The Hidden Power of Marine Collagen: Part Two – Physical Performance
In our previous blog post, we talked about the “hidden power” of marine collagen in maintaining a healthy gut. However, its additional benefits in the recovery and repair of the body after physical performance cannot be overlooked.
As mentioned in part one, collagen is a key component in our body’s connective tissue – in fact, it compromises around 90% of all connective tissue in the human body. This includes our muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons. As a result, consuming collagen after physical performance can help repair these parts of the body that are stressed during a workout. This is achieved through the combination of amino acids present within collagen (proline, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine) alongside its high bioavailability allows for the optimal absorption of nutrients that work to repair and replenish proteins broken down during exercise.
Muscle repair and restoration
According to various research, the body’s two primary modes of healing damaged muscles are the restoration of muscle fibers in combination with the production of connective scar tissue. An essential component of both of these processes is collagen formation. A laboratory study, which examined the rates of collagen production after a muscle rupture, found that type III collagen reached its optimum during the first week of muscle healing and was highly responsible for the development of flexibility/plasticity of the connective tissue. Type I collagen formation occurred a little later in the healing process and was responsible for the restoration and strengthening of new muscle fibres. From this study, we see that collagen is highly beneficial in the repair of damaged muscles as it naturally promotes the body’s main methods of healing and restoration – as a result, incorporating collagen into your post-workout meal/drink can help kick-start this process of repairing stressed tissues, leading to shorter recovery times and increased performance.
Improvement of performance
In addition to muscle repair and recovery, incorporating collagen into your post-workout has been proven to have a marked improvement on overall performance and composition. The science, here, comes from a unique group of test subject – in 2015, researchers gathered together a group of fifty-three elderly men in order to examine how protein supplementation alongside resistance training may increase muscle mass and muscle strength. Each of the subject were also suffering from sarcopenia, a degenerative syndrome which is characterised by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength.
In addition to muscle repair and recovery, incorporating collagen into your post-workout has been proven to have a marked improvement on overall performance and composition. The science, here, comes from a unique group of test subjects – in 2015, researchers gathered together a group of fifty-three elderly men in order to examine how protein supplementation alongside resistance training may increase muscle mass and muscle strength. Each of the subject were also suffering from sarcopenia, a degenerative syndrome which is characterised by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. by increasing muscle strength and bone mass while also promoting a loss in fat mass.
The study is significant in that it demonstrates the wide-ranging benefits of protein supplementation with collagen not only as a useful post-workout performance supplement, but also as a useful tool in the treatment of skeletal or joint conditions such as sarcopenia or osteoarthritis.
Soft-tissue injuries are incredibly common in various fields of physical performance and account for a large percentage of injuries amongst top-level athletes. In order to combat this, increasing the strength and durability of our soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments) should be a top priority in the interest of injury prevention.
Injury prevention
Soft-tissue injuries are incredibly common in various fields of physical performance, and account for a large percentage of injuries amongst top-level athletes. In order to combat this, increasing the strength and durability of our soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments) should be a top priority in the interest of injury prevention.
While many athletes swear by glucosamine and chondroitin, the research just isn’t there to support that either of these supplements are helpful in building or strengthening cartilage and connective tissue. However, collagen actually does have a significant, scientifically-backed potential for building and maintaining a more robust and injury-resistant musculature. The amino acids found in hydrolysed collagen act as building blocks for new collagen proteins which, in turn, promote the strengthening and maintenance of our soft tissue through the increased bioavailability of nutrients such as Vitamin C. The result is not only a lower propensity for injury, but also an increase in strength, flexibility, and endurance during physical performance. Furthermore, if an injury has already been sustained, the consumption of hydrolysed collagen has been shown to significant in the recovery of ACL and patellar injuries as well as diminishing joint pain.
Hurme T, Kalimo H, Sandberg M, Lehto M, Vuorio E. Localization of type I and III collagen and fibronectin production in injured gastrocnemius muscle. Laboratory Investigation; a Journal of Technical Methods and Pathology. 1991 Jan;64(1):76-84.
Zdzieblik, Denise et al. “Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial.” The British journal of nutrition vol. 114,8 (2015): 1237-45. doi:10.1017/S0007114515002810
Baar K. (2017). Minimizing injury and maximizing return to play: Lessons from engineered ligaments. Sports Medicine, 47(1), 5-11.
Lis DM & Baar K. (2019). Effects of different vitamin C enriched collaged derivatives on collagen synthesis. International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, 29, 526-531.
