(P29-002-25) Effects of Oral Supplementation of β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate on Muscle Mass and Strength in Individuals Over the Age of 50: A Meta-Analysis

Objectives: β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate (HMB), a in vivo metabolite of leucine, has shown potential in improving muscle protein turnover, which may be important for preventing muscle degradation in aging populations. The aim of this meta-analysis is to clarify the impact of HMB oral supplementation on muscle-related indicators and discover the interaction between dosage and duration. The findings will provide a scientific basis for the use of HMB oral supplementation in the management of muscle attenuation.

Methods: A computer systems-based search for articles of randomized controlled trial (RCT) in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, EBSCO English databases and China Journal Full-Text Database (CNKI), Wan Fang Chinese databases, was conducted up to October 2023. The data analysis was performed using Stata version 12 statistical software. Data were pooled using weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: A total of 21 RCTs were included, involving 1935 participants, all of them were >50 years old. Results showed a positive impact of HMB oral supplementation in improving muscle mass (appendicular skeletal muscle mass: WMD =1.56 kg, 95% CI: 0.03–3.09 kg and lean mass: WMD = 0.28 kg, 95% CI: 0.16–0.41 kg), strength (handgrip strength: WMD = 0.54 kg, 95% CI: 0.04–1.04 kg and five-time chair stand test: WMD = −0.73 s, 95% CI: −1.35, −0.11 s), and physical function (gait speed: WMD = 0.06 m/s, 95% CI: 0.01–0.10 m/s). Subgroup analysis revealed that health status, gender, and BMI had no significant impact on the effect of HMB. For LM and five-time chair stand test, HMB supplementation had an effect on people over 50 years old, but the effect was more prominent in the population over 65 years old. And the effect of a dosage of 3 g/d had significant improvement, and the effect of supplementation duration lasting >12 weeks had significant improvement, and a dosage of 3g/day for more than 12 weeks was recommended.

Conclusions: HMB oral supplementation can improve muscle mass, strength, and physical function. We recommend to implement supplementation at a dosage of 3 g for a duration exceeding 12 weeks to achieve optimal benefits.

Funding Sources: This study was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (2022YFF1100605) and Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology (2022-F01).