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Hmb6.0
HMB Research
Probably helps
155 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Probably helps
HMB helped in about half (7/11) of the studies that measured an effect — promising, but not unanimous.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 1996–2026 with a typical study size of 48 participants.
Based on 155 studies · 19 meta-analyses · 113 RCTs · 7,453 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
What the studies found
7helped4unclear· 144 more without graded effect data
By outcome
Lean body mass & muscle growthNo effect on strength or body composition in trained adults; small muscle-mass benefit mainly in clinical/older populations · 4-8 weeks
Probably helps94 studies
Muscle strength & powerNo effect on strength or body composition in trained adults; small muscle-mass benefit mainly in clinical/older populations · 4-8 weeks
Probably helps50 studies
Therapeutic & clinical
Probably helps34 studies
RecoveryReduced muscle damage markers after intense exercise · 1-2 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational23 studies
Weight management
Likely helps9 studies
Endurance & exercise performancePreserves lean mass during endurance training and caloric deficit · 4-8 weeks · Mixed; no strength/body-comp benefit in trained adults, though a meta-analysis found improved endurance and VO2max · 4-8 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational6 studies
Energy & fatigue
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
Inflammation
Too few graded studies2 studies
Safety profile
Too few graded studies2 studies
Heart & blood pressure
Too few graded studies1 study
By the numbers
Pulled from 31 studies with measurable effects
Likely real effects
56%
across studies
People studied
7,453
typical study: 48 people
Strongest designs
132
19 pooled, 113 randomised
Showed benefit
64%
7/11 studies
How long studies ran
1–3 months
2
3+ months
3
Populations Studied
Older adults2
Patients with chronic wounds1
Patients with sarcopenia1
Individuals experiencing muscular atrophy1
Active research area
71 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2026
199620112026
1Muscle quality, body composition, and physical functionMeta-Analysisn=596 · large study2025
In plain English: Further high-quality RCTs are warranted to confirm its clinical relevance.
García-Alonso A, Sánchez-González JL, Navarro-López V, Méndez-Sánchez R, Polo-Ferrero L. · Nutrients (2025)
No clear effect
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Borderline
Pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.
RT+HMB produced modest and borderline significant improvements in handgrip strength (SMD 0.24; 95% CI 0.00-0.48; p = 0.05) and moderate benefits in Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) scores (SMD 0.54; 95% CI 0.12-0.95; p = 0.01).
Five trials (50%) were rated at high risk of bias, limiting confidence in pooled estimates.
2Chronic wound healingSystematic Reviewn=741 · large study2024
In plain English: Primary wound types included pressure injuries (58%), diabetic foot ulcers (40%), and venous ulcers (2%).
Santo ACSDE et al. · Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) (2024)
Primary wound types included pressure injuries (58%), diabetic foot ulcers (40%), and venous ulcers (2%).
Two other studies investigated a combination of arginine, glutamine, and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate; however, they did not yield significant results, and one study favored a hyperproteic formula instead of a hyperproteic formula with arginine.
This review provides evidence supporting the potential of oral nutritional supplementation to enhance the healing process of chronic wounds.
3Physical performance assessed by gait speedMeta-Analysisn=359 · medium study2025
In plain English: Overall, although limited and requiring interpretation with utmost caution, current evidence indicates that HMB supplementation is beneficial for improving muscle mass and strength, but there is no evidence of a benefit on physical performance in patients with sarcopenia.
Gu WT et al. · Maturitas (2025)
No clear effect
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Could be chance
For the overall risk of bias, no studies were graded as "high risk of bias", one (20.0 %) as "some concerns", and four (80.0 %) as "low risk of bias" according to the ROB 2.
However, there was no evidence of a benefit on physical performance, assessed by gait speed (SMD = 0.19; 95 % CI: [-0.14, 0.53]; Z value = 1.14; P = 0.255).
Overall, although limited and requiring interpretation with utmost caution, current evidence indicates that HMB supplementation is beneficial for improving muscle mass and strength, but there is no evidence of a benefit on physical performance in patients with sarcopenia.
5Muscle mass changeMeta-Analysisn=41 · small study2025
In plain English: HMB supplementation may benefit individuals experiencing muscular atrophy due to physiological conditions, particularly enhancing muscle mass and strength without significant changes in fat mass or body weight.
Bideshki MV et al. · Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle (2025)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Likely real
HMB supplementation significantly increased muscle mass (ES: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.06-0.35; p = 0.004), muscle strength index (ES: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.19-0.35; p < 0.001) and FFM (ES: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.11-0.34; p < 0.001).
No significant changes were observed in FM (ES: 0.03; 95% CI: -0.04 to 0.35; p = 0.09) or body mass (ES: 0.09; 95% CI: -0.06 to 0.24; p = 0.22).
HMB supplementation may benefit individuals experiencing muscular atrophy due to physiological conditions, particularly enhancing muscle mass and strength without significant changes in fat mass or body weight.
In plain English: Overall, individual studies show some promise for several dietary supplements to alter body mass and body composition, improve exercise recovery and performance, delay fatigue, and modify serum biomarkers; nevertheless, effect sizes were often small, and results were often mixed.
Coutiño Díaz M et al. · Current nutrition reports (2025)
Overall, individual studies show some promise for several dietary supplements to alter body mass and body composition, improve exercise recovery and performance, delay fatigue, and modify serum biomarkers; nevertheless, effect sizes were often small, and results were often mixed.
13Proportion of foot ulcers healed at 16 weeksMeta-Analysisn=629 · large study2020
In plain English: Evidence for the impact of nutritional interventions on the healing of foot ulcers in people with diabetes compared with no nutritional supplementation, or compared with a different dose of nutritional supplementation, remains uncertain, with eight studies showing no clear benefit or harm.
Moore ZE et al. · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2020)
No clear effect
← WorseNo effectBetter →
It is also uncertain whether arginine, glutamine and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate supplement increases the proportion of ulcers healed at 16 weeks compared with placebo (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.40).
It is uncertain whether oral nutritional supplement with 20 g protein per 200 mL bottle, 1 kcal/mL, nutritional supplement with added vitamins, minerals and trace elements, reduces the number of deaths (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.06 to 14.60) or amputations (RR 4.82, 95% CI 0.24 to 95.88) more than placebo.
It is uncertain whether arginine, glutamine and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate supplement increases health-related quality of life at 16 weeks more than placebo (MD -0.03, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.03).
In plain English: Supplementation with HMB, l-carnitine, branched-chain amino acids, curcumin, ginseng, leaf extract, polyphenols, and anthocyanins showed favorable effects on some EIMD-related outcomes.
Talebi S et al. · Nutrition reviews (2024)
Supplementation with HMB, l-carnitine, branched-chain amino acids, curcumin, ginseng, leaf extract, polyphenols, and anthocyanins showed favorable effects on some EIMD-related outcomes.
In plain English: Specifically, interventions in older adults aged 80 years or older, with cognitive impairment, frailty, or limited mobility are required.
Courel-Ibáñez J et al. · Nutrients (2019)
Results showed that HMB supplementation in addition to physical exercise has no or fairly low impact in improving body composition, muscle strength, or physical performance in adults aged 50 to 80 years, compared to exercise alone.
There is a gap of knowledge on the beneficial effects of HMB combined with exercise to preserve cognitive functions in aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Future RCTs are needed to refine treatment choices combining HMB and exercises for older people in particular populations, ages, and health status.
18Body composition and strengthMeta-Analysisn=394 · medium study2018
In plain English: This meta-analysis found no effect of HMB supplementation on strength and body composition in trained and competitive athletes.
Sanchez-Martinez J et al. · Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (2018)
HMB supplementation interventions present a trivial non-significant ES in all variables studied (bench press ES=0.00, leg press ES=0.09, body mass ES=-0.01, fat-free mass ES=0.16, and fat mass ES=-0.20; all cases p>0.05, and null heterogeneity I2=0.0% p>0.05).
These results remained constant even analyzing by subgroups (HMB doses, duration of intervention, training level and diet co-intervention).
This meta-analysis found no effect of HMB supplementation on strength and body composition in trained and competitive athletes.
20Muscle mass and function in cancer patientsSystematic Review2022
In plain English: Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle
Prado CM et al. · Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle (2022)
Studies prescribed HMB combined with amino acids (73.3%), HMB in oral nutritional supplements (20.0%), or both supplement types (6.7%); Ca-HMB doses of 3.0 g/day were provided in 80.0% of the studies.
No serious adverse effects directly related to the nutrition intervention were reported.
Although limited, current evidence suggests that HMB supplementation has a beneficial effect on muscle mass and function in patients with cancer.