Collagen peptides with training and muscle, tendon and strength changes
What it found
In 19 randomised trials in healthy adults, taking collagen peptides alongside weeks of exercise was linked to small gains in fat-free mass, tendon size, muscle size, strength and one measure of recovery.
The authors rate the evidence as low to moderate certainty.
What they found
Studies in people
Fat-free mass
Across eight studies in 418 people, those taking collagen peptides gained more fat-free mass than those taking a placebo. The authors rate the certainty of this evidence as moderate.
Tendon size
Four studies in 114 people measured the cross-sectional area of patellar and Achilles tendons. Tendon size increased more with collagen peptides, but the authors rate this evidence as very low certainty.
Tendon mechanical properties
Four studies in 111 people looked at tendon stiffness and Young's modulus. There was no difference between the collagen peptide and placebo groups.
Muscle architecture
Five studies in 161 people measured muscle size by MRI or ultrasound. Collagen peptide intake was linked to a small increase in muscle size, with low certainty evidence.
Maximal strength
Eleven studies in about 511 people found a small strength advantage for collagen peptides over placebo. The authors rate the certainty as low.
Recovery and soreness
Collagen peptides did not significantly improve maximal strength recovery or muscle soreness after damaging exercise. Reactive strength recovery was better at 48 hours, but the result at 24 hours depended on how the data were calculated.
What the authors conclude
“Prolonged collagen peptide (CP) supplementation combined with resistance or concurrent training appears to be a beneficial adjunct for healthy active adults and athletes striving for an increase in fat-free mass and maximal strength and an improvement in tendon morphological properties and reactive strength recovery.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that prolonged collagen peptide supplementation combined with resistance or concurrent training appears to be a beneficial adjunct for healthy active adults and athletes.
- They say the current rationale is a daily dose of 15 g for at least 8 weeks.
- They encourage future research to find the best dose and to understand how collagen peptides are absorbed and used by muscles and tendons.
How it was done
Sales of collagen peptide supplements have risen sharply, and studies of their effects on sports performance and injury prevention have given mixed results. The authors wanted a full statistical look at the evidence.
They pooled 19 randomised controlled trials published between 2015 and 2023, covering 768 healthy adults aged about 17 to 65, most of them male. Participants took 3 to 30 g of collagen peptides daily, most commonly 15 g, alongside exercise training lasting from 3 weeks to several months.
What it can’t tell you
- The evidence for most outcomes is low to very low certainty, so these results may change with more research.
- Most participants were male, so the findings may not apply equally to women.
- The studies used different doses, exercise types and durations, which makes it hard to pin down exactly what works best.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declarations Authors’ contributions D.K. and K.B. designed the review; A.M.M. and K.B. performed screening and study quality assessment; K.B. and SS analyzed the data; K.B. wrote the manuscript; A.M.M., D.K., K.B., and S.S. reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version. Availability of data and material The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation upon request. Code availability No self-written code was used for the meta-analysis. The freeware Jamovi for Microsoft Windows 11 (https://www.jamovi.org/download.html) performed all meta-analyses and created all forest plots. Funding Open access funding provided by University of Vienna. No external funding was received for the preparation and writing of this manuscript. Conflict of interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Centre for Sports Science and University Sports, Austria; University of Vienna, Austria
The paper
- Title
- Impact of Collagen Peptide Supplementation in Combination with Long-Term Physical Training on Strength, Musculotendinous Remodeling, Functional Recovery, and Body Composition in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Bischof K, Moitzi AM, Stafilidis S, König D (2024). Impact of Collagen Peptide Supplementation in Combination with Long-Term Physical Training on Strength, Musculotendinous Remodeling, Functional Recovery, and Body Composition in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). doi:10.1007/s40279-024-02079-0Free full textPubMed 39060741DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error