Research
Micronutrients & recovery
HMB reduces markers of muscle damage (CK, LDH) and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) following exercise, particularly in untrained individuals or during high-damage activities.
Take 3g of HMB daily if you are new to exercise or doing intense eccentric workouts to reduce soreness and muscle damage markers.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Results from experiment 1 found that HMB decreased plasma markers of muscle damage (CK) and protein degradation (3-MH) in a dose dependent response with a range of 20–60%.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple acute and chronic studies cited.
Source
Effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) on exercise performance and body composition across varying levels of age, sex, and training experience: A review
Gabriel J. Wilson et al. · Nutrition & Metabolism · 2008
DOI 10.1186/1743-7075-5-1
narrative_reviewCited 305×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- HMB supplementation (3g/day) significantly increases lean body mass and strength gains in untrained individuals and elderly populations, but shows negligible or no benefit in experienced, resistance-trained athletes.Good
- HMB supplementation does not improve strength, body composition, or performance in experienced, resistance-trained athletes.Good
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