Flex Your Future: Muscle Preservation for Active Adults

A New Era of Aging

Is 60 the new 40?

For many adults, it certainly feels that way. Today’s 50-, 60- and 70-somethings are redefining what “getting older” looks like – regularly signing up for 5Ks, hiking trips, pickleball leagues, and boot-camp style classes. Yet despite the increase in Baby Boomers seeking outlets for fitness, only about 14% of older adults currently meet federal physical activity guidelines.ⁱ

Public health guidelines recommend older adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, along with strength and balance work on at least two days. Whether you’re logging time on the trails, on the golf course, or on the pickleball courts, the important thing is that you keep moving.

Benefits of Staying Active as You Age

Keeping active into later adulthood is about much more than looking fit. Regular movement helps support nearly every system in the body while maintaining independence and quality of life.

While aerobic exercise often gets the spotlight for heart health, muscle health rarely gets the same attention, despite its important role in aging well. Strength training helps slow age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), supports bone density, and can help improve coordination, balance and stability, all critical for lowering the risk of falls and fractures as we age.ⁱⁱ Just as important, maintaining muscle mass can help support normal metabolism and make everyday tasks, like climbing stairs or carrying groceries, feel easier and safer.^iii,iv

Regular movement also benefits the brain, supporting memory and critical thinking skills.^v And when workouts are social, whether through group classes, walking clubs, or team sports, strong social connections have been shown to slow biological aging by reducing chronic inflammation and cellular aging.^vi

Smart Nutrition for Lifelong Movement

Increased Protein Needs

Research consistently shows we need more protein as we age. And here’s why: After age 40, adults can lose up to 8% of muscle mass per decade, and factors like low protein intake, rapid weight loss, and inactivity can speed up this decline.^vii

Physically active adults may need up to twice as much protein as sedentary individuals to properly support their muscle health and maintenance.^viii,ix For example, research suggests that after resistance training, older adults may require about 40 g of protein to stimulate the same muscle-building response that younger adults achieve with closer to 20 g.^viii,xviii To maintain muscle effectively, high-protein foods should be prioritized alongside strength training.

HMB Benefits for Older Adults: The Muscle-Supporting Ingredient You (Probably) Haven’t Heard Of

What Is HMB?

β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB) is a compound your body produces when it breaks down leucine, an essential amino acid found in protein-rich foods.^x

HMB has been a research focal point for its role in muscle maintenance for nearly 30 years, with more than 90 published studies and over two dozen systematic reviews and position papers examining its role in muscle health. “It works behind the scenes to help slow the natural breakdown of muscle tissue,” explains Bridget Cassady, PhD, RDN, LD, Senior Manager at Abbott. The evidence for HMB spans populations, including hospitalized patients and active individuals as well.^xi

However, HMB is present in very small amounts in food, making it difficult to get meaningful levels through diet alone. In fact, about 3 g of HMB (the studied daily dose) is equivalent to about 600 g of high-leucine foods (about 110 eggs).^xii Because only about 5% of dietary leucine is converted to HMB, supplementation is needed to reach effective amounts.^xii

How Does Your Body Use HMB?

While protein provides the building blocks for muscle, HMB helps slow muscle breakdown, including during aging and periods of inactivity or illness when muscle loss can accelerate.^xii “As we age, maintaining muscle becomes more challenging, and that’s where HMB can play a unique role,” says Dr. Cassady. Studies link HMB supplementation with slowed – or in some case, reversed – muscle loss, along with improvements in strength and physical function.^xiii

Who Can Benefit from HMB?

HMB supplementation may benefit a wide range of individuals, including:

• Aging adults: HMB helps preserve muscle health for everyday function and mobility, which may help slow muscle loss.^xiv
• Those in recovery or rehab: HMB can help preserve muscle mass during periods of inactivity.^xv,xvi
• Athletes and active adults: HMB may support muscle-building during training, as well as speed up muscle recovery between training sessions.^xvii

Muscle Recovery for Your Best Years Yet

The Case for Supplementation

While small amounts of HMB are found naturally in the body and in a variety of animal like meat and dairy and plant protein-rich foods like lentils, beans and tofu, the reality is that these amounts are too small to deliver muscle health benefits.

As we age, we naturally lose muscle more quickly. That's why maintaining muscle health can benefit from targeted nutrition. However, it’s difficult to meet HMB goals through food alone, which is why supplementation can be beneficial. As Dr. Cassady explains, “For adults looking to stay active and independent, incorporating HMB into their nutrition plan can be a smart way to support muscle health over time.”

If you’re unsure where to start, check out Abbott’s Ensure Max Protein 2 in 1 Muscle Support, which was developed for adults wanting to support muscle health as they age. Each bottle packs 30 g of high-quality protein with a good source of 26 essential vitamins and minerals and 1.5 g of CaHMB. Just two servings provide the 3 g CaHMB dose (the amount commonly used in research on HMB and muscle health). By combining protein-rich foods with targeted HMB supplementation, older adults can take proactive steps to maintain muscle health and support active aging.