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β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation and resistance exercise significantly reduce abdominal adiposity in
Jeffrey R Stout1, David H Fukuda1, Kristina L Kendall1
1Institute of Exercise Physiology and Wellness, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States.
Insights
Supplementation with HMB (3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyrate) combined with resistance training significantly reduced abdominal fat mass in elderly men over 12 weeks.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Exercise Physiology
- Nutritional Biochemistry
Background:
- Aging is associated with increased abdominal adiposity, a risk factor for metabolic diseases.
- Resistance training (RT) and nutritional interventions like HMB (3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyrate) show potential for managing body composition in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the combined effects of HMB supplementation and 12-week resistance training on abdominal adiposity in elderly men.
- To compare the efficacy of HMB and RT, alone or in combination, versus placebo.
Main Methods:
- 48 men (66-78 years) were randomized into four groups: no-training placebo, HMB only, RT with placebo, or HMB with RT.
- Abdominal fat mass (AFM) was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
- Outcomes were analyzed using ANCOVA with baseline AFM as a covariate and Bonferroni-corrected pairwise comparisons.
Main Results:
- A significant difference in adjusted posttest AFM was observed between groups (p = 0.013).
- The HMB with RT group exhibited significantly lower AFM compared to the no-training placebo (p = 0.013), HMB only (p = 0.011), and RT with placebo (p = 0.010) groups.
- Mean AFM in the HMB with RT group was 2.34 ± 0.61 kg.
Conclusions:
- Combining HMB supplementation with 12 weeks of resistance training effectively decreased abdominal fat mass in elderly men.
- This synergistic approach appears more effective than either intervention alone or placebo for reducing abdominal adiposity in this demographic.
Abstract:
The effects of 12-weeks of HMB ingestion and resistance training (RT) on abdominal adiposity were examined in 48 men (66-78 yrs). All participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: no-training placebo (NT-PL), HMB only (NT-HMB), RT with PL (RT-PL), or HMB with RT (RT-HMB). DXA was used to estimate abdominal fat mass (AFM) by placing the region of interest over the L1-L4 region of the spine. Outcomes were assessed by ANCOVA, with Bonferroni-corrected pairwise comparisons. Baseline AFM values were used as the covariate. The ANCOVA indicated a significant difference (p = 0.013) between group means for the adjusted posttest AFM values (mean (kg) ± SE: NT-PL = 2.59 ± 0.06; NT-HMB = 2.59 ± 0.61; RT-PL = 2.59 ± 0.62; RT-HMB = 2.34 ± 0.61). The pairwise comparisons indicated that AFM following the intervention period in the RT-HMB group was significantly less than NT-PL (p = 0.013), NT-HMB (p = 0.011), and RT-PL (p = 0.010). These data suggested that HMB in combination with 12 weeks of RT decreased AFM in elderly men.
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