It’s not an overstatement that weight-loss drugs have taken the world by storm. By now, we’ve all heard of Ozempic and Wegovy, and in some regions people may even know others taking them.
But what if there was an alternative that was both cheaper and side effect-free? Emerging research suggests there could be.
Collagen-enriched protein bars for weight loss
In a remarkable finding, researchers say people with overweight and obesity who ate protein bars containing collagen lost weight.
And not just a little bit more weight than those who didn’t eat the bar. Twice as much weight as those who didn’t eat it.
Other benefits were observed. Study participants who ate the collagen-enriched bars twice per day saw improvements in blood pressure, waist size, and liver health. It’s possible that people’s fat-free mass and skeletal muscle also increased.
How to test if collagen helps weight loss?
The study, published in Nutrients, recruited 32 men and 32 women aged between 20 and 65-years-old in Spain. All were living with overweight or obesity.
Study participants were split into two groups. While everyone was given healthy dietary recommendations, just one group was given two collagen-enriched protein bars per day. That group was told to have finished eating the first bar 45 min before lunch, and the second bar 45 min before dinner. Each bar must be accompanied by 250ml water.
The trial lasted 12 weeks, during which urine and feces tests were undertaken, as well as food and physical activity questionnaires. Participants who ate two collagen bars per day lost on average 3kg, compared to 1.5kg for the control group.
What’s in a protein bar that helps people lose weight?
The protein bars contained collagen, a protein found in animal flesh like meat and fish, which contain connective tissue. For this study, the researchers turned to bovine collagen that had been modified to increase its water retention capacity.
The goal here was to encourage satiety, or the feeling of “fullness”. When the collagen was consumed with water, it increased in size.
“Modified collagen permits people to consume real foods but reduce the sensation of appetite.”
Dr Fermín Milagro
Although bovine collagen was used, any modified collagen would serve the same purpose, explains co-author Dr Fermín Milagro from the University of Navarra, Spain. “The secret is not in the origin of the collagen but in the technology that has been used to increase its water capacity with pH acid. Something similar could be obtained by using marine collagen, but the secret is the swallowing capacity.”
Each bar contained: modified bovine collagen, a dark chocolate coating with a cocoa sweetener, vegetable dietary fibre, maltitol syrup, soy nuggets, soy protein isolate, chopped cocoa cookie, sunflower oil, and sorbitol syrup. Each 25g bar was 90kcal and included 8.8g of collagen protein.
Not only does the study suggest collagen can help people lose weight, but the collagen group participants also said they felt less hungry and fuller than the control group. The researchers are satisfied the weight loss achieved was not due to muscle loss.
“Our results indicate that by swelling in the stomach, the collagen made the participants feel less hungry, which would have led to them eat less and so lose weight,” says co-author Dr Paola Mogna-Peláez. “Collagen may also have led to the participants building muscle, and we know that muscle burns more calories than fat.
“It is also possible that collagen changes the make-up of bacteria in the gut, which may aid with weight loss and appetite control.”
Could collagen compete with GLP-1 drugs?
The new class of weight-loss drugs, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) drugs, work by producing the GLP-1 hormone, which helps the person taking the drug feel satiated.
This is all well and good until we look at the price tag. In most countries they’re costing patients thousands per year. The side effects are also concerning, with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation among the most common.
Collagen, on the other hand, is cheaper and comes side effect-free. “Many weight loss drugs are very expensive,” says Dr Mogna-Peláez. “We were interested in collagen because it is a protein that is cheap and easy to obtain and is not known to have any side effects.”
There are other advantages that collagen holds over GLP-1 drugs. The main advantage, according to Dr Milagro, is that the protein is a source of amino acids and can contribute to increased muscle mass while helping someone lose weight. Collagen may also have additional effects on joint health and skin.
On the down side, collagen’s effect on satiety is lower than that of a GLP-1 receptor agonist, so the effect on weight loss is reduced. After all, it is a food and not a drug, stresses the researcher. For this same reason, it likely has less potential secondary effects, and a lower capacity to improve obesity-related comorbidities such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance, and fatty liver.
The collagen opportunity for food and beverage manufacturers
With the collagen-infused bar already being sold on the market, it’s clear the food industry is looking to seize this weight-loss opportunity.
Modified collagen could be used as a coadjuvant in a specific treatment, or else as a food product that contributes to weight maintenance after a pharmacological intervention, according to study co-author Itxaso Gonzalez, who also works for the Viscofan, the company supplying the modified collagen.
“Our research offers food manufacturers a new innovative solution to support these target consumers, mainly as an adjuvant of other medicines. But at the same time, it opens the doors to a new ‘healthy concept’, capturing the interest of any consumers looking for healthy products for hunger support and a balanced diet.”
Importantly for consumer acceptance, collagen is a known-entity, explains Dr Mogna-Peláez. “It’s a compound the public is familiar with.”
Aside from protein bars, what other foods could be enriched with modified collagen? Yoghurts, bakery or meat products are just some examples, according to Dr Milagro. In these products, it can serve to up the amount of protein and encourage greater satiety.
“It permits people to consume real foods but reduces the sensation of appetite.”
Source: Nutrients. “Anti-Obesity Effects of a Collagen with Low Digestibility and High Swelling Capacity: A Human Randomized Control Trial.” Published October 19, 2024. DOI: 10.3390/nu16203550. Authors: Miguel López-Yoldi et al.
Conflicts of interest: Three study authors are employed by collagen manufacturer Viscofan S.A., which also gives funding to Spain’s University of Navarra.