Research
Cellular
HMB may have a small, positive impact on fat-free mass (FFM) in athletes when protein intake is suboptimal (<1.6 g·kg-1·d-1).
Athletes with low protein intake may benefit from HMB supplementation for improving muscle mass.
StrongSupportsmedium confidence
The principal finding of this analysis suggests HMB may have a small, positive impact on FFM in athletes (0.30 ± 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.07 to 0.68; p = 0.08), although this seems specific to when protein intake is suboptimal (<1.6 g·kg-1·d-1).
Why this rating
Based on systematic review and meta-analysis.
Source
Does HMB Enhance Body Composition in Athletes? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Brett M. Holland et al. · The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · 2019
DOI 10.1519/jsc.0000000000003461
Meta-analysisCited 23×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
Related findings · Cellular
- Athletes aiming to reduce fat mass and preserve FFM should consume protein intakes in the range of ∼1.8-2.7 g kg(-1) d(-1).Strong
- A minimum daily protein intake of ≥1.6 g/kg is necessary to observe significant improvements in muscle mass from whey protein supplementation.Strong
- Most athletes ideally need 1.2 to 2.0 grams/kg of body weight/day of protein, preferably split across 3-4 meals.Strong
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