Doing leg exercises helps whey protein build muscle even more—but even with exercise, collagen protein still can’t match whey’s muscle-building power.

Scientific Claim

In healthy older women, resistance exercise enhances the muscle protein synthetic response to whey protein but does not restore the response to collagen peptides to a level comparable to whey.

Original Statement

“Acutely, WP increased MPS ... in Exercise (0.032 ± 0.012%/h) ... whereas CP increased MPS only in Exercise (0.012 ± 0.013%/h) ... MPS was greater in WP than CP in both the Rest and Exercise legs (P = 0.02). Longer-term MPS was greater in WP than in CP in both Rest and Exercise (P < 0.001).”

From study:Whey protein but not collagen peptides stimulate acute and longer-term muscle protein synthesis with and without resistance exercise in healthy older women: a randomized controlled trial.

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

definitive

Can make definitive causal claims

Assessment Explanation

The study used a within-subject, unilateral exercise design to isolate exercise effects. The consistent, statistically significant superiority of whey under both conditions supports definitive causal claims.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Whey protein but not collagen peptides stimulate acute and longer-term muscle protein synthesis with and without resistance exercise in healthy older women: a randomized controlled trial.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2020 Mar 1

In older women, drinking whey protein makes muscles grow better, especially after lifting weights, but collagen protein doesn’t help much—even with exercise.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Whey protein but not collagen peptides stimulate acute and longer-term muscle protein synthesis with and without resistance exercise in healthy older women: a randomized controlled trial.

Score: 66

DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz332

Similar Assertions

With collagen protein, the muscle-building effect was almost identical in the exercised and non-exercised leg—unlike whey, which responded more strongly where exercise happened.

80%

After drinking whey protein shakes every day for a week, older women’s muscles kept building up new protein even on days they didn’t exercise—collagen protein didn’t do this at all.

80%

Even though whey protein made muscles build faster, it didn’t change the usual ‘on/off’ switches in muscle cells that are supposed to control growth—suggesting other mechanisms are at play.

79%

Even though collagen protein is made of collagen, drinking it didn’t make the connective tissue inside muscles grow faster—even when combined with exercise.

78%

For middle-aged men doing strength training, whey protein and this collagen supplement have similar effects on muscle gain and fat loss.

77%