Today I want to take the opportunity to briefly share with you details of a new study performed by Newcastle University, United Kingdom, which is the first major study to bring to light the benefit of collagen peptides for sports recovery.
Thankfully to Keith Baar and his previous nutritional interventions on connective tissue, we know that adding gelatin with vitamin C prior to an intermittent exercise program could play a beneficial role in injury prevention and tissue repair (2).
From my previous posts, you already know that not all collagen is created equal and very few companies spend money on clinical data to test the quality of their ingredients.I believe it is essential to use only ingredients that show efficacy on the human body. The collagen, Peptan, tested in the below study is the collagen used in Resync Collagen Blend.
We know that fast and effective recovery is of primary importance to athletes and their entire coaching staff, that's why we use Peptan in Resync Collagen Blend to support athletic performance and recovery.
The study was designed as a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, involving 24 active young men. The tested daily dosage was a total of 20g Peptan or placebo taken in two servings: 10g in the morning and 10g in the evening. Starting at the baseline, the participants consumed their assigned supplements for nine days, including a run-in period of 7 days allowing the supplement to take effect. This was followed by a session of intense physical exercise of 150-drop jumps aimed at inducing muscle damage. Readout measurements were taken at baseline (BL), just before the exercise (pre-exercise) and right after (post-exercise), as well as 24h and 48h after the session.
The results were very clear.
- Collagen contributes to more rapid post-exercise recovery and performance improvement.
- Peptan has a pain-alleviating and anti-inflammatory effect (1).
- In particular, two approved indicators of exercise-induced muscle damage were investigated: muscles soreness and function.
- Supplementation with Peptan collagen peptides clearly lowered the perceived muscle soreness at all time points after the intense muscle-damaging exercise (Figure 2).
- Participants demonstrated an improved performance with the effect reaching statistical significance at 48h post exercise (Figure 3).
- Peptan helps to accelerate the process of recovery from muscle damage induced by intense exercise.
- Since collagen is a key component of the extracellular matrix sheath that enwraps the muscle fibers, it is conceivable that Peptan supplementation might either prevent damage to the sheath or allow it to repair more quickly.
- In a recent literature review, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) included hydrolyzed collagen peptides in its statement regarding the benefits of sports supplements. Based on scientific literature, it suggests that hydrolyzed collagen may increase collagen production and decrease join pain (2).
Another recent study with Peptan took 15g per day of collagen peptides in orange juice for a period of 24 weeks.
Please keep in mind Resync Collagen Blend contains aronia berry and on top of that, your daily value of Vitamin C, so you won't need orange juice to see these benefits, just Resync Collagen with water.
- The resulting data shows a trend for a decrease in joint pain, especially in the knees, but also in the arms, shoulders, and hands during and after physical activity.
- These findings clearly align with the benefits for sports recovery observed in the first study, suggesting that Peptan collagen peptide supplementation can offer benefits in injury prevention, tissue repair, and muscle recovery (3).
I hope these studies will help you to understand when, and how much of collagen peptides you may need to consume to support your connective tissue health. Quick reminder, Resync Collagen Blend provides you with 15g of hydrolyzed collagen peptides per serving + you get your recommended daily dose of vitamin C + superfood ingredients like red spinach, red beets, and aronia berry on top of calcium fructoborate and hyaluronic acid.
References:
- Jiang J.X., et al., 2014, Collagen peptides improve knee osteoarthritis in elderly women: A 6-month randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Agro Food Industry Hi Tech, 25:19-23.
- Shawn G, Lee-Barthel A, LR Ross M, Wang B, Baar K. Vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis, 2016
- Maughan RJ, et al. Br J Sports Med 2018;0:1–17.
- Clifford T, Ventress M, Allerton DM, Stansfield S, Tang JCY, Fraser WC, Vanhoecke B, Prawitt J, Stevenson E (2019): The effects on collagen peptides on muscle damage, inflammation and bone turnover following exercise: a randomized controlled trail. Amino Acids.