Gelita collagen peptides increase muscle mass in new study

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Gelita’s (Eberbach, Germany) bioactive collagen peptides have been shown to increase the rate of muscle growth following resistance training. A new study¹ published in Acta Physiologica showed that supplementation with a combination of Gelita’s bioactive collagen peptides BodyBalance (10 g) and TendoForte (5 g) led to these benefits. The company also calls this a “state-of-the-art” study because it used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine whether the collagen peptides were able to significantly increase muscle size. The study was performed by researchers at the School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences at Loughborough University in the UK. Gelita sponsored the study.

In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, “young, healthy male” subjects were given either a placebo or 15 g of the collagen peptides once daily for 15 weeks. Three times per week, subjects participated in progressive knee extensor, knee flexor, and hip extensor resistance-training. Before and after resistance-training, among other measurements, researchers measured subjects’ knee extensor and flexor isometric strength, and their quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteus maximus volume using MRI. They also used ultrasound images to detect changes in muscle architecture.

While the researchers found no difference in the percentage change in maximum strength between the placebo and test groups, they did find greater increases in the collagen peptides-supplemented group in terms of muscle volume. Ultrasound images also revealed a “significant improvement in the angle of the muscle fibers, indicating a positive, systematic effect of the collagen peptide supplements on muscle remodeling after resistance training,” says a Gelita press release.

The researchers concluded that collagen peptides “supplementation produced a cluster of consistent effects indicating greater skeletal muscle remodeling with resistance training compared to placebo. Notably, collagen peptides supplementation amplified the quadriceps and total muscle volume increases induced by resistance training.”

Stated Gelita in the press release: “In addition to the whopping 61% increase in the vastus medialis (the teardrop-shaped muscle in the front of the upper thigh), those who took collagen peptides experienced the total volume of their strength-trained quadriceps increase by a significant 38% more compared to the placebo group.”

In the press release, Suzane Leser, nutritionist and director of nutrition communication at Gelita, said, “The study is an important milestone in Gelita’s research efforts to confirm the efficacy of bioactive collagen peptides for muscle growth. We are the proponents that mechanisms other than essential amino acids, such as bioactivity, may also be at play.”

Leser concluded: “Seeing is believing. With this high-resolution imaging study, we determined that supplementing with bioactive collagen peptides can significantly increase muscle volume. This study contributes promising evidence towards taking into account the impact of bioactive factors on health outcomes when evaluating dietary protein quality.”

Reference

1. Balshaw TG et al. “The effect of specific bioactive collagen peptides on function and muscle remodelling during human resistance training.” Acta Physiologica. Published online November 25, 2022.