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.

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.

The effects of HMB supplementation during 8 weeks of time-restricted feeding were studied in young, resistance-trained women. Time-restricted feeding is a type of intermittent fasting, where all daily calories are consumed during a smaller “feeding window” each day. Each study participant was assigned to either time-restricted feeding (TRF, 8 hours) or the control group (no feeding time restrictions). Half of the women in the TRF group took three 1g doses of HMB per day (upon waking, mid-morning, and at bedtime), while all other participants took placebo supplements on the same schedule.  All of the women completed the same whole-body resistance training program. 24 women completed the entire study as designed. In these women, fat free mass and muscle thickness increased in all three groups. However, only the TRF+HMB group significantly reduced fat mass (-7%) and significantly improved their body composition (-2.3 % body fat, an 8% improvement). These data show that HMB can help reduce body fat while maintaining muscle mass during intermittent fasting in active women.