Research
Hormonal
β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB, 3 g/day) has conditional utility for muscle hypertrophy, showing benefits primarily during high training stress or caloric deficits, but is largely neutral in well-fed, resistance-trained individuals.
If you are dieting or doing extremely high-volume training, 3g of HMB daily might help preserve muscle. If you are eating well and training normally, HMB is likely a waste of money as it shows no benefit in this group.
ModerateConditionalMEDIUM confidence
β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB, 3 g·day−1) demonstrated conditional utility during high training stress or caloric deficit, but was largely neutral in well-fed, resistance-trained cohorts.
Why this rating
Mixed outcomes reported; benefits are context-dependent.
Source
Nutritional Supplements for Muscle Hypertrophy: Mechanisms and Morphology—Focused Evidence
Andreea Maria Mănescu et al. · Nutrients · 2025
DOI 10.3390/nu17223603
narrative_review
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Protein and essential amino acid (EAA) supplementation promotes measurable muscle hypertrophy (via ultrasound/MRI) only when daily intake is below 1.6 g/kg/day or per-meal leucine is below 2–3 g; benefits plateau once these thresholds are met.Good
- Creatine monohydrate (3–5 g/day) increases muscle thickness and cross-sectional area in resistance training interventions lasting 8–12 weeks or more, primarily by enabling higher training volume and quality rather than direct anabolic signaling.Good
- Adjunct supplements (omega-3 fatty acids, citrulline, collagen) facilitate training tolerance, recovery, or connective-tissue adaptation but do not directly drive muscle hypertrophy.Moderate
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