New Evidence That Collagen May Help Your Tendons

Collagen liquid used in the study

I recently had quite a bit of pain in my right Achilles tendon. Besides getting Aized to treat me and wearing my Strassburg sock to sleep, I had to do some rehab as well. Running didn't hurt much, going down stairs was more painful.

Naturally my curiousity was piqued when a newly published study (Lee et al, 2023) on a group of elite female football players found a big improvement in tendon stiffness after taking collagen supplements 3 times a week. The study measured the properties of the patella tendon which connects the patella (kneecap) to the shin bone as this is a common injury site for female soccer players. Ultrasound and strength tests were measured before and after training.

Training consisted of on-field soccer practice, leg strengthening exercises and plyometrics.

The participants took 30 grams of hydrolyzed collagen (pictured above) 3 times a week immediately after training while the control group took a calorie- matched placebo drink. Both groups also took 500 milligrams of Vitamin C as it is thought to be necessary for the body to be able to use the collagen.

Results showed an increase in tendon stiffness. The stiffer tendons become, the more they stretch and the more energy they store. Stiffer tendons have shown to be associated with better running economy since they can recycle more energy from each stride.

The group taking the collagen had a significant 18 percent increase in tendon stiffness compared to the placebo's 8 percent gain. There were no differences in size or cross sectional area of the tendon, suggesting that the extra collagen ingested improved the microscopic structure of the tendon. There was also no differences in leg strength.

Remember Professor Keith Barr? I wrote about his gelatin collagen research in 2019. His research group from UC Davis published evidence suggesting that taking collagen plus Vitamin C enhances jump and squat performance but without significant change in leg stiffness (Lis et al, 2022).

Another published research (Jerger et al, 2022) found that taking collagen supplements daily boosted tendon cross sectional area, but did not improve tendon stiffness more than the placebo group.

Confused? Especially with each study mentioned above producing different results. Study protocols were different and this is actually good since it means that you do not have to follow one specific 'magic' protocol to get the benefits.

More research and details need to be worked out, as more studies are done, it will hopefully prove that tendons and ligaments can heal better than we think. So other than training your tendons and wearing your Strassburg sock when you sleep, collagen supplements may be something you want to try.

References

Jerger S, Centner C, Lauber B et al (2022). Effects Of Collagen Peptide Supplementation Combined With Resistance Training On Achilles Tendon Properties. Scan J Med Sci Sports. 32(7): 1131-1141. DOI: 10.1111.sms.14164

Lee J, Bridge JE, Clark DR et al (2023). Collagen Supplementation Augments Changes In Patella Tendon Properties In Female Soccer Players. Frontiers in Physiol. Vol 14. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.108977

Lis DM, Jordan M, Lipuma T et al (2022). Collagen And Vitamin C Supplementation Increases Lower Limb Rate Force Development. Int J Sp Nutr Ex Metab. 32)2): 65-73. DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.2020-0313

How Gelatin (Jell-O) May Help Healing

Home made soursop flavoured

I came across Professor Keith Barr's work on ligaments, tendons and how they heal etc and was amazed that gelatin may hold the secret to recovering from many ligament and tendon injuries.

Professor Baar and his colleagues at UC Davis have been growing "engineered ligaments" in the university lab, subjecting them to all sorts of loads/ abuse) to understand what factors affect injury risk and healing. They may also have found how to train and feed (yes, you read correctly) connective tissue like ligaments, tendons, bones and cartilage.

We've always thought that connective tissue does not heal well. But Professor Baar's "engineered ligaments" grown from remnants of ruptured ACL's collected during reconstructive surgeries showed that it may not be totally true.

When ligaments are "exercised" by movement/ stretching, they respond by forming new collagen fibers (these are the building blocks for new ligaments and tendons). However, this process peaks in about ten minutes and begins to switch off if exercise is continued. Exercising for three hours may be good for your heart and muscles, but not great at all for your tendons, ligaments and other connective tissue.

The "engineered" ligaments also respond to proline, an amino acid. Professor Baar found that best way to ingest proline was taking gelatin. Their study showed that blood test of participants in a skipping rope test for six minutes, three times a day doubled the rate of collagen growth. When the participants consumed 15 grams of gelatin with Vitamin C an hour before each skipping rope session, collagen growth doubled again.

Now, I'm not asking all of you to run out and buy all the gelatin you can get, cook and eat it an hour before doing the specific exercises you need. Skeptics among you readers (myself included) will probably scoff at the idea of eating gelatin and hoping that it will specifically go to strengthen the injured ligaments and tendons in your body.

Professor Baar himself has said that as word of his research spreads, some athletes may develop unrealistic expectations. Eating gelatin without doing the specific strengthening exercises to help new collagen fibers grow in the stressed areas is one. The optimal exercises will depend on what type of connective tissue you're trying to strengthen.

For the injured and non injured athletes that are reading this, I've read that hydrolyzed collagen powder is easier to use compared to gelatin as it does not require boiling and cooling down. It also seems to be equally effective for tendons based on preliminary research in Professor Baar's lab.

For those of you who torn your ACL fully, no amount of gelatin plus specific exercises would help. This is more for patients who have strained (not totally torn) ligaments and tendons.


References

Lis DS and Barr K (2018). Effects Of Different Vitamin C-enriched Collagen Derivatives On Collagen Synthesis. Int J Sp Nutr Ex. DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0385

Shaw G, Lee-Barthel A et al (2017). Vitamin C-enriched Gelatin Supplementation Before Intermittent Activity Augments Collagen Synthesis. Am J Clin Nutrition. 105(1): 136-143. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.116.138594.

*picture by Smabs Sputzer (1956-2017) from Flickr