Collagen added to training improved selected tendon and force measures in female hockey players
A small trial found greater gains in tendon size and rapid force production with collagen, without a clear advantage for every measured outcome.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Collagen added to resistance training produced greater increases in patellar tendon size and peak rate of force development than placebo. Maximum force and thigh-muscle thickness increased without a significant difference in improvement between groups, while jump height did not change significantly. These results concern laboratory measures in a specific athletic population.
The abstract covers a small, narrowly defined athletic sample and a short training period. It does not establish whether tendon changes reduce injuries or improve hockey performance.
What researchers found
Patellar tendon cross-sectional area
Over 8 weeks: collagen, 116 ± 12 to 121 ± 13 mm²; placebo, 109 ± 22 to 111 ± 22 mm². Both groups increased.
A shared training programme
Both groups added eccentric resistance exercise to their regular hockey training and received vitamin C with their assigned supplement. The comparison therefore tested collagen within that shared programme, not collagen taken alone.
What changed in testing
The collagen group had a larger improvement in how rapidly force developed during a tested contraction. That finding did not translate into a statistically significant change in the separate jump-height test.
The original publication
Collagen Supplementation Augments Strength Training-Induced Gains in Tendon Size and Rate of Force Development in Elite Female Master Field Hockey Athletes.
Nulty CD, Erskine RM
Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40992424
- Record checked
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