Collagen peptide supplements may boost resistance training response: RCT

Data published in Frontiers in Physiology indicated that 12 weeks of high-load resistance training plus 15 grams per day of BodyBalance led to a significantly greater increase in intramuscular collagen type I compared with placebo. Interestingly, this increase occurred without a corresponding rise in fibroblast number, suggesting that existing fibroblasts became more active rather than simply increasing in number. Collagen type I is a key structural component of the muscle extracellular matrix – the connective tissue network that supports muscle fibers and contributes to force transmission. Martin Walter, category manager healthy aging and sports nutrition at Gelita, told NutraIngredients that the new publication is an important addition to the BodyBalance evidence base because it goes beyond conventional outcome measures and provides new insights into the changes occurring within skeletal muscle during resistance training. “These findings provide an important mechanistic insight into how BodyBalance works, supporting the concept that specific collagen peptides promote the remodeling of muscle connective tissue in response to resistance training,” said Walter. “The study also builds on earlier findings from the same clinical project, which demonstrated that BodyBalance modulates gene expression pathways involved in muscle signal transduction following resistance exercise. “Taken together, these findings support a coherent biological model: BodyBalance enhances both the early molecular response to resistance exercise and the longer-term structural adaptations within skeletal muscle.” Scientists from the University of Freiburg, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Collagen Research Institute, and the University of Vienna recruited 29 healthy men to participate in their randomized, placebo-controlled study. The men were all assigned to a 12-week high-load resistance training (HLRT) program and randomly assigned to also receive either the 15g of the collagen peptide or placebo. The results showed that the BodyBalance group exhibited an approximately 3.5-fold greater increase in collagen type I content in comparison to the placebo group. “Based on the present observations, collagen peptides may support increases in intramuscular collagen type I accretion when combined with resistance exercise. This effect may be attributable to the specific amino acid profile of collagen peptides, rich in amino acids (i.e., glycine and proline) with importance for collagen synthesis,” wrote the researchers. They noted that other studies have reported that dietary intake and synthesis of glycine may fall short of daily requirements for metabolic processes by about 10 g per day for a 70 kg human. This shortfall in glycine would therefore be a limiting factor for collagen synthesis, especially when demand increases like during resistance training. “It is possible that supplementation with collagen peptides may help bridge this potential gap and promote more effective intramuscular connective tissue remodeling during periods of HLRT,” they wrote. Gelita’s Walter said that it is important to interpret these findings within the context of exercise, noting that BodyBalance is not a substitute for resistance training but is a targeted nutritional intervention designed to support training-induced muscle adaptation. “The study highlights that findings obtained with specific collagen peptides should not be automatically generalized to all collagen products, as different collagen preparations may have distinct biological effects,” he added. Source: Frontiers in Physiology , 2026, Volume 17, doi: 10.3389/fphys.2026.1839695 . “Specific collagen peptides supplementation increases collagen type I content in skeletal muscle after 12 weeks of high-load resistance training: a randomized controlled trial”. Authors: S. Jerger, et al.