Muscle health, bone health and active aging are deeply interconnected.
Age-related muscle loss can contribute to joint pain, which can lead to a lack of exercise. This, in turn, can lead to losses in bone density and more muscle loss. This crucial concept transcends generations. Whereas Boomers have more immediate concerns about maintaining their mobility and independence, younger consumers are focused more than ever, on healthy aging strategies.
Among active adults, there is also strong interest in sports nutrition especially as it relates to maintaining muscle strength and body composition. The combination of HMB and vitamin D3, in sufficient doses, is emerging as a viable option for improving muscle strength and function at all stages of life.
Individually, HMB and vitamin D3 are backed by solid science
Calcium β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, or HMB, has been considered a critical muscle health nutrient for decades due to its ability to stimulate both protein synthesis and reduce muscle breakdown. HMB’s safety and effectiveness are backed by more than 150 human studies, 100-plus review articles and 14 meta-analyses. TSI Group has advanced much of this research, using its patented ingredient myHMB.
Likewise, vitamin D3 has long been acknowledged for its role in maintaining bone and skeletal health, as well as muscle recovery.1 Vitamin D supplementation has also been shown to improve muscle performance, while a vitamin D deficiency has been linked to loss of muscle strength.2
Newer science has found when combined with HMB, vitamin D3 optimizes the effectiveness of HMB. The synergy of this combination helps muscles reach their full functional potential.
How researchers discovered the synergies between HMB and vitamin D3
In 2019, results of a year-long, placebo-controlled study found that HMB increased lean body mass in adults over age 65 but didn’t appear to improve strength and function to the same magnitude. Because 70% of those study participants had insufficient vitamin D levels, researchers performed a retrospective analysis. They found that only those who had sufficient vitamin D3 levels saw an increase in strength and function with HMB. Intrigued, researchers further investigated this connection.
In 2020, published results of an NIH-funded study indicated that sufficient doses of HMB, as myHMB, and vitamin D3, when added to daily protein intake, improved muscle health in older adults.3 Higher vitamin D3 levels were associated with greater strength and superior muscle function. The synergistic benefits of HMB plus vitamin D3, were observed even without exercise.
In all, three human clinical studies and a retrospective study have been conducted on this promising ingredient combination. The studies evaluated such parameters as muscle strength, body composition (lean mass), handgrip strength and physical function. This additional research has revealed exciting results:
- A 12-month study examined how the nutritional intervention of HMB and vitamin D would affect strength and quality of life.4 The study results confirmed the beneficial effects of HMB plus vitamin D on weight, handgrip strength and some quality of life domains.
- A clinical study examined how the combination of HMB, vitamin D3, and protein could help improve recovery after orthopedic surgery for a hip fracture.5 Patients supplementing with HMB plus vitamin D3, and protein cocktail were more mobile on days 15 and 30. The patients were also found to have significantly increased strength on day 30.
- A year-long retrospective study in elderly adults demonstrated that a nutrient mixture of HMB, arginine, and lysine alone was effective in improving body composition regardless of vitamin D status, but accompanying strength increases were observed only when participants also had adequate vitamin D status indicating a synergistic effect between the HMB, arginine, and lysine and vitamin D.6
- A 12-week human clinical study determined that HMB and vitamin D appears to maintain muscle size in sedentary conditions, and to decrease intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) in middle-aged women with vitamin D3 sufficiency, independent of exercise.7
Collectively, the data indicate that when sufficiently dosed, the unique combination of HMB and vitamin D3 can:
- Improve muscle mass and muscle function
- Improve muscle strength and mobility
- Decrease muscle protein breakdown
- Increase muscle protein synthesis
- Strengthen bones to withstand activity, exercise, or strength training
To ensure efficacy and proper formulation, TSI Group has patented the recommended dosage based on this primary research: 1500 mg of myHMB and a minimum of 500 IUs of vitamin D, consumed once or twice per day.8
Intellectual Property’s role in steering the supplement industry’s upward trajectory
While generic dietary supplement ingredients are readily available, some concerns over purity, lack of efficacy and safety as well as counterfeit products, which may be under-dosed or not contain any actives at all, can threaten consumer confidence.
Intellectual Property (IP) protection includes patents, brand trademarks and licensing. IP helps ensure that only proper formulations using genuine, high-quality products reach consumers. Using researched, IP-protected combinations gives finished formulas key competitive advantages including:
- Scientific validation of efficacy and safety Particularly with regard to muscle health finished products, consumers expect to feel the benefits. When nutraceutical companies invest in IP protection, it often signifies that their product has gone through rigorous development, testing and research, leading to a safer, more effective consumer product that delivers the intended health benefits.
- Quality and regulatory advantages Patented ingredient suppliers often adhere to stringent regulatory compliance standards, ensuring legal safeguards are in place. Many also invest in certifications such as non-GMO and GRAS, further confirming quality, purity and integrity. An elite few are also USP verified.
- Brand identity Trademarks are key to building consumer trust. IP protection ensures competitors cannot copy or misuse a brand’s identity, helping to preserve your finished product’s reputation.
Adding power to muscle health formulas
Clinical research shows HMB and vitamin D3 act synergistically to promote muscle health, support muscle repair, increase muscle function and improve lean muscle mass gains. Scientists now understand that sufficient vitamin D3 is needed to optimize HMB’s results.
The trajectory of muscle health products capitalizing on this synergistic combination has just begun. Companies committed to leading this new category of muscle health products are opting for evidence-based, scientifically validated ingredients to ensure proper formulation and dosing, as well as to take full advantage of and working with an IP-protected brand.
References
1. Agoncillo, M.; Yu, J.; Gunton, JE. (2023). The Role of Vitamin D in Skeletal Muscle Repair and Regeneration in Animal Models and Humans: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 15(20):4377.
2. Harvard Health Publishing. Vitamin D deficiency linked to loss of muscle strength.
3. Rathmacher, J.; Pitchford, L.; Khoo, P.; et al. (2020). Long-term Effects of Calcium β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate and Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Muscular Function in Older Adults With and Without Resistance Training: A Randomized, Double-blind, Controlled Study. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Volume 75, Issue 11, Pages 2089–2097.
4. Rathmacher, J. A.; Pitchford, L.M.; Khoo, P.; et al. (2020). Long-term Effects of Calcium β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate and Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Muscular Function in Older Adults With and Without Resistance Training: A Randomized, Double-blind, Controlled Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 75(11):2089-2097.
5. Ekinci, O.; Yanık, S.; Terzioğlu Bebitoğlu, B.; et al. (2016). Effect of Calcium β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate (CaHMB), Vitamin D, and Protein Supplementation on Postoperative Immobilization in Malnourished Older Adult Patients With Hip Fracture: A Randomized Controlled Study. Nutr Clin Pract. 31(6):829-835.
6. Fuller, J.C Jr.; Baier, S.; Flakoll, P.; et al. (2011). Vitamin D status affects strength gains in older adults supplemented with a combination of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, arginine, and lysine: a cohort study. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 35(6):757-62. doi: 10.1177/0148607111413903. Epub 2011 Aug 1. PMID: 21807930.
7. Fairfield, W.D.; Minton, D.M.; Elliehausen, C.J.; et al. (2022). Small-Scale Randomized Controlled Trial to Explore the Impact of β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate Plus Vitamin D3 on Skeletal Muscle Health in Middle Aged Women. Nutrients. 14(21):4674.
8. U.S. Patent No. 8,815,280; U.S. Patent No. 9,539,224; U.S Patent No. 9,707,241
