Mixed
Protein supplementation combined with strength and conditioning training significantly increases muscular strength in athletes, whereas HMB, creatine, and vitamin D do not.
If your goal is to get stronger, ensure you are consuming enough protein alongside your strength training. This paper suggests protein is the most effective supplement for this outcome, while creatine, HMB, and vitamin D did not show significant strength benefits in this specific analysis of trained athletes.
Protein supplementation yielded the greatest improvement in muscular strength (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.64... very low-certainty evidence)... By contrast, HMB, vitamin D and creatine showed no clear benefits
Why this rating
Evidence is rated 'very low' certainty due to limited indirect comparisons and network inconsistency.
Source
Effects of different dietary supplements combined with conditioning training on muscle strength, jump performance, sprint speed, and muscle mass in athletes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Beiwang Deng et al. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2025
DOI 10.3389/fnut.2025.1636970
More from this paper
- Beta-alanine and creatine significantly improve jump performance in athletes, with beta-alanine showing a marginally higher effectiveness ranking.Good
- Creatine supplementation significantly improves sprint speed in athletes, while beta-alanine and vitamin D do not.Good
- None of the tested dietary supplements (protein, creatine, HMB) significantly increased lean body mass in athletes when combined with strength and conditioning training.Good
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