Supplemental collagen for pain and physical function Original paper

In this randomized controlled trial, supplementing with collagen did not improve pain or physical function in active adults.

The effect of supplemental collagen on pain and physical functioning.

Pain, other symptoms, activities of daily living, sport and recreation function, and knee-related quality of life were assessed using the The Knee Injury & Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). Mental and physical health components were assessed using the Veterans Rand 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12).

Nutritional intake and number of minutes per week of physical activity on low to moderate aerobic exercise, vigorous exercise, and strength training were also assessed.

59 participants (ages 40–65; 30 men and 29 women) in Florida, USA, who reported exercising more than 4 hours per week consistently over the past 15 years.

The participants also reported having periodic but sustained muscle or joint pain. Otherwise, the participants said they had no chronic health conditions.

In this randomized controlled trial, the participants were split into 3 groups. The high-dose group took 20 grams of collagen per day, the low-dose group took 10 grams of collagen per day, and the placebo group took maltodextrin each day.

The outcomes were measured at baseline and at 3 and 6 months. At 6 months, the participants were given the option of taking another 3 months of their intervention, with outcomes evaluated at 9 months after baseline. As such, 41 participants were evaluated at 9 months.

There were no differences between groups for any of the outcomes.

Despite no statistically significant differences between the placebo group and the collagen groups, the investigators concluded that collagen supplementation may improve pain and physical function-related outcomes. However, we felt this conclusion was not justified, as it was based on changes over time within groups, which fails to account for (i) the placebo effect, and (ii) the potential for pain and physical function to improve over time, for reasons unrelated to collagen.

The supplement company that provided the collagen also funded the study.