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For the past almost 4 years now I have been doing a PhD on the role of nutrition support for connective tissue health in athletes.

Below I’ll give an overview of my recommendations:

So what is collagen?

Collagen, is a protein containing non-essential amino acids (NEAA) such as proline and glycine. Collagen protein constitutes ~1/3 of your bodies total protein. Collagen predominates in meat products where you would find it present in the human body e.g. skin, muscle, bone, connective tissue. Unfortunately, given the westernised style of eating that predominates in Australia, our intake is likely minimal, thus supplementation may be warranted during certain periods e.g. post injury/during healing.

How much and when?

It appears that there might be a ceiling where more doesn’t necessarily equate to better. Approximately 15 grams, 30-60 mins prior to exercise (to switch on synthetic machinery and encourage blood flow) is currently recommended. However this may depend on the size of the athlete

What type?

It doesn’t appear that there is a significantly higher bioavailability from hydrolysed products, although they may be more palatable and therefore may lead to better compliance with athletes.

Dr Rebekah Alcock
Dietitian
APD, AccSD, BPH, MNutrDiet, BNut(Hons), PhD