HMB, a metabolite of leucine, has been shown to have several positive
effects on health.
In particular, HMB may decrease muscle damage and
have anti-catabolic effects that could translate into greater gains in
lean body mass and muscular adaptations to resistance training. HMB may work better if combined with other
amino acids. Researchers at the University of Connecticut tested the effects of a supplement containing 1.5 g
HMB, 7 g of
arginine, 7 g of
glutamine, and 3 g
taurine.
Two groups of healthy men performed 12 weeks of heavy resistance
training while supplementing with either the HMB-amino acid formula or
a placebo. Both had positive responses to training as expected. However
the HMB-amino acid group had significantly greater increases in muscle
strength, muscle power and levels of testosterone and growth hormone.
In addition, they also had lower levels of stress as indicated by
decreased cortisol and markers of oxidative stress and muscle damage.
One of the most impressive findings was that HMB-amino acids resulted
in an average increase in lean body mass of almost 10 pounds in 12
weeks. The results provide evidence that HMB in combination with the
specific amino acids glutamine, arginine, and taurine can augment
responses to resistance training.
Kraemer WJ, Hatfield DL, Volek JS, Fragala MS, Vingren JL, Anderson JM,
Spiering BA, Thomas GA, Ho JY, Quann EE, Izquierdo M, Häkkinen K,
Maresh CM. Effects of Amino Acids Supplement on Physiological
Adaptations to Resistance Training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Apr 3.
[Epub ahead of print]
