myHMB Science and
Clinical Research

In this preclinical cell study, researchers exposed differentiated C2C12 muscle cells to high glucose and free fatty acids to model the metabolic and lipotoxic stress associated with type 2 diabetes, then treated the cells with HMB, liraglutide, or a combination of both. HMB alone helped preserve myotube area, while liraglutide primarily reduced lipid accumulation and partially improved insulin signaling. The combination produced the broadest effects, including improved insulin signaling and glucose uptake, reduced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, and greater preservation of muscle cell structure while suppressing markers associated with muscle breakdown. These findings suggest that HMB and liraglutide may provide complementary effects under metabolic stress and support further research into strategies for preserving skeletal muscle health alongside GLP-1 therapy. Because this was an in vitro study in mouse muscle cells, clinical studies are needed to determine whether these findings translate to people.

In this randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, 102 adults with obesity followed a standardized calorie-restricted diet for 12 weeks while receiving either a daily CaHMB-enriched nutritional supplement providing 3 g of CaHMB and 24 g of protein or an energy-matched control. Participants receiving the CaHMB-enriched supplement maintained skeletal muscle mass, while the control group experienced muscle loss, resulting in a significant between-group difference of 1.3 kg. The CaHMB-enriched group also experienced greater reductions in body fat mass and visceral fat area and better preservation of basal metabolic rate. These findings suggest that CaHMB-enriched nutrition may support muscle preservation and more favorable body composition during dietary weight loss. Because the supplement contained protein and additional nutrients alongside CaHMB, the findings reflect the nutritional formula as a whole.

In this randomized, double-blind, crossover clinical trial, 24 healthy community-dwelling older adults between the ages of 65 and 75 consumed either 40 g of whey protein alone or 40 g of whey protein plus 3 g of calcium HMB. Researchers measured muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein breakdown before and after supplementation to better understand how HMB may work alongside protein in the fed state. Both protein conditions increased muscle protein synthesis after feeding. In older women, the addition of HMB further increased the muscle protein synthesis response compared to protein alone. The study also found that HMB further suppressed muscle protein breakdown during the later fed period compared to protein alone. These findings add to the growing body of research supporting HMB as a complementary ingredient to protein for muscle health nutrition strategies in healthy aging.