As we age, maintaining a lean and strong body becomes more challenging due to changes in body composition, making it easier to gain weight.
In your 20s and 30s, your muscle strength is at its peak, but from this point on, maintaining or building muscle mass requires more effort. After age 40, lean muscle mass declines by about 8% each decade, with the rate accelerating to around 15% per decade after age 70.
A decrease in muscle mass and strength can lead to reduced physical function and mobility, affecting your overall quality of life. Therefore, it's crucial to adopt strategies to help preserve muscle mass and strength.
This can be achieved through regular resistance and strength training, along with consuming sufficient high-quality protein in your diet. Additionally, supplements like HMB can support muscle strength.
What is HMB?
HMB (β-hydroxy-β-methyl-butyrate) is a compound derived from leucine, an essential amino acid found in foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and milk. When we eat protein, the body breaks it down into amino acids, which are the building blocks necessary for various body processes. Leucine, in particular, plays a key role in helping the body create proteins for muscle function.
Once consumed, leucine is converted into HMB, which the body uses to support muscle growth and repair. However, only about 5% of leucine is converted to HMB, meaning it’s not possible to get sufficient levels of HMB through diet alone.
How does HMB support muscle health?
Research has shown that HMB supplementation can help maintain muscle health, boosting lean muscle mass and improving muscle strength and physical function.
One study involving 117 participants aged 60 and older divided them into four groups: control groups (with or without exercise), and groups taking HMB and vitamin D (with or without exercise). Over 12 months, the participants’ body composition, strength, and functionality were assessed. The study concluded that HMB and vitamin D supplementation improved muscle strength and functionality, even without exercise.
A review of six clinical trials found that HMB supplementation improved strength and body composition in adults over 65, especially in those who were sedentary or bedridden. This was likely due to HMB’s role in reducing muscle breakdown.
In another six-week study, 40 women aged 20 to 45, with a sedentary lifestyle and a BMI between 25 and 29.9 kg/m², were given HMB supplements. The results showed that HMB increased muscle strength without the need for resistance training and suggested it could positively affect body composition.