SynthesisNutrients2020
Supplementation with the Leucine Metabolite β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) does not Improve Resistance Exercise-Induced Changes in Body Composition or Strength in Young Subjects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of nutritional supplementation on physical performance and sport-specific skills in volleyball players: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Pooled it
- Ergogenic Benefits of β-Hydroxy-β-Methyl Butyrate (HMB) Supplementation on Body Composition and Muscle Strength: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025Pooled it
- 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.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of oral supplementation of β -hydroxy-β -methylbutyrate on muscle mass and strength in individuals over the age of 50: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Acute and Chronic Performance Enhancement in Rowing: A Network Meta-analytical Approach on the Effects of Nutrition and Training.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of multicomponent training and HMB supplementation on disability, cognitive and physical function in institutionalized older adults aged over 70 years: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024Trial
- International society of sports nutrition position stand: β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB).Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Review
- Primary Roles of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) and Their Metabolism in Physiology and Metabolic Disorders.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Article
- Amino acids regulating skeletal muscle metabolism: mechanisms of action, physical training dosage recommendations and adverse effects.Nutrition & metabolism · 2024Review
- Influence of Amino Acids and Exercise on Muscle Protein Turnover, Particularly in Cancer Cachexia.Cancers · 2024Review
- Superior bioavailability of the calcium salt form of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate compared with the free acid form.Amino acids · 2024Article
- Effects of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate supplementation on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage: a mini-review.Physical activity and nutrition · 2022Article
- Article
- Effect of Resistance Training Combined with Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyric Acid Supplements in Elderly Patients with Sarcopenia after Hip Replacement.Orthopaedic surgery · 2022Article
- Rehabilitation Nutrition for Injury Recovery of Athletes: The Role of Macronutrient Intake.Nutrients · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) is a leucine metabolite that is purported to increase fat-free mass (FFM) gain and performance in response to resistance exercise training (RET). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy of HMB supplementation in augmenting FFM and strength gains during RET in young adults. Outcomes investigated were: total body mass (TBM), FFM, fat mass (FM), total single repetition maximum (1RM), bench press (BP) 1RM, and lower body (LwB) 1RM. Databases consulted were: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Excerpta Medica database (Embase), The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and SportDiscus. Fourteen studies fit the inclusion criteria; however, 11 were analyzed after data extraction and funnel plot analysis exclusion. A total of 302 participants (18-45 y) were included in body mass and composition analysis, and 248 were included in the strength analysis. A significant effect was found on TBM. However, there were no significant effects for FFM, FM, or strength outcomes. We conclude that HMB produces a small effect on TBM gain, but this effect does not translate into significantly greater increases in FFM, strength or decreases in FM during periods of RET. Our findings do not support the use of HMB aiming at improvement of body composition or strength with RET.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.