It's been one of the most popular supplements of the last few years. A lot of endurance athletes take collagen regularly, but what is it for, how should it be taken, and is there evidence it lives up to the claims? We’re joined by Assistant Prof. Jorn Trommelen, a protein researcher whose lab has done some of the most recent work in this area, to answer our questions. 

Timestamps:

04:00 - Intro and revisiting Jorn's previous episode (Ep. 73)

12:17 - What is collagen (in the body and as a supplement)?

16:53 - The different types of collagen - does it matter?

22:20 - How did collagen become so popular as a supplement?

30:10 - Why are the supplements always hydrolysed collagen or "collagen peptides"?

31:35 - Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership, T-12 course for athletes, eBook

33:51 - What are the theoretical reasons for taking collagen supplements?

35:28 - Do you actually need collagen or would any source of these amino acids work?

40:56 - Do you need to take Vitamin C along with collagen?

44:53 - State of scientific evidence for collagen - muscle, tendon, bone tissue.

1:01:57 - Jorn's summary and practical recommendations

1:10:11 - Wrap up

 

Guest - Assistant Prof. Jorn Trommelen - Maastricht University

Lab Website: m3-research.nl 

Research Profile: maastrichtuniversity.nl/j-trommelen 

Instagram: @nutritiontactics

 

Studies mentioned in this episode:

  • Aussieker T et al.  10.1249/MSS.0000000000003596.

  • Aussieker T et al. The Effects of Ingesting a Single Bolus of Hydrolyzed Collagen versus Free Amino Acids on Muscle Connective Protein Synthesis Rates10.1249/MSS.0000000000003788.
  • Buchalski A et al. Collagen Supplementation on Tendon-Related Structural and Performance Outcomes: A Systematic Review. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2026. 11(1):130. DOI: 10.3390/jfmk11010130 

 

Fueling Endurance eBook | T -12 Race Nutrition Course | Practitioner Resources

The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 84 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes.  The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.

 

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