HMB (beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate) is a compound your body produces naturally when it breaks down leucine — one of the three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and one of the building blocks of dietary protein. You make it in small amounts every day, and trace quantities are found in foods such as grapefruit, alfalfa and catfish. Reflex HMB provides it in a convenient, pure powder form: 2g of calcium HMB per serving, with 100 servings per tub.
Why people are paying attention to it
As we move through our forties and beyond, maintaining muscle becomes one of the foundations of staying strong, active and independent — and that's put a spotlight on protein, leucine, and the compounds the body derives from them. Leucine is the amino acid most associated with muscle, and HMB is the metabolite it produces. That relationship is why HMB has become one of the most studied and discussed compounds in both sports nutrition and the wider healthy-ageing field over the past two decades.
How to use it
Take 2g (around one level 5ml measure) mixed with water, fruit juice or another cold drink, up to twice daily as needed by bodyweight. Do not exceed 4g per day. HMB is unflavoured, so it blends easily into most cold drinks and stacks simply alongside the rest of your routine. It's a food supplement, intended to complement a balanced, protein-rich diet rather than replace it. Not suitable for under-16s; may contain traces of egg, gluten and milk.