I’ve said it many times, you need to learn more to earn more! In addition to reading an hour a day, I try to attend a seminar/webinar every month. This month it was New Approaches to Inflammation and Recovery: The Science of Collagen Peptides. Below are some key points from that talk.

Build New Collagen

Dr. Jeffrey Bland points out that collagen peptides not only supply the body with the raw materials to build new collagen but also act as messengers to stimulate the production of new collagen.

Food Trumps Supplements

Dr. Leonidas Karagounis shows several interesting studies – one that demonstrates the superiority of collagen peptides compared to other dietary supplements for treating osteoarthritis, and another showing that food (bone broth) trumps dairy and collagen supplements with regards to total and essential amino acids. The take-home message is that collagen supplementation is great for joint-related issues, but bone broth is even better!

“Meat” Your Protein Needs

Here are two key points from Ayla Barmmer in this presentation: a) There are well-documented health benefits to a plant-based, but not plant-exclusive diet. b) Protein Leverage Hypothesis states that the body will continue to seek calories until protein needs are met, and collagen peptides will help you meet those needs.

Dosing Collagen Peptides

Depending on your individual preferences, collagen peptides can be taken at different times during the day: some people prefer to blend collagen peptides with their coffee first thing in the morning, while others will take them around a workout either before training (mixed with electrolytes and a pre-workout formula) and/or after training (mixed with whey protein), and some prefer to take them as a bedtime snack mixed with yogurt.

The dosage per day is typically 10-20 grams, but as Chris Duffin points out, you may need 2-3 times that amount during an injury. Glycine is the key amino acid found in collagen. For connective tissue health, aim for at least 10 grams of glycine a day. There are 2.5 grams of glycine in a 10-gram dose of collagen hydrolysate (de Paz-Lugo et al., 2018), so you’ll need to take 40 grams of collagen peptides to meet that quota or supplement with additional glycine.

For a wider spectrum of raw materials to support connective tissue health, use a blend of bovine, chicken, and fish sources of collagen. This is the Collagen Formula that I use on a daily basis. Unlike gelatin, the beauty of collagen is that it dissolves readily in hot or cold liquids and it mixes easily with foods like yogurt or oatmeal.

Bottom Line: Consider supplementing with collagen peptides when bone broth is not an option.