HMB stands for beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, which is naturally produced in our bodies during the metabolism of the essential amino acid leucine and is needed to protect and repair muscle tissue. Leucine is a part of the food chain - we consume it every day in foods like tofu, soy, milk, cheese, poultry, beef and fish*. Some proteins have more leucine than others; however, it is difficult if not impossible to consume enough protein through supplementation or a healthy diet alone to achieve the effective amount of HMB your body needs.

*Extensive list of food containing Leucine.

Naji Abumrad, MD, FACS, is credited as the co-discoverer of HMB, with Steven L. Nissen, DVM, PhD in 1988. Through their company, Metabolic Technologies, LLC, they introduced the powdered form of HMB (HMB-CA) to the market in 1995 and it  is licensed to approximately 25 companies including Abbott Nutrition (Juven, Enlive and Revigor).

In 2016, MTI had a second form of HMB ready to be marketed called HMB-FA (free acid, β-hydroxy β-methyl butyric acid). HMB-FA is more readily absorbed into the bloodstream and has a longer elimination half-life (3 hours) relative to HMB-CA (2.5 hours) 10,11. Tissue uptake and utilization of HMB-FA is 25-40%
higher than for HMB-CA10,11. Nirvana Water Sciences has the exclusive license to add HMB-FA (MyHMB® Clear) to beverages.

The metabolite HMB was discovered in 1988 by Steven L. Nissen, DVM and Naji Abumrad, MD, FACS.

HMB improves muscle mass and recovery after physical exertion through its unique dual-action of increasing protein synthesis and decreasing protein breakdown.

MUSCLE MASS = MUSCLE PROTEIN BREAKDOWN* + MUSCLE PROTEIN
SYNTHESIS**

*Decreasing Muscle Protein Breakdown. HMB decreases protein breakdown by disrupting proteolysis through the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway (a major enzymatic pathway for protein breakdown in muscle). This process helps to reduce muscle damage and recover faster.

**Increasing Muscle Protein Synthesis. HMB stimulates muscle protein synthesis through multiple mechanisms, including the mTOR pathway. While the initiation of myofibrillar protein synthesis is influenced by ultiple factors, mTOR is a key regulatory factor that results in a direct increase in myofibrillar protein synthesis. Myofibrillar proteins make up the contractile apparatus in muscles. HMB helps maintain this by increasing the phosphorylation of mTOR, thus activating the mTOR signaling pathway in muscle which stimulates the initiation of protein synthesis in the muscle. And HMB also works on decreasing myofibrillar protein degradation.

After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3-5% of your total muscle mass per decade.

The discovery of HMB as a natural supplement is revolutionary because we can’t
eat enough protein to reverse age related or disease related muscle wasting. Less than 5% of dietary leucine is converted to HMB in the body. To get an effective amount of HMB, a person would have to consume 600g of high-quality protein (13 6oz chicken filets or 35 servings of yogurt) or approximately 10x
the recommended daily serving of protein, which is not possible.

You should consume HMB daily. The recommended dosage is 3g*
per day for average-size individuals. If you want to “customize” your dosage,
research has shown that 38 mg/s body weight each day is optimal.

CHART HERE

*Wilson et al., 2014 showed that consuming 3g of HMB for 12 weeks increased lean body mass by 250% (7.3kg) and strength by 200% when compared to placebo and resistance training alone.

Studies show that measurable increases in strength and prevention for overtraining
occur in only a couple of weeks; however, it will most likely take three or four weeks to produce results that will also be noticed by friends and coworkers depending upon the level of training and overall training status.

In clinical studies, HMB users have consistently improved strength, reduced muscle
damage, and have also improved body composition with exercise when compared
with placebo test subjects. Research suggests that HMB as a supplement also provides benefits to runners, cyclists, and other endurance training individuals because it helps increase oxygen intake (Vo2 max) and allows these athletes to exercise longer at a higher capacity.

*https://myhmb.com/clinical-research/focus/endurance/

*https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26225130/

Water is the most effective delivery mechanism for the body to experience the benefits of HMB. HMB-FA (free acid, β-hydroxy β-methylbutyric acid) is more readily absorbed into the bloodstream and has a longer elimination half-life (3 hours) relative to HMB-Ca (2.5 hours) 10,11. Tissue uptake and utilization of HMB-FA is 25-40% higher than for HMB-CA10,11.

Currently, there are about 50 human clinical studies traceable to TSI’s myHMB®, and myHMB® has been discussed in about 100 review articles, and 10 meta-analyses, which have been published as peer-reviewed papers, and there are still more ongoing studies with HMB.

Link

When HMB and Vitamin D3 are combined it optimizes the effectiveness of HMB. A year-long, double-blind study conducted by the researchers at Iowa State University and Des Moines University funded by NIH* also found HMB and Vitamin D3 improved muscle function in older adults, even without exercise.

*https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/75/11/2089/5898559?login=false

myHMB® does not contain any banned substances in accordance with WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).

Yes. HMB has undergone extensive clinical studies conducted to specifically evaluate the safety of HMB at several dose-levels, and no negative side effects have
been recorded in either men or women. A summary of the effects of HMB on hematology, emotional profile, and adverse effects as measured in nine clinical studies showed only positive effects on cholesterol (7percent decrease) and
blood pressure (4.4 mm of Hg decrease)*.

*https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2245953/

We advice you to consult a physician before consuming HMB if you are pregnant or lactating, an individual with any known medical problems and/or under the age of 18, as there hasn’t been safety studies conducted with those demographic groups.