Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyric Acid Supplementation in Healthy Populations: A Systematic Review

Abstract Supplementation of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyric acid (HMB), a metabolite of the branched chain amino acid leucine, has been examined in light of improving muscle loss. This chapter describes a systematic review, in which HMB is shown to improve muscle mass and strength during exercise. MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were used to search from the earliest possible year to July 2017. Participants were healthy subjects of all ages using HMB without any cosupplement. Two review authors working independently reviewed all randomized double-blinded trials on chronic (≥4 weeks) dosing. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria resulting in 360 subjects. Overall quality of all included trials was low risk or unclear of bias, and quality of reported information was high. From the review of the results, this systematic review revealed that HMB has the potential to increase muscle mass and strength during exercise.