or intensity, the extremely high total training load may have attenuated the potential effectiveness of HMB to reduce muscle damage or protein breakdown."

Is HMB banned?

Not only are HMB supplements legal but they are also not on the banned substances list for the World Anti-Doping Agency. This means that athletes are safe to supplement HMB when training, with no risk of failing a drugs test, as it is classed as a 'dietary supplement'.

Should you take HMB everyday?

The recommended dosage of HMB is three grams per day for average-size individuals. In regards to HMB timing near or around a training session, we recommend that you take one of your daily servings of HMB an hour before exercise to help reduce muscle damage.

Does HMB build muscle?

While HMB is produced naturally by your body, taking it as a supplement allows for higher levels and may benefit your muscles. Several studies in previously untrained adults have shown taking 3–6 grams of HMB per day can improve the gains in lean body mass from weight training.

Does HMB increase testosterone?

The data showed no significant differences between the groups for a range of markers of exercise-induced muscle damage. However, the combination of CrM and HMB led to significantly greater increases in testosterone and changes in the testosterone/cortisol ratio that were observed for placebo, or for CrM or HMB alone.

Is HMB worth taking?

It does impact recovery from exercise, and perhaps muscle growth directly, but you wouldn't expect an amino acid metabolite to have steroid-like effects. However, a couple recent studies have, in fact, shown that HMB works better than steroids for building muscle.

Is HMB safe for long term use?

When taken by mouth HMB is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth. Doses of 3 grams per day or less for up to one year seem to be safe.

Is HMB bad for kidneys?

These results suggest that supplemental HMB is cleared in patients with impaired renal function. No significant effects of HMB on lean mass, strength, physical function, fall risk, or quality of life were found using an intent-to-treat analysis.

Does HMB make you gain weight?

Understandably, it made some waves. The group taking HMB gained 7.4kg (16.3lbs) of lean mass over 12 weeks while the group taking a placebo gained 2.1kg (4.6lbs). Meanwhile, the placebo group decreased their body fat percentage by 2.1%, while the HMB group slashed theirs by 6.6%.

Is HMB a steroid?

There is speculation that HMB could be a steroid, it isn't. In fact, HMB is a metabolite of the amino acid leucine. However, there are questions surrounding the idea that HMB could be more effective than steroids, although there is no scientific evidence to prove this.

Does HMB have any side effects?

[36] performed an extensive two-part experiment to test the effects of HMB supplementation on muscle metabolism during resistance-exercise training. Results found no adverse side effects from HMB supplementation.

Can I take HMB and BCAA together?

Some gym goers opt to use supplements to support their workout, helping to maximise their desired results. Some options include BCAA and HMB supplements – they can be taken together or separately. ... Leucine is part of the trio that make BCAAs alongside isoleucine and valine.

How often should I take HMB?

In regards to HMB timing near or around a training session, we recommend that you take one of your daily servings of HMB an hour before exercise to help reduce muscle damage. If you are unable to take HMB prior to exercise, then take a dose immediately after your workout or training session.

How long should you take HMB?

In regards to HMB timing near or around a training session, we recommend that you take one of your daily servings of HMB an hour before exercise to help reduce muscle damage. If you are unable to take HMB prior to exercise, then take a dose immediately after your workout or training session.

Can you take HMB before bed?

Of course, this depends on the time of your workout – if you plan to exercise first thing on a morning, you can take your HMB supplements right before your workout. Depending on the time of your exercise, HMB could be taken before bed on an evening too, or immediately after your workout.

Does HMB need to be cycled?

HMB works to prevent protein breakdown in our muscles associated with intense exercise. Since long-term HMB supplementation hasn't been thoroughly studied, he suggests cycling between eight weeks of three grams of HMB a day (split into one-gram doses) followed by four weeks of nada.

Does HMB prevent muscle breakdown?

Studies have demonstrated that HMB can prevent the development of sarcopenia in elderly subjects and that the optimal action of HMB on muscle growth and strength occurs when it is combined with exercise.

When should I take HMB and creatine?

In regards to HMB timing near or around a training session, we recommend that you take one of your daily servings of HMB an hour before exercise to help reduce muscle damage. If you are unable to take HMB prior to exercise, then take a dose immediately after your workout or training session.

What foods contain HMB?

Foods such as meat, fish, milk and eggs all contain BCAAs (the building blocks of protein) – providing your body with the leucine it needs to produce HMB. High leucine levels mean that more HMB can be produced. When leucine is present in the body, beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) is produced.

Clinical Studies