Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial
Zdzieblik D, Oesser S, Baumstark MW, Gollhofer A, König D. Br J Nutr. 2015; 114(8):1237–1245.
PubMed 26353786 · PMC4594048 · doi:10.1017/S0007114515002810
Compares people who got the treatment with people who did not.
- Who or what was studied
- 53 men, average age 72, with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss)
- Design
- Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
- Dose
- 15 g/day collagen peptides (placebo: silica)
- Duration
- 12 weeks, with supervised resistance training three times a week
What it found
Everyone gained muscle and strength from the training. The collagen group gained more: fat-free mass rose 4.2 kg versus 2.9 kg on placebo, quadriceps strength rose 16.5 Nm versus 7.3 Nm, and fat mass fell 5.4 kg versus 3.5 kg (all P < 0.05).
What it doesn't show
Everyone trained, so the trial cannot say what collagen peptides do without exercise. It is a single trial in older men with sarcopenia, so it does not show the same effect in other groups. The abstract does not state a funder.
Funding and conflicts of interest
No funding or conflict-of-interest statement appears in the PubMed record. Check the full text.
Summary written from the study's abstract and checked against PubMed on November 9, 2026. How we check studies. Educational information, not medical advice.