Collagen, increasingly valued by athletes
Runners, trail runners, swimmers, cyclists, or triathletes are increasingly interested in the link between collagen and sport. While it has long been associated with skin beauty, collagen is primarily a structural protein found in tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bones, and certain muscle tissues. Its role is to contribute to the mechanical resistance and cohesion of these structures.
In the context of regular sports practice, these tissues are subjected to repeated stresses. This is why many athletes turn to collagen to aid their recovery, preserve their joints, or support their connective tissues. However, it is important to remain nuanced: the available scientific results are encouraging in some aspects, but do not yet allow for systematic effects to be claimed for all athletes.
Let's enter the wonderful world of collagen!
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. It represents a significant part of the structure of tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bones, and skin. With age, but also due to the effects of repeated mechanical stresses, its natural synthesis gradually decreases.
There are several types of collagen:
Type I : predominant in tendons, ligaments, and bones
Type II : mainly present in cartilage
Type III : located particularly in certain muscle and vascular tissues.
For endurance athletes, it is mainly the tissues rich in type I collagen that attract attention, as they participate in force transmission and impact resistance.
The potential benefits of collagen for athletes
Support for tendons and ligaments
Every stride in running, every pedal stroke, or every weight training session puts significant stress on tendons and ligaments. However, collagen is one of the main building materials of these tissues. Regular intake of collagen peptides, combined with appropriate training, could promote their renewal and resistance.
In a prevention context, this aspect is particularly interesting for athletes who undergo high training volumes.
Assistance for joint comfort
Endurance sports generate thousands of repetitions of the same movement. In the long term, cartilages and joints can also be put to the test. Collagen supplementation could help reduce certain joint discomforts in athletes and promote cartilage maintenance. Results vary according to profiles, but this avenue is generating increasing interest in the sports community.
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Better supported recovery
After demanding training, the body must repair the stressed tissues.
Collagen provides glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline, amino acids involved in the structure of connective tissues. This nutritional richness explains why many athletes incorporate it into their recovery routine.
But be careful, collagen complements a well-thought-out strategy: the reconstruction of tissues after effort relies on several levers, including a suitable diet, sufficient and quality sleep, an hydration optimal and the adoption of chrononutrition.
Does collagen improve sports performance?
Collagen should not be considered a product that directly increases speed, power, or endurance. However, by helping to maintain healthy connective tissues, it can indirectly contribute to the continuity of training. In endurance athletes, consistency is often the main factor for progress. Fewer interruptions due to tendon or joint pain means more sessions completed under good conditions. Here we find the logic of marginal gains : accumulating small optimizations that, together, produce significant results over the long term.
Marine collagen or bovine collagen: same fight?
Marine collagen…
Mainly derived from fish, it primarily contains type I collagen. It has the advantage of offering good digestibility and proven richness in easily assimilable peptides. It is thus favored for supporting tendons, ligaments, and connective tissues.
… versus bovine collagen
On its side, bovine collagen mainly provides types I and III. It is frequently used in protocols aimed at joint, muscle, or bone support.
In both cases, the quality of the product, its hydrolysis, and its traceability matter more than the origin alone.
How to naturally promote collagen production?
You know that at Baouw, we always prioritize the natural. Also, before thinking about “supplementation,” we can only remind you that daily nutrition remains the foundation. So know that to synthesize collagen, the body needs:
a sufficient intake of proteins,
vitamin C,
zinc,
copper,
specific amino acids like glycine and proline.
Specifically, this means that among the foods particularly interesting for athletes are citrus fruits, kiwis, red fruits, fish and eggs, long bone broths, colorful vegetables rich in antioxidants, and finally, seeds and nuts. Special mention to fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C, which have a double interest since they also help combat oxidative stress generated by effort. Enough to create plates as diverse as varied!
Homemade chicken broth, or collagen at hand
We are not the type to leave you hungry! Also, still in the category of “collagen in its natural state,” here’s a simple and effective homemade recipe to ensure you get your nutrients, and in an anti-waste mode! Are you one of the fans of the family Sunday chicken? It’s time to bring out your best pot to make use of the carcass!
Among the foods naturally rich in collagen, bone broth is indeed a reference. Easy to prepare, economical, and particularly interesting for athletes, it offers the opportunity to recover some of the nutrients present in the bones, cartilage, and connective tissues.
Recipe for collagen-rich chicken broth
Ingredients :
1 free-range or organic chicken carcass
2 carrots
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 stalk of celery
1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
A few sprigs of thyme and/or parsley
Salt, pepper, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel, turmeric rhizomes…: in short, all the condiments and herbs that you enjoy!
2 to 3 liters of water
Preparation :
Place the carcass in a large pot.
Add the roughly chopped vegetables, herbs, and apple cider vinegar.
Cover with cold water.
Gently bring to a simmer.
Let it cook on very low heat for at least 4 hours, ideally between 7 and 10 hours to promote the extraction of compounds present in the bones and cartilage.
Strain the broth and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
One of the secrets of a good broth rich in collagen lies precisely in this long and gentle cooking. Be careful, a boil that is too strong is counterproductive: a slight simmer allows for the gradual extraction of nutrients from the connective tissues.
To know if your broth is successful, an excellent indicator awaits you in the refrigerator. If it becomes gelatinous once cooled, that's a good sign! This means that the gelatin from the naturally present collagen has been well extracted during cooking. In other words: a broth that resembles jelly once cold is often a particularly successful broth.
You get a nice amount of broth, which you can store in individual portions in the freezer, in ice cube trays for example. To consume it, you just need to dilute each homemade cube in hot water. You can also use it as a base for soup or risotto. A simple way to supplement your nutritional intake with raw and minimally processed foods!
Focus on the mistakes to avoid
Expecting an immediate effect after a few days.
Neglecting overall nutrition.
Forgetting the role of sleep and recovery.
Considering collagen as a substitute for training or a coherent nutritional strategy.
As with the management of energy reserves, performance relies primarily on a set of factors that work in synergy.
Collagen is neither a miracle product nor a necessary step to perform. However, for endurance athletes who heavily stress their tendons, ligaments, and joints, it can be an interesting supplement within a comprehensive approach to performance. The potential benefits mainly concern the support of connective tissues, joint comfort, and recovery. To go further, combine this approach with a varied diet rich in raw products, good management of your energy reserves, and quality recovery: this is often where the greatest progress is made!
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