Gain And Retain Muscle Strength With The Help Of This Dietary Supplement

Medical professionals refer to muscle loss as sarcopenia. This is a fairly common condition affecting approximately 10% of adults above 50 years of age. It is believed that with the passing of each year, those who are beyond 50 years old will lose about three percent of muscle strength. This leads to a limitation in your ability to do what should have been routine activities.

Cause of Sarcopenia

Age-related degeneration of muscle can affect your quality of life and, at worse, can potentially be a debilitating condition. According to medical practitioners, sarcopenia is a condition characterized by the imbalance of signals between anabolism or muscle cell growth and catabolism or muscle cell teardown.

Older people tend to experience more of catabolism. This then leads to the loss of muscles in those belonging to this age bracket.

A Beacon of Hope

Recent studies provided much hope for those suffering from sarcopenia. Researchers of these studies revealed that intake of beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl butyrate or HMB supplements could help in increasing your muscle mass once again.

One such study conducted by Vukovich and his team involved 31 volunteers 70 years old and above. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group received HMB supplements and was made to perform a 12-week exercise program. The second group participated in the same exercise program but did not receive supplementation.

After the study, the researchers found a significant gain in the muscle mass of those who performed the exercise routine and took HMB supplements. The other group showed little improvement in their muscle mass.

In another study, this time conducted by Stout and his team of researchers involved 36 participants above 65 years old. The control group received HMB supplementation alone. This means the experiment is devoid of any exercise program.

At the end of 24 weeks, researchers found the control group who took HMB supplements enjoyed a considerable improvement in the quality of their muscles. This is calculated as muscle strength relative to muscle mass. With such truly positive results, it is not surprising there is a big market for HMB supplements at the moment.

HMB Composition

A metabolite of leucine, HMB is a vital branched-chain amino acid that functions as a signaling molecule that promotes protein synthesis. HMB also helps in minimizing protein breakdown. The supplement is very popular with those who frequent the gym and use it as a post-exercise shake.