Does HMB supplement make older men stronger or bigger?
A double-blind placebo controlled trial into the impacts of HMB supplementation and exercise on free-living muscle protein synthesis, muscle mass and function, in older adults
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Older men did weight training and took either a special supplement (HMB) or a sugar pill. Both groups got stronger and gained some muscle from the exercise, but the supplement only made a tiny bit more muscle appear on scans — not enough to make them stronger or move better.
Surprising Findings
HMB increased thigh lean mass significantly (p=0.015), yet had zero effect on muscle thickness, strength, or function.
Most people assume more muscle = more strength. Here, the body gained mass without improving function—suggesting the added tissue may not be functional or well-integrated.
Practical Takeaways
Skip HMB supplements if you’re already doing regular resistance training and eating enough protein.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Older men did weight training and took either a special supplement (HMB) or a sugar pill. Both groups got stronger and gained some muscle from the exercise, but the supplement only made a tiny bit more muscle appear on scans — not enough to make them stronger or move better.
Surprising Findings
HMB increased thigh lean mass significantly (p=0.015), yet had zero effect on muscle thickness, strength, or function.
Most people assume more muscle = more strength. Here, the body gained mass without improving function—suggesting the added tissue may not be functional or well-integrated.
Practical Takeaways
Skip HMB supplements if you’re already doing regular resistance training and eating enough protein.
Publication
Journal
Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Year
2019
Authors
Ushnah Shujah Ud Din, M. Brook, A. Selby, J. Quinlan, C. Boereboom, H. Abdulla, M. Franchi, M. Narici, B. Phillips, J.W. Williams, J. Rathmacher, D. Wilkinson, P. Atherton, K. Smith
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Claims (10)
Taking HMB supplements does not significantly increase muscle growth in people who already eat enough protein, but might slightly affect muscle growth when calorie intake is very low or training intensity is extremely high.
In older men doing strength training, taking HMB-free acid supplements for six weeks did not lead to measurable improvements in strength, muscle size, or maximum force production compared to a placebo, even if there was a slight increase in lean mass.
Taking HMB-free acid supplements raised levels of HMB in the blood of older men, showing the body absorbed it, but this did not lead to meaningful health improvements except for a minor gain in thigh muscle mass.
In older men doing strength training, taking HMB-free acid may temporarily boost muscle protein synthesis in the first two weeks, but this effect disappears after that and is not different from taking a placebo.
In older men, doing resistance exercises such as weightlifting increased muscle strength, muscle size, and lean tissue in the thighs, even without taking HMB supplements, indicating that the exercise itself was the main factor driving these changes.