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Putting
the FIT into fitness!™ |
Instructor's
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REDUCE MUSCLE DAMAGE FROM RUNNING
TAKE HMB
A study presented at the Experimental Biology '98 conference held in San Francisco revealed that beta hydroxy beta methylbutrate (HMB), a supplement popular with strength athletes, may also offer significant benefits to endurance athletes.
In this study, distance runners who added 3 gm of supplemental HMB to their daily nutrition program experienced 50% less muscle damage then athletes who used a placebo.
HMB-supplemented runners showed an average increase of only 145 unites per liter of blood of a muscle damage "byproduct" called creatine phosphokinase (CPK). The placebo group had an average increase of 230 unites of CPK per liter 24 hours following a 20-kilometer race. The greater elevation of CPK in the non-HMB-supplemented subjects showed scientists that a greater degree of muscle damage had occurred. The HMB-supplemented runners also maintained or improved leg strength, whereas the placebo group lost leg strength. HMB may be important in reducing the amount of muscle damage associated with almost any type of strenuous physical activity.