Supplement findings differed for strength and muscle mass in older adults
Protein alongside resistance training improved pooled strength and muscle-mass outcomes, while creatine and HMB showed different patterns.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Adding protein to resistance training improved pooled strength and muscle-mass outcomes compared with training alone. Creatine improved muscle mass, but its strength result was not statistically significant; HMB showed no statistically significant strength or mass benefit. These results concern healthy older adults and do not identify a universal supplement choice.
The abstract omits intervention durations, supplement doses and units for muscle-mass estimates. This abstract-based account cannot establish a practical regimen or clarify the size of the reported mass changes.
What researchers found
Muscle strength, standardized mean difference
Protein plus resistance training versus training alone; duration unreported. Strength was 0.45 standard deviations higher, measured relative to variability in strength scores, not kilograms or percentage gains. The confidence interval describes uncertainty around this pooled difference; practical importance remains unclear.
Mass and strength differ
The authors reported the largest muscle-mass improvement with creatine. Its strength result was not statistically significant, however, showing why a favorable result for muscle mass cannot stand in for a demonstrated strength benefit.
Comparisons need care
Nonsignificant findings for creatine and HMB leave uncertainty about their effects. Protein's significant strength result against training alone does not itself demonstrate superiority over the alternatives; that requires evidence comparing the supplements.
The original publication
The impact of nutritional intervention and resistance training on muscle strength and mass in healthy older adults-a comparative analysis.
Ma Y, Yan R, Li Y et al.
Front Nutr · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40901287
- Record checked
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