Research
Mixed
Supplementation with 3g/day of HMB (calcium or free acid) does not significantly enhance fat-free mass or strength gains in young adults undergoing resistance exercise training compared to placebo.
If you are a young adult (under 45) doing resistance training, taking 3g of HMB daily will not give you more muscle or strength than training alone. Save your money.
StrongRefutesHIGH confidence
We conclude that HMB produces a small effect on TBM gain, but this effect does not translate into significantly greater increases in FFM, strength or decreases in FM during periods of RET. Our findings do not support the use of HMB aiming at improvement of body composition or strength with RET.
Why this rating
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 RCTs.
Source
Supplementation with the Leucine Metabolite β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) does not Improve Resistance Exercise-Induced Changes in Body Composition or Strength in Young Subjects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Josephine Jakubowski et al. · Nutrients · 2020
DOI 10.3390/nu12051523
Meta-analysis · 11 studiesCited 29×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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