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Effect of Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation on testosterone levels of adult male athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
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Mehdi Mollahosseini1    , Mohammad Hossein Rahimi2 , Elham Hosseini Marnani3 , Zeinab Yazdanpanah4 , Hassan Mozaffari-Khosravi4 , Mahdieh Hosseinzadeh5 |
1- Molecular and medicine research center, Khomein University of Medical Sciences, Khomein, Iran - Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
2- Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
3- The University of Adelaide, Adelaide Medical School- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Adelaide, Australia
4- Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran-Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
5- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran - Research Center for Food Hygiene and safety, School of Public health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran , hoseinzade.mahdie@gmail.com |
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Abstract: (449 Views) |
Background: Testosterone is a male sex hormone that plays a major role in muscle strength and athletic performance. Additionally, Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB) is a metabolite of the essential amino acid leucine, and its intake is associated with increased strength and muscle mass. This study aimed to examine the effect of HMB supplementation on testosterone levels in male adult athletes.
Materials and methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, relevant studies were retrieved by systematically searching Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Persian databases including SID and Magiran using appropriate keywords. The differences in the mean changes of testosterone levels between the intervention and placebo groups were considered as effect sizes, and the meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model.
Results: In total, seven studies involving 192 individuals were included in this study. The results of the meta-analysis showed that HMB supplementation can significantly increase testosterone levels in male adult athletes (WMD= 1.010 nmol/L; 95%CI: 0.266-1.754; P = 0.008). No significant publication bias or heterogeneity was observed between the results of the included studies (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate a significant effect of HMB supplementation on increasing testosterone levels in male adult athletes. However, due to the high variability in the types of sports performed in the included studies and their relatively small sample sizes, further studies are necessary to draw more definitive conclusions.
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| Keywords: Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate, HMB, Athletes, Sport, Exercise, Testosterone, Male hormones, Systematic review, Meta-analysis. |
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Full-Text [PDF 979 kb]
(92 Downloads)
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Semi-pilot: Meta Analysis |
Subject:
Nutrition Sciences
Received: 2025/05/17 | Accepted: 2025/09/21 | Published: 2026/07/1
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| References |
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Mollahosseini M, Rahimi M H, Hosseini Marnani E, Yazdanpanah Z, Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Hosseinzadeh M. Effect of Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation on testosterone levels of adult male athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. MEDICAL SCIENCES 2026; 36 (2) :129-137 URL: http://tmuj.iautmu.ac.ir/article-1-2369-en.html
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