Preserve Muscle and Improve Body Composition

Americans are on a constant quest to improve body composition while increasing lean muscle.

It’s why we diet, jog, and hit the gym.

Now research has shown that there’s a compound that can help.

Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, better known as HMB, has been shown to improve muscle strength and quality in adults of all ages.^1,2

It stimulates protein synthesis and prevents muscle breakdown.¹

It even shows benefits in those who are practicing intermittent fasting while working out.³

HMB may help adults of any age achieve and maintain a healthier body composition.

Fat Vs. Muscle Mass

Having an ideal body composition isn’t just about looking good.

The ratio of fat versus lean mass in the body can be an excellent indicator of overall health.⁴

According to the Director of PEAK Health and Wellness at the University of Utah, maintaining a healthy body composition:⁴

• Decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis,
• Lowers the risk of metabolic syndromes,
• Maintains cognitive function and decreases stress,
• Boosts energy, and
• Enhances the ability to perform daily activities.

Being overweight and even aging itself are associated with a body composition of too much stored fat and not enough lean muscle mass.⁵

Body composition is influenced by our genetics, metabolism, or environment.⁶

As a result, researchers have been investigating ways to improve body composition.⁶

HMB Preserves Muscle

HMB (or beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate) is a compound formed naturally when your body breaks down the amino acid leucine.⁷

It’s been shown to help prevent sarcopenia,⁸ the age-related loss of muscle mass.

Scientists have demonstrated that HMB works by exerting pro-anabolic (muscle-building) and anti-catabolic (breakdown-preventing) properties.^9-14

With age, HMB levels drop, a decline that correlates with diminished lean muscle mass and strength.¹⁵

A wealth of evidence has shown that HMB can protect, and even restore, lean muscle mass in older people.^2,14,16-18

This led scientists to investigate whether HMB could protect or restore lean muscle mass in younger people— and whether it would work in those who are overweight or following muscle-decreasing fasting routines.

HMB in Overweight People

As of 2016, over 650 million adults worldwide suffered from obesity. This amounted to 13% of the world’s adult population at that time.¹⁹

Scientists designed a clinical trial to investigate the effects of HMB on muscle strength in overweight, sedentary women, aged 20 to 45. No exercise training was involved.¹

The study was the most rigorous type: randomized, placebo-controlled, and double-blind (in which neither the subjects nor the researchers know who’s receiving the placebo or treatment).

Thirty-five women completed the study. All had a BMI (body mass index) between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2, considered overweight.

They were randomly divided into two groups. One was given 2.5 grams of HMB daily in two divided doses, while the other received a placebo.¹

After six weeks, the results showed that taking HMB increased muscle strength in these women. Without any resistance training, they were able to lift heavier weights (with both arms and legs) than those in the placebo group.¹

The study also concluded that HMB had a positive impact on various measures of body composition, including weight, waist and abdomen circumferences, and skin sagginess.¹

HMB During Fasting

Another team of scientists investigated how HMB would affect muscle mass in people trying a form of intermittent fasting known as time-restricted feeding.

So scientists set up a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study to test whether taking HMB could prevent this loss in those practicing this form of intermittent fasting.³

The research team recruited healthy female volunteers between 18 and 30 years old. All subjects were required to have previously participated in regular resistance training for at least one year.

These young, active women were divided into three groups:³

• The control group took a placebo and maintained a normal eating schedule.
• A second group took a placebo and followed a time-restricted eating schedule, which permitted eating only between noon and 8 p.m.
• A third group took 3 grams of HMB daily and followed the same time-restricted eating schedule as group two.

All groups participated in a resistance training program for three nonconsecutive days each week.

After eight weeks, the researchers found in a subgroup analysis and compared to baseline that:³

• The control group had an average 2% increase in body fat mass,
• Group two had an average 4% decrease in body fat mass, and
• Group three, the time-restricted eating group that took HMB, had an average 7% decrease in body fat mass.
• The greatest increases in fat-free mass also occurred in the HMB participants, who had a shift to a healthier body composition.³

Vitamin D Supports Muscle Strength

Like HMB, vitamin D also helps improve muscle strength and performance.^20,21

Scientists conducted a study involving 160 menopausal women, aged 50-65, who all had a history of falling.²² Falling is associated with inadequate muscle mass, in addition to a lack of coordination and balance.²³

The women were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily.

After nine months, the vitamin D group experienced a 25.3% increase in leg muscle strength.

Other investigators conducted a meta-analysis of 30 randomized, controlled trials, involving more than 5,600 people, to evaluate the effects of vitamin D on muscle performance.²⁰

The analysis showed that vitamin D had a significant positive effect on overall muscle strength.²⁰

Participants who had the lowest vitamin D levels at the beginning of the study (below 12 ng/mL) and those who were relatively older saw the greatest benefits from vitamin D supplementation.²⁰

How Vitamin D Works

There are several ways in which vitamin D can have a beneficial effect on muscle.

Research has shown that vitamin D:

• Directly increases the ability of muscle cells to contract,^24,25
• Improves the function and health of the mitochondria, the power suppliers in every cell, which increases muscle strength,²⁶ and
• Reduces chronic inflammation that can lead to muscle pain and weakness.²⁷

Summary

Maintaining muscle mass is vital for a healthy body composition.

HMB has previously been shown to reduce muscle wasting in older adults.

Human studies now confirm that HMB works in adults of all ages, promoting muscle growth and function while leading to improvements in strength, lean muscle mass, and body composition.

Vitamin D has been shown to boost muscle performance and strength as well.

Vitamin D and HMB can help improve body composition, preserve and increase muscle mass, and promote strength.

If you have any questions on the scientific content of this article, please call a Life Extension^® Wellness Specialist at 1-866-864-3027.

References

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2. Stout JR, Smith-Ryan AE, Fukuda DH, et al. Effect of calcium beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (CaHMB) with and without resistance training in men and women 65+yrs: a randomized, double-blind pilot trial. Exp Gerontol. 2013 Nov;48(11):1303-10.
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