Thursday, March 6, 2008

HMB

Benefits : Anti-Catabolic; Muscle Growth; Increased Muscle Recovery

HMB, which is short for "beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate", is a metabolite of the amino acid, leucine. HMB is basically an anti-catabolic substance that is used for nitrogen retention in the body. It decreases muscle-protein turnover and works primarily by minimizing protein degradation. This means that HMB prevents muscle tissue breakdown that occurs during strenuous exercise.

Usually when an individual exercises longer or more intensely, muscle catabolism (breakdown) can occur. Thus, the positive gains made by stimulating the muscles can be thwarted by the potential damaging effects of exercising. HMB's anti-catabolic properties work against this by shifting the balance towards anabolic growth. This allows the athlete to work out harder or more often and still reap the due benefits.

HMB can be found in food that we eat, such as grapefruit, catfish and is very abundant in mother's milk. However, it is impractical to consume enough quantities of these food, if at all, and on a regular enough basis to provide the benefits of HMB. Supplementation is the easier and more convenient way to go.

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