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Improvement of Activity-Related Knee Joint Discomfort Following Supplementation of Specific Collagen Peptides

Denise Zdzieblik, Steffen Oesser, Albert Gollhofer, Daniel König
Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 2017 42(6):588-595

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 28177710
DOI
10.1139/apnm-2016-0390
Funding
This research was funded by GELITA Health GmbH, Eberbach, Germany. Biohack Blueprint assessment: GELITA is a major commercial collagen peptide manufacturer; the FORTIGEL collagen peptide product tested is a GELITA product.
Competing interests
The authors have neither financial nor competing interests concerning the outcome of this investigation.

Study snapshot

DesignMonocentric, prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial
ModelAthletic men and women aged 18–30 years with activity-related (non-structural) knee joint discomfort, exercising ≥3 hours/week
Samplen=160 randomised (BCP n=80; placebo n=80); n=139 completed the study (BCP n=68; placebo n=71)
Intervention5 g/day bioactive collagen peptides (BCP; FORTIGEL, GELITA AG) vs maltodextrin placebo, for 12 weeks
Duration12 weeks
EndpointsPain during activity (VAS, participant- and physician-assessed) — co-primary; Pain at rest (VAS) — secondary; Knee joint mobility (range of motion); Use of additional/alternative therapies (drugs, bandages, physiotherapy, combined therapies)

What the study showed, in plain terms

This trial asked whether 5 g/day of specific collagen peptides could reduce activity-related knee pain in young, sporty adults aged 18–30 whose knee discomfort came from overloading during exercise, not from arthritis or injury.

Over 12 weeks, both the collagen and placebo groups saw pain improve, but the improvement was significantly greater with collagen peptides, both by the participants' own rating and by the attending physicians' independent assessment. The collagen group also used significantly fewer additional treatments, such as physiotherapy or ice packs, by the end of the trial.

This is a smaller, shorter, younger-population precursor to the later Schulze et al. (2024) trial in this Data Center, which extended the same FORTIGEL collagen peptide dose to a wider age range with joint pain during ordinary daily activities rather than sport specifically.

Key findings

  • Pain during activity (participant-assessed VAS) fell significantly more with BCP than placebo: 38.4% reduction vs 27.9% (p=0.046, Cohen's d=0.298).
  • Pain during activity (physician-assessed VAS) fell significantly more with BCP than placebo: 36% reduction, with an 88% responder rate (p=0.021, Cohen's d=0.302).
  • Pain at rest improved by 49% with BCP vs a smaller reduction with placebo, but the between-group difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.209), likely because baseline resting pain was already low in both groups.
  • No significant between-group difference in knee joint mobility (range of motion) was observed, as expected since the athletic population had normal baseline mobility.
  • Use of additional therapies (physiotherapy, bandages, drugs) fell in both groups but was significantly more pronounced with BCP (59% of prior users stopped) than placebo (40%), a trend toward significance (p=0.07).
  • No adverse events attributable to the study product were reported.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Fully funded by the manufacturer of the tested collagen peptide product (GELITA Health GmbH); the corresponding author (S.O.) also discloses being affiliated with the Collagen Research Institute, which has commercial ties to GELITA.
  • Restricted to young, physically active adults (18–30 years) with exercise-induced rather than degenerative joint pain, so findings may not generalise to older adults or to osteoarthritic populations.
  • Baseline resting pain was low in both groups, limiting the study's power to detect a between-group difference for that secondary endpoint.
  • Single collagen peptide product and dose tested (5 g/day FORTIGEL); as the authors note, results should not be extrapolated to other collagen peptide preparations without independent testing, since bioavailability and mode of action can differ by product.

Related papers in the corpus

Tier 2
Effect of Collagen Hydrolysate in Articular Pain: A 6-Month Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Study
Olivier Bruyère et al. · Complementary Therapies in Medicine · 2012
Tier 1
Impact of Specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides on Joint Discomforts in the Lower Extremity during Daily Activities: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Claas Schulze et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2024
Tier 2
The Influence of Specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides on Knee Joint Discomfort in Young Physically Active Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Denise Zdzieblik et al. · Nutrients · 2021

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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