Can collagen peptides help build muscle and lose fat?
The Influence of Specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides on Body Composition and Muscle Strength in Middle-Aged, Untrained Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Men did strength training for 12 weeks and took either collagen peptides, whey protein, or a placebo. The collagen group gained more muscle and lost more fat than the placebo group. Whey protein worked about the same as collagen. Strength and waist size didn’t change much more with collagen.
Surprising Findings
Collagen peptides — low in leucine — outperformed placebo in muscle gain
Most muscle-building supplements rely on leucine (a BCAA) to trigger muscle growth via mTOR. Collagen has only 0.4g leucine per 15g, yet still boosted muscle mass significantly more than placebo.
Practical Takeaways
Middle-aged men doing strength training can add 15g of collagen peptides daily to gain more muscle and lose more fat — similar to whey protein.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Men did strength training for 12 weeks and took either collagen peptides, whey protein, or a placebo. The collagen group gained more muscle and lost more fat than the placebo group. Whey protein worked about the same as collagen. Strength and waist size didn’t change much more with collagen.
Surprising Findings
Collagen peptides — low in leucine — outperformed placebo in muscle gain
Most muscle-building supplements rely on leucine (a BCAA) to trigger muscle growth via mTOR. Collagen has only 0.4g leucine per 15g, yet still boosted muscle mass significantly more than placebo.
Practical Takeaways
Middle-aged men doing strength training can add 15g of collagen peptides daily to gain more muscle and lose more fat — similar to whey protein.
Publication
Journal
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Year
2021
Authors
D. Zdzieblik, Patrick Jendricke, S. Oesser, A. Gollhofer, D. König
Related Content
Claims (9)
Peptides marketed for fat loss often lack robust human evidence, relying instead on animal data or short-term biomarkers without long-term clinical validation.
Middle-aged men doing strength training and taking this collagen supplement build 1.6 kg more muscle than those taking a placebo.
Middle-aged men doing strength training and taking this collagen supplement lose 1.9 kg more body fat than those taking a placebo.
For middle-aged men doing strength training, whey protein and this collagen supplement have similar effects on muscle gain and fat loss.
Strength training with this collagen supplement doesn't make middle-aged men significantly stronger in leg presses than taking a placebo.