The effects of collagen peptide supplementation on knee joint health
— A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial in healthy university students belonging to a running club —

 

Yoshifumi Kimira, et al.

Jpn Pharmacol Ther　2019　47（9）1455-62

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of collagen peptide (CP) supplementation on the maintenance of knee joint condition in healthy university students belonging to a running club. Fifty-one male healthy university students were recruited from the running club of Josai University and were given a placebo or CP for 8 weeks. Subjective knee condition was evaluated by the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) score as the primary outcome. Secondary outcome was defined as changes in serum parameters. The total JKOM score and the JKOM II score for “pain and stiffness in the knees” were significantly lower in the CP group than in the placebo group at 4 weeks. Moreover, the JKOM III score for “knee condition in daily life” in the CP group was lower than that in the placebo group at 4 and 8 weeks of intervention.  At 4 weeks, interleukin-6 and 3-methylhistidine in serum were significantly elevated in the placebo group, whereas in the CP group, they were unchanged. No adverse events were observed. In summary, CP supplementation improved knee joint condition in male healthy subjects belonging to a running club and also demonstrated the potential to suppress inflammation and reduce muscle tissue damage.