ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2025
Beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl butyrate supplementation in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Resistance training and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate for functional recovery in critical illness: a multicenter 2 × 2 factorial randomized trial.Critical care (London, England) · 2025Trial
- Addressing metabolic demands during veno-venous extracorporeal life support: A narrative review.JPEN. Journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition · 2026Review
- Anti-Atrophic Effects of Dichotomine B fromMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl butyrate supplementation in surgical patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) is beneficial for restoring muscle mass. However, the evidence supporting its use in critically ill patients remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of HMB in this population to ascertain its effects. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and the Cochrane database for articles focusing on adult patients receiving HMB compared to controls. The primary outcome was mortality. To explore potential heterogeneity, we assessed study quality and performed subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and quality of evidence. Results: Nine randomized controlled trials were included. There were some differences in the study design, HMB protocols, and muscle measurements among these trials. Overall, there were no significant differences in mortality between the HMB and the control groups (risk ratio = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.44-2.08; Conclusion: Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) did not improve the mortality or other clinical outcomes in critically ill patients. This may be because of the different HMB strategies used in the included trials. Our findings provide insights into future research designs that explore the clinical efficacy of HMB in this patient population.
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