HMB
Beta-Hydroxy Beta-Methylburate
HMB is short for Beta-Hydroxy Beta-Methylburate which is a leucine metabolite
and is one of the newest additions to the world of sport supplements so there is
not a lot of research to back it up.
Scientists are not even sure just how it works, but one theory is that it
helps the body to limit protein breakdown and damage to muscle cells that takes
place after intense training, and especially weight training.
Reducing protein breakdown might push your body into a anabolic (muscle
growth state) instead of a catabolic (muscle destruction). This is actually one
of the effects steroid users seek, so if more studies show good results on HMB
this just might be an exciting supplement.
The one study that has been made on it is pretty impressive, it was
presented on june 2. 1995 at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a 3 week regular double blind university
study, the HMB group gained approximately 300% more lean mass and 295% more
strength than the group that followed the same training and nutrition program
but did not supplement with HMB.
This is however the only study that has been released, but another study has
been done and the preliminary results are said to also support the thory that
HMB helps promote muscle and strength gains. This study involves 40 weight
training athletes between the age of 19 and 29, they all followed the same
weight training program and lifted for 3 days a week with at least one day rest
between workouts.The preliminary results of the last study and the
final results of the first seems to point in the direction of HMB helping to
decrease catabolism (muscle breakdown) and increase the nitrogen retention
helping your body to become anabolic (muscle building), these two factors are
very beneficial for muscle growth, so look out for more news on HMB.
As of yet, no known side effects have been reported or documented from the use of HMB. As stated before, HMB is a natural substance produced by the human body and taking HMB in recommended doses appears to be safe and is backed by scientific research.
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