Gelatin Supplements May Prevent Joint Injury

According to a new study, gelatin supplements may be beneficial to prevent joint injury by improving collagen synthesis.

Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blinded, cross-over design study on 8 healthy male participants. Participants consumed either 5 or 15 g of a vitamin C gelatin or a placebo, and performed 6 minutes of rope-skipping 3 times per day for 3 days with about 6 hours between each exercise interval.
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After the initial consumption of gelatin, blood was drawn every 30 minutes to determine the amino acid content, and a larger blood sample was taken before and after 1 hour to create a serum for engineered ligaments. Researchers collected blood samples before each exercise interval and every 4, 24, 48, and 72 hours after the initial exercise interval to determine the amino-terminal propeptide of collagen I content in participants.

Their findings showed that gelatin increased the circulation of glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and hydroxylysine in participants, peaking 1 hour after the consumption of the supplement. Participants who consumed 15 g of gelatin 1 hour before exercising had increased collagen synthesis with double the amount of amino-terminal propeptide of collagen I in their blood.

The engineered ligaments, which were treated for 6 days with the samples collected from before and 1 hour after participants consumed a placebo or gelatin, had increased collagen content and improved mechanics.

The results indicated that the gelatin improves collagen synthesis in participants and could be beneficial in injury prevention and tissue repair in active individuals.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Shaw G, Lee-Barthel A, Ross MLR, Wang B, and Barr K. Vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis [published online November 16, 2016]. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.3945/​ajcn.116.138594.