Collagen Supplements and Athletic Performance

A new research in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise shows that collagen supplements may also have many benefits for our physical health too, which could be important for enhancing athletic performance, reducing the risk of injury, and improving quality of life as we get older.

Exercise is a reliable treatment for most injuries. While exercise alone is a great way to strengthen our tendons and bones, the current research shows the benefits of exercise can be boosted even further by taking a collagen supplement.

Protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has been reported to augment myofibrillar protein synthesis rates, without increasing muscle connective protein synthesis rates. It has been suggested that collagen protein may be effective in stimulating muscle connective protein synthesis.

In a randomized, double-blind, parallel design, 45 young male, 30 female, and 15 recreational athletes (age, 25 ± 4 yr) were selected to receive primed continuous intravenous infusions with l-[ring-¹³C₆]-phenylalanine and l-[3,5-²H₂]-tyrosine. After a single session of resistance type exercise, subjects were randomly allocated to one of three groups ingesting either 30 g whey protein (WHEY, n = 15), 30 g collagen protein (COLL, n = 15) or a noncaloric placebo (PLA, n = 15). Blood and muscle biopsy samples were collected over a subsequent 5-h recovery period to assess both myofibrillar and muscle connective protein synthesis rates.

Protein ingestion increased circulating plasma amino acid concentrations (P < 0.05). The postprandial rise in plasma leucine and essential amino acid concentrations was greater in WHEY compared with COLL, whereas plasma glycine and proline concentrations increased more in COLL compared with WHEY (P < 0.05).

Myofibrillar protein synthesis rates averaged 0.041 ± 0.010, 0.036 ± 0.010, and 0.032 ± 0.007%·h^-1 in WHEY, COLL, and PLA, respectively, with only WHEY resulting in higher rates when compared with PLA (P < 0.05). Muscle connective protein synthesis rates averaged 0.072 ± 0.019, 0.068 ± 0.017, and 0.058 ± 0.018%·h^-1 in WHEY, COLL, and PLA, respectively, with no significant differences between groups (P = 0.09).

They found that when fit young men ingested a 30g collagen supplement before a resistance training workout, it led to a 12% increase in collagen synthesis, compared with when only 15g of collagen was ingested. So a greater benefit can be gained from taking 30g of collagen before a resistance training session, compared with 15g.

When it comes to the longer-term effects of combining resistance training with collagen supplementation, research suggests this combination can enhance tendon health and function in both young female athletes and moderately athletic men—in both the achilles and patellar tendons.

Taking a 20g collagen supplement for nine days has also been shown to improve recovery following strenuous exercise in healthy young men.

In conclusion, the ingestion of whey protein during recovery from exercise increases myofibrillar protein synthesis rates. Neither collagen nor whey protein ingestion further increased muscle connective protein synthesis rates during the early stages of postexercise recovery in both male and female recreational athletes.

Reference

Aussieker T, Hilkens L, Holwerda AM, Fuchs CJ, Houben LHP, Senden JM, VAN Dijk JW, Snijders T, VAN Loon LJC. Collagen Protein Ingestion during Recovery from Exercise Does Not Increase Muscle Connective Protein Synthesis Rates. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2023 Oct 1;55(10):1792-1802. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003214.