Collagen: Breaking it down for the Athlete
Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins found in living organisms and is the main structural protein found in the skin, tendons and bones. Its primary role is to maintain connective tissue health and mechanical properties of the skin (stiffness, flexibility, and strength). There are five different types of collagen, but more than 90% of the collagen in our bodies is type I collagen found in our skin, bone, teeth, tendons, ligaments and vascular ligatures. Collagen type II is found in cartilage and type III is in muscles and blood vessels. If you’ve been taking collagen in a supplement or powder form, it’s typically extracted from marine animals, cows, pigs and poultry. Lucky for vegetarians and vegans, plant-based options are becoming more available in the form of yeast and bacteria.
Does collagen matter to an athlete? Yes, actually a lot. Let me explain.
Joint function and recovery from joint injuries. There have been multiple studies with the same findings: the beneficial effects of collagen supplementation include reducing joint pain, improving joint function and increasing pain-free movement. For what it’s worth, these studies were very short-term (3-6 months) and supplementation amounts varied (40 mg, 5 g and 10g daily). Since supplementation can increase types I, II and IV collagen, proteoglycan (a vital component of joint cartilage) and elastin in joint cartilage it can possibly reduce tissue damage, decrease pain and increase firmness of the connective tissue and have anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce swelling.
As an athlete, especially runners, you know we’re hard on our joints.
Muscle soreness and recovery from exercise: Since the supplementation of collagen is a fairly new trend in the athletic world, there are not many studies on its impact on muscle soreness, and the ones I’ve been able to find only include men 🙄. (Did you know, that about 6% of athletic performance research has been conducted using female only participants? Sigh.) Anyway, those studies found that a collagen supplement decreased the amount of strength lost in bench press performance, improved recovery and delayed onset muscle soreness. Blood markers for muscle damage and inflammation were also lower. This is good news for athletes with multiple training sessions per day or even multiple hard sessions a week.
Muscle protein synthesis: If you’re just trying to increase muscle protein synthesis, collagen lacks the essential amino acid profile you need, so adding collagen to your daily supplements might not benefit you.
My conclusion: Collagen has the potential to reduce joint pain and improve muscle recovery at doses of around 5-15 g per day. Based on the research, more is required to understand its mechanisms to provide further guidance to athletes. So yes, it does have some benefits, but it comes with a hefty price tag of around $1.60- $2.30 per serving. If that price tag scares you off, I would recommend helping your body promote the production of collagen by eating plenty of vitamin C (from fruits and vegetables). If you choose to include supplements in your diet, remember to only purchase from a reputable source (not Amazon) and ensure they are third-party tested for your safety.
