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Specific Collagen Peptides in Combination with Resistance Training Improve Body Composition and Regional Muscle Strength in Premenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Patrick Jendricke, Christoph Centner, Denise Zdzieblik, Albert Gollhofer, Daniel König
Nutrients 2019 11(4):892

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 31010031
PubMed Central
PMC6521629
DOI
10.3390/nu11040892
Funding
This research received no external funding. Biohack Blueprint assessment: the paper's Acknowledgments section separately states "This research was in part funded by GELITA GmbH, Eberbach Germany" — an internal inconsistency between the Funding and Acknowledgments statements. The specific collagen peptide product tested (Bodybalance®) is manufactured by Gelita AG, which is acknowledged for supporting the resistance-training facility used in the trial.
Competing interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignMonocentric, prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
ModelUntrained premenopausal women aged 18–50 years, BMI 20–35 kg/m²
Samplen=90 randomised; n=77 completed per-protocol analysis (treatment group n=40; control group n=37)
InterventionSpecific collagen peptides (Bodybalance®, Gelita AG), 15 g/day, vs placebo (silicon dioxide), combined with 12 weeks of resistance training (3 sessions/week)
Duration12 weeks
EndpointsPercentage fat-free mass and fat mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis) — primary/secondary; Maximal isometric leg strength (leg press); Maximal isometric hand-grip strength

What the study showed, in plain terms

Most collagen-peptide-and-resistance-training trials have studied men; this one asked whether the same approach helps premenopausal women, a population with a lower starting muscle mass and different hormonal profile.

Over 12 weeks of resistance training three times a week, women taking 15 g/day of specific collagen peptides gained significantly more fat-free mass and lost significantly more fat mass than those on placebo, and their hand-grip strength improved significantly more too.

Leg strength improved substantially in both groups with no significant difference between them. The effect sizes here were smaller than in earlier trials of older men, which the authors attribute to expected gender-related differences in muscle response to resistance training.

Key findings

  • Percentage fat-free mass increased significantly more in the collagen-peptide group than the control group (1.8% vs 0.9%; d=0.55), an absolute gain of 1.0 kg vs 0.4 kg.
  • Percentage body fat declined significantly in both groups, with a significantly greater reduction in the collagen-peptide group (d=0.54); absolute fat loss was 1.5 kg vs 0.7 kg.
  • Hand-grip strength increased significantly more in the collagen-peptide group (2.7 kg) than the control group (1.3 kg; p<0.05, d=0.63).
  • Leg strength increased significantly within both groups (collagen: +250.8 N; control: +233.5 N) with no statistically significant between-group difference.
  • An intention-to-treat analysis of all 90 randomised women showed comparable, statistically significant results for fat-free mass, fat mass and hand-grip strength.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • The paper's own funding statement ("no external funding") is inconsistent with its Acknowledgments section, which credits GELITA GmbH with partial funding — the exact extent of manufacturer involvement is therefore unclear from the published text.
  • The tested product (Bodybalance®) is manufactured by Gelita AG, and it is unstated whether product was donated.
  • Per-protocol analysis excluded 13 dropouts (none attributed to supplement side effects); results were broadly confirmed by intention-to-treat analysis.
  • Effect sizes were smaller than those reported in earlier collagen-peptide-and-resistance-training trials conducted in older men, which the authors attribute to expected sex-related differences in muscle protein and hypertrophic response — not a contradiction, but a reason not to assume identical magnitude of benefit across sexes and age groups.

Related papers in the corpus

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Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial
Denise Zdzieblik et al. · British Journal of Nutrition · 2015
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Prolonged Collagen Peptide Supplementation and Resistance Exercise Training Affects Body Composition in Recreationally Active Men
Marius Kirmse et al. · Nutrients · 2019

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology