The Addition of Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate and Isomaltulose to Whey Protein Improves Recovery from Highly Demanding Resistance Exercise
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated whether a combination of whey protein (WP), calcium beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), and carbohydrate exert additive effects on recovery from highly demanding resistance exercise. METHODS: Thirteen resistance-trained men (age: 22.6 ± 3.9 years; height: 175.3 ± 12.2 cm; weight: 86.2 ± 9.8 kg) completed a double-blinded, counterbalanced, within-group study. Subjects ingested EAS Recovery Protein (RP; EAS Sports Nutrition/Abbott Laboratories, Columbus, OH) or WP twice daily for 2 weeks prior to, during, and for 2 days following 3 consecutive days of intense resistance exercise. The workout sequence included heavy resistance exercise (day 1) and metabolic resistance exercise (days 2 and 3). The subjects performed no physical activity during day 4 (+24 hours) and day 5 (+48 hours), where recovery testing was performed. Before, during, and following the 3 workouts, treatment outcomes were evaluated using blood-based muscle damage markers and hormones, perceptual measures of muscle soreness, and countermovement jump performance. RESULTS: Creatine kinase was lower for the RP treatment on day 2 (RP: 166.9 ± 56.4 vs WP: 307.1 ± 125.2 IU · L(-1), p ≤ 0.05), day 4 (RP: 232.5 ± 67.4 vs WP: 432.6 ± 223.3 IU · L(-1), p ≤ 0.05), and day 5 (RP: 176.1 ± 38.7 vs 264.5 ± 120.9 IU · L(-1), p ≤ 0.05). Interleukin-6 was lower for the RP treatment on day 4 (RP: 1.2 ± 0.2 vs WP: 1.6 ± 0.6 pg · ml(-1), p ≤ 0.05) and day 5 (RP: 1.1 ± 0.2 vs WP: 1.6 ± 0.4 pg · ml(-1), p ≤ 0.05). Muscle soreness was lower for RP treatment on day 4 (RP: 2.0 ± 0.7 vs WP: 2.8 ± 1.1 cm, p ≤ 0.05). Vertical jump power was higher for the RP treatment on day 4 (RP: 5983.2 ± 624 vs WP 5303.9 ± 641.7 W, p ≤ 0.05) and day 5 (RP: 5792.5 ± 595.4 vs WP: 5200.4 ± 501 W, p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that during times of intense conditioning, the recovery benefits of WP are enhanced with the addition of HMB and a slow-release carbohydrate. We observed reductions in markers of muscle damage and improved athletic performance.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
β-HMB, a leucine metabolite, may attenuate catabolism and exercise-induced muscle damage, favoring growth hormone production, tissue repair, and muscular protein synthesis.
“β-HMB, a leucine metabolite, may also attenuate catabolism and exercise-induced muscle damage (Arazi et al. 2021;Kim and Kim 2022), favoring growth hormone production, tissue repair (Arazi et al. 2021) and muscular protein synthesis (Kraemer et al. 2015).”
From Effect of a Multi-Ingredient Post-Workout Dietary Supplement on Body Composition and Muscle Strength – A Randomized Controlled Trial (2025) · cites this paper as Kraemer et al. 2015
During a heavy resistance training program, recovery benefits of whey protein might be enhanced with the addition of HMB and isomaltulose, which has shown significant reductions in markers of muscle damage while improving athletic performance.
“Interestingly, during a heavy resistance training program, the recovery benefits of whey protein might be enhanced with the addition of β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) and isomaltulose, which has shown to have significant reductions in markers of muscle damage while improving athletic performance [53].”
From The 4R’s Framework of Nutritional Strategies for Post-Exercise Recovery: A Review with Emphasis on New Generation of Carbohydrates (2020) · cites this paper as [53]
Cites
Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults
(2009) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3181915670 · Cited by 4,332 · see citing works
Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults
(2002) · Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise · doi:10.1097/00005768-200202000-00027 · Cited by 2,979 · see citing works
Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Humans
Clarkson, P. M., & Hubal, M. J. (2002) · American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation · doi:10.1097/00002060-200211001-00007 · Cited by 1,478 · see citing works
(2013) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e318279a10a · Cited by 1,233 · see citing works
Role of Myokines in Exercise and Metabolism
Pedersen, B. K., Åkerström, T. C. A., Nielsen, A. R., & Fischer, C. P. (2007) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00080.2007 · Cited by 841 · see citing works
The Molecular Bases of Training Adaptation
Coffey, V. G., & Hawley, J. A. (2007) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.2165/00007256-200737090-00001 · Cited by 756 · see citing works
Biolo, G., Maggi, S. P., Williams, B. D., Tipton, K. D., & Wolfe, R. R. (1995) · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · doi:10.1152/ajpendo.1995.268.3.e514 · Cited by 713 · see citing works
Paulsen, G., Mikkelsen, U. R., Raastad, T., & Peake, J. M. (2026) · PubMed · doi:10.22029/eir.2012.1668 · Cited by 572 · see citing works
Keller, C., Steensberg, A., Pilegaard, H., Osada, T., Saltin, B., Pedersen, B. K., & Neufer, P. D. (2001) · The FASEB Journal · doi:10.1096/fj.01-0507fje · Cited by 514 · see citing works
Wilkinson, D. J., Hossain, T., Hill, D. S., Phillips, B. E., Crossland, H., Williams, J., Loughna, P., Churchward‐Venne, T. A., Breen, L., Phillips, S. M., et al. (2013) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2013.253203 · Cited by 484 · see citing works
Branched-Chain Amino Acids Activate Key Enzymes in Protein Synthesis after Physical Exercise
Blomstrand, E., Eliasson, J., Karlsson, H. K., & Köhnke, R. (2006) · The Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.1093/jn/136.1.269s · Cited by 395 · see citing works
Nissen, S., Sharp, R., Ray, M., Rathmacher, J. A., Rice, D., Fuller, J. C., Connelly, A. S., & Abumrad, N. (1996) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/jappl.1996.81.5.2095 · Cited by 393 · see citing works
Nieman, D. C., Davis, J. M., Henson, D. A., Walberg-Rankin, J., Shute, M., Dumke, C. L., Utter, A. C., Vinci, D. M., Carson, J. A., Brown, A., et al. (2003) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01130.2002 · Cited by 353 · see citing works
Metabolic markers in sports medicine
Banfi, G., Colombini, A., Lombardi, G., & Lubkowska, A. (2012) · Advances in clinical chemistry · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-394317-0.00015-7 · Cited by 315 · see citing works
Nutritional role of the leucine metabolite β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB)
Nissen, S., & Abumrad, N. N. (1997) · The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry · doi:10.1016/s0955-2863(97)00048-x · Cited by 269 · see citing works
Flakoll, P. J., Sharp, R. L., Baier, S. M., Levenhagen, D. K., Carr, C., & Nissen, S. (2004) · Nutrition · doi:10.1016/j.nut.2004.01.009 · Cited by 262 · see citing works
Cytokines and cell adhesion molecules associated with high-intensity eccentric exercise
SMITH, L. L., Anwar, A., Fragen, M., Rananto, C., Johnson, R., & Holbert, D. (2000) · European Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1007/s004210050652 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Whey protein supplementation during resistance training augments lean body mass
Volek, J. S., Volk, B. M., Gómez, A. L., Kunces, L. J., Kupchak, B. R., Freidenreich, D. J., Aristizabal, J. C., Saenz, C., Dunn-Lewis, C., Ballard, K. D., et al. (2013) · Journal of the American College of Nutrition · doi:10.1080/07315724.2013.793580 · Cited by 181 · see citing works
Self-citationBergeron, M. F., Nindl, B. C., Deuster, P. A., Baumgartner, N., Kane, S. F., Kraemer, W. J., Sexauer, L. R., Thompson, W. R., & O’Connor, F. G. (2011) · Current Sports Medicine Reports · doi:10.1249/jsr.0b013e318237bf8a · Cited by 174 · see citing works
??-hydroxy-??-methylbutyrate ingestion, Part I: effects on strength and fat free mass
GALLAGHER, P. M., CARRITHERS, J. A., GODARD, M. P., SCHULZE, K. E., & TRAPPE, A. S. W. (2000) · Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise · doi:10.1097/00005768-200012000-00022 · Cited by 171 · see citing works
Influence of carbohydrate ingestion on immune changes after 2 h of intensive resistance training
Nieman, D. C., Davis, J. M., Brown, V. A., Henson, D. A., Dumke, C. L., Utter, A. C., Vinci, D. M., Downs, M. F., Smith, J., Carson, J. A., et al. (2004) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01064.2003 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
HMB supplementation: clinical and athletic performance-related effects and mechanisms of action
Zanchi, N. E., Gerlinger‐Romero, F., Guimarães‐Ferreira, L., Filho, M. A. D. S., Felitti, V., Lira, F. S., Seelaender, M. C. L., & Lancha, A. H. (2010) · Amino Acids · doi:10.1007/s00726-010-0678-0 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
Therapeutic Use of Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Burn, Trauma, and Sepsis ,
Bandt, J. P. D., & Cynober, L. (2006) · Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.1093/jn/136.1.308s · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Wilson, J. M., Lowery, R. P., Joy, J. M., Andersen, J. C., Wilson, S. M. C., Stout, J. R., Duncan, N., Fuller, J. C., Baier, S. M., Naimo, M. A., et al. (2014) · European Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1007/s00421-014-2854-5 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Wilson, J. M., Lowery, R. P., Joy, J. M., Walters, J., Baier, S. M., Fuller, J. C., Stout, J. R., Norton, L. E., Sikorski, E. M., Wilson, S. M. C., et al. (2013) · British Journal Of Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s0007114512005387 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Townsend, J. R., Fragala, M. S., Jajtner, A. R., Gonzalez, A. M., Wells, A. J., Mangine, G. T., Robinson, E. H., McCormack, W. P., Beyer, K. S., Pruna, G. J., et al. (2013) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00738.2013 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Glucocorticoid regulation of muscle branched-chain amino acid metabolism
Block, K. P., & Buse, M. G. (1990) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/00005768-199006000-00008 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Isomaltulose: Recent evidence for health benefits
Shyam, S., Ramadas, A., & Chang, S. K. (2018) · Journal of Functional Foods · doi:10.1016/j.jff.2018.07.002 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Bonilla, D. A., Pérez-Idárraga, A., Odriozola-Martínez, A., & Kreider, R. B. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18010103 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
“Interestingly, during a heavy resistance training program, the recovery benefits of whey protein might be enhanced with the addition of β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) and isomaltulose, which has shown to have significant reductions in markers of muscle damage while improving athletic performance [53].”
BackgroundYakabe, M., Ogawa, S., Ota, H., Iijima, K., Eto, M., Ouchi, Y., & Akishita, M. (2018) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191318 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Low Glycemic Index Prototype Isomaltulose—Update of Clinical Trials
Maresch, C. C., Petry, S. F., Theis, S., Bosy-Westphal, A., & Linn, T. (2017) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu9040381 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
A comparison of isomaltulose versus maltodextrin ingestion during soccer-specific exercise
Stevenson, E. J., Watson, A., Theis, S., Holz, A., Harper, L. D., & Russell, M. (2017) · European Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1007/s00421-017-3719-5 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
International society of sports nutrition position stand: β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB)
Rathmacher, J. A., Pitchford, L. M., Stout, J. R., Townsend, J. R., Jäger, R., Kreider, R. B., Campbell, B. I., Kerksick, C. M., Harty, P. S., Candow, D. G., et al. (2024) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1080/15502783.2024.2434734 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Isomaltulose: From origin to application and its beneficial properties – A bibliometric approach
de Souza, W. F. C., Almeida, F. L. C., de Castro, R. J. S., & Sato, H. H. (2022) · Food Research International · doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111061 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Lam, F.-C., Bukhsh, A., Rehman, H., Waqas, M. K., Shahid, N., Khaliel, A. M., Elhanish, A. A. S., Karoud, M., Telb, A., & Khan, T. M. (2019) · Frontiers in Pharmacology · doi:10.3389/fphar.2019.00317 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Lam, F.-C., Khan, T. M., Faidah, H. S., Haseeb, A., & Khan, A. H. (2019) · Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1186/s13643-019-1039-z · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Effect of protein quality on recovery after intense resistance training
Rindom, E., Nielsen, M. H., Kececi, K., Jensen, M. E. J., Vissing, K., & Farup, J. (2016) · European Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1007/s00421-016-3477-9 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Stahn, A. C., Maggioni, M. A., Gunga, H., & Terblanche, E. (2020) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1186/s12970-020-0336-1 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Leucine metabolites do not attenuate training-induced inflammation in young resistance trained men
Teixeira, F. J., Matias, C. N., Monteiro, C. P., Valamatos, M. J., Reis, J. F., Morton, R. W., Alves, F., Sardinha, L. B., & Phillips, S. M. (2019) · Journal of Sports Sciences · doi:10.1080/02640414.2019.1617503 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Puente-Fernández, J., Larumbe-Zabala, E., Roberts, J., & Naclerio, F. (2025) · Journal of Dietary Supplements · doi:10.1080/19390211.2025.2488811 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“Moreover, β -HMB, a leucine metabolite, may also attenuate catabolism and exercise-induced muscle damage (Arazi et al. 2021; Kim and Kim 2022), favoring growth hormone production, tissue repair (Arazi et al. 2021) and muscular protein synthesis (Kraemer et al. 2015).”
Puente-Fernández, J., Seijo, M., Larumbe‐Zabala, E., Jiménez, A., Liguori, G. A., Rossato, C. J. L., Mayo, X., & Naclerio, F. (2020) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu12123778 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Olveira, G., Olveira, C., García‐Escobar, E., Doña, E., Palenque, F. J., Porras, N., Dorado, A., Godoy, A., Rubio-Martín, E., Bermúdez‐Silva, F. J., et al. (2020) · Nutrición Hospitalaria · doi:10.20960/nh.02763 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Wilson, J. M., Lowery, R. P., Joy, J. M., & Rathmacher, J. A. (2016) · The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · doi:10.1519/01.jsc.0000503242.18991.93 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Rahimi, R., & Nejad, H. S. (2017) · Preprints.org · doi:10.20944/preprints201705.0165.v1 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Jozi, H., Alamdari, N. M., Tutunchi, H., Naghshi, S., Bideshki, M. V., Yagin, N. L., & Tarighat‐Esfanjani, A. (2026) · Sport Sciences for Health · doi:10.1007/s11332-026-01738-1 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Are Dietary Supplements, Harmful or Good for Athletes?
Miller, F. G., McGrowder, D. A., Vaz, K., & McLean-Miller, K. (2022) · Journal of Sports and Physical Education Studies · doi:10.32996/jspes.2022.2.1.2 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Supplementation with Multi-Ingredients for Physically Active Individuals.
Naclerio, F. (2023) · Revista Iberoamericana de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte · doi:10.24310/riccafd.12.3.2023.17761
Stahn, A. C., Maggioni, M. A., Gunga, H.-C., & Terblanche, E. (2020) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.11978793
Stahn, A. C., Maggioni, M. A., Gunga, H.-C., & Terblanche, E. (2020) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.11978802
Stahn, A. C., Maggioni, M. A., Gunga, H.-C., & Terblanche, E. (2020) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.11978796
- Authors
- Kraemer, W. J., Hooper, D. R., Szivak, T. K., Kupchak, B. R., Dunn-Lewis, C., Comstock, B. A., Flanagan, S. D., Looney, D. P., Sterczala, A. J., DuPont, W. H., Pryor, J. L., Luk, H.-Y., Maladoungdock, J., McDermott, D., Volek, J. S., & Maresh, C. M.
- Affiliations
- The Ohio State University (US)
- University of Connecticut (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kraemer, William J.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2015-03-04
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 91-99
- ISSN
- 0731-5724 (ISSN-L)
- 1541-1087
- OpenAlex
- W2013715814
- Cited by
- 23
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 1.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Keywords
- beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, isomaltulose, whey protein, resistance training, exercise-induced muscle damage, creatine kinase, interleukin-6, muscle soreness, countermovement jump, carbohydrate supplementation, protein supplementation, post-exercise recovery, muscle damage markers, resistance-trained men
- MeSH terms
- Whey Proteins, Adult, Creatine Kinase, Double-Blind Method, Humans, Isomaltose, Male, Movement, Time Factors, Valerates, Interleukin-6, Muscle, Skeletal, Recovery of Function, Athletic Performance, Resistance Training, Young Adult, Pain Perception, Myalgia, Physical Conditioning, Human
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
