Comparison of availability and plasma clearance rates of ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate delivery in the free acid and calcium salt forms.

ß-Hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate (HMB), a leucine metabolite, has long been supplemented as a Ca salt (Ca-HMB) to increase strength and performance gains with exercise and to reduce recovery time. Recently, the free acid form of HMB (HMB-FA) has become commercially available in capsule form (gelcap). The current study was conducted to compare the bioavailability of HMB using the two commercially available capsule forms of HMB-FA and Ca-HMB. We also compared the pharmacokinetics of each form when administered mixed in water. Ten human subjects (five male and five female) were studied in a randomised crossover design. There was no significant sex by treatment interaction for any of the pharmacokinetic parameters measured. HMB-FA administered in capsules was more efficient than Ca-HMB capsule at HMB delivery with a 37 % increase in plasma clearance rate (74·8 (sem 4·0) v. 54·5 (sem 3·2) ml/min, P<0·0001) and a 76 % increase in peak plasma HMB concentration (270·2 (sem 17·8) v. 153·9 (sem 17·9) µmol/l, P<0·006), which was reached in one-third the time (P<0·009). When HMB-FA and Ca-HMB were administered in water, the differences still favoured HMB-FA, albeit to a lesser degree. Plasma HMB with HMB-FA administered in water was greater during the early phase of absorption (up to 45 min postadministration, P<0·05); this resulted in increased AUC during the first 60 min after administration, when compared with Ca-HMB mixed in water (P<0·03). In conclusion, HMB-FA in capsule form improves clearance rate and availability of HMB compared with Ca-HMB in capsule form.

Pre-exercise ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate free-acid supplementation improves work capacity recovery: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a single-dose of ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate free acid (HMB-FA) supplementation on muscle recovery after a high-intensity exercise bout. Twenty-three trained young males were randomly assigned to receive either a single-dose supplementation of 3 g of HMB-FA (n = 12; age, 22.8 ± 3.0 years) or placebo (PLA; n = 11; age, 22.9 ± 3.1 years). A muscle damage protocol was applied 60 min after supplementation, and consisted of 7 sets of 20 drop jumps from a 60-cm box with 2-min rest intervals between sets. Muscle swelling, countermovement jump (CMJ), maximal voluntary isometric torque (MVIT), and work capacity (WC) were measured before, immediately after, and 24, 48, and 72 h after the exercise protocol. Muscle swelling, CMJ, and MVIT changed similarly in both groups after the exercise protocol (p < 0.001), but returned to pre-exercise levels after 24 h in both groups. WC decreased similarly in both groups after the exercise protocol (p < 0.01). For HMB-FA, WC returned to pre-exercise level 24 h after exercise protocol. However, for PLA, WC did not return to pre-exercise level even 72 h after the exercise protocol. In summary, a single-dose of HMB-FA supplementation improved WC recovery after a high-intensity exercise bout. However, HMB-FA did not affect the time-course of muscle swelling, MVIT, and CMJ recovery.