‘Don’t wait till you have joint or other issues to start benefiting from collagen’

Spanish podcast with insights on the benefits of taking collagen supplements, as well as some tips on the best way to incorporate it into a daily routine.

In a recent Spanish podcast, sponsored by Peptan and hosted by Sport Life, a Spanish lifestyle website for athletes, Dr Joan Martínez, Scientific Director and Head of Quality Assurance at Solchem ​​Nature S.Land Paula Ellis, an influencer and Key Account Manager for Weider Nutrition shared their insights on the benefits of taking collagen supplements, as well as some tips on the best way to incorporate it into a daily routine. Here are some highlights.

Connective tissue and muscles

These days, athletes have a growing range of sports nutrition products at their fingertips. So, why are collagen peptides gaining a steady position on the supplement lists of more and more athletes? Dr Martínez, Scientific Director and Head of Quality Assurance at Solchem ​​Nature S.L., the Peptan® distributor in Spain and Portugal, explains, “Research[1] shows that peptides not only help with the recovery of connective tissues, but also help with recovery at muscle level and help prevent injuries. After an intense workout, muscles are inflamed and have micro tears. The faster an athlete can recover from these, the better their overall performance, and the lower the risk of a serious injury.”

Anyone can benefit

Joan clarifies that anyone can benefit from taking collagen supplements. “The collagen in naturally present our bodies is subject to a process of regeneration: our body produces it, breaks it down, then generates it again. And we lose this ability progressively, especially after the age of 35 to 40 years. This means that we break down more collagen than we can produce. The result is signs of aging and changes in our body. Taking collagen peptides can help to counter these effects.”

Joan encourages athletes, specifically, to think of collagen as a preventative measure. “Because of the stress their bodies are under, athletes shouldn’t wait until they are older or get injured to incorporate collagen peptides into their diet.”

Olympic training centre

As an example of how collagen is being used to prevent sports-related injuries and improve overall performance, Joan shares about his visit to Papendal, the Dutch Olympic Training Center and the largest national facility for elite sports and education (TeamNL Center) in the Netherlands. Rousselot recently announced that it will continue to supply Papendal’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes with Peptan® as they prepare for the Paris 2024 summer games. “The athletes are given Peptan® as part of their regular diet,” Dr Martinez explains. “Because it is highly soluble and resistant to heat, the formulation isn’t altered if it is incorporated in soup, juice or snacks. It also won’t be affected by being mixed into a more acidic medium, like yoghurt.”

Account Manager and avid athlete

Paula Ellis, a psychologist, nutritionist and an accomplished athlete, she has an immense influence on social media with a large number of Instagram followers that follow her healthy lifestyle. Paula is Key Account Manager for Weider Nutrition, a leading sports nutrition brand and a co-branded partner of Peptan®, said in the Sport Life podcast that she is also an avid athlete, with over 10 years’ experience in the world of athletics and fitness.

“With my current training regime, I run 10 kilometres about every 48 hours,” says Paula. “That is a lot of impact on my joints and muscles. Thankfully, I have never had a serious injury from running, and I attribute it to regularly taking collagen peptides.”

‘I run 10 kilometres about every 48 hours. That’s a lot of impact on my joints and muscles. I’ve never had a serious injury, and I attribute that to regularly taking collagen peptides’

Paula Ellis, sports lover and Key Account Manager for Weider Nutrition

A motorcycle accident

Paula started taking collagen after hurting her knee in a motorcycle accident. “I was working hard to strengthen the muscles, and it was going well. But after only a few days of taking a collagen supplement, the healing process went noticeably faster. It made me realise that athletes need to take care of both: their muscles and their joints, which involves both exercise and nutrition.”

Sports aside, Paula agrees with Joan that every adult can benefit from collagen. “On this topic, I would apply the saying ‘Better be safe than sorry’. In my view, it is never too soon to start taking collagen. I don’t think we should wait until we feel pain in our joints, or start having injuries or aging issues, to take collagen.”

‘My coffee and collagen moment’

Collagen peptides are now part of Paula’s daily routine. “Every morning, I add 9-10 grams (a large spoonful) to my first coffee of the day – I call it my ‘coffee and collagen moment’,” she laughs. “I use Weider’s formulation, because it is a flavourless powder that contains Peptan® collagen peptides and magnesium, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. It is also sweetened with stevia, so it gives beverages and smoothies extra creaminess and a hint of sweetness.”

Quality and consistency

Both Dr Martínez and Paula agree that quality and consistency are key to getting the best out of a collagen supplement. “Hydrolysed collagen is easiest for the body to absorb, so it is important to read the information on the packaging and choose a recognised brand, like Peptan®, which is backed up by ongoing research,” says Dr Martínez. Paula adds, “You want to make sure that you are giving your body the highest quality products. I always recommend that people look for a patented brand, like Peptan®.” Her other tip to people who do sports at a high level? “Start taking collagen supplements now,” she says. “I wish someone had recommended it to me when I started doing sports regularly. I noticed an improvement after just a few days and now I can’t imagine stopping.”

Check podcast this blog article is based on? In Spanish podcast this blog article is based on. It was sponsored by Peptan and hosted by Sport Life, a Spanish lifestyle website for athletes.

Dr Joan Martínez, Scientific Director and Head of Quality Assurance at Solchem ​​Nature S.L., the Peptan® distributor in Spain and Portugal, answered this question in a recent Spanish podcast, sponsored by Peptan and hosted by Sport Life, a Spanish lifestyle website for athletes.

“There are about 28 different types of collagen. Not all of them are found in the human body. In our skin and bones, there is more Collagen Type I. In our cartilage, there is more CollagenType II. Until recently, it was assumed that you had to take Collagen I if you wanted nice skin and Collagen II if you wanted to support jour joints, for example, if you’re aging, or if you do a lot of sports. People thought that a specific collagen type would only work in an area of the body where it naturally occurs. That is a mistake. We now know that the amino acids in Collagen I reach into different parts of our bodies. They affect the cells in our skin, for example, promoting collagen production there, but they also reach the cells in our cartilage, where they atually promote the production of Collagen II. So, at the end of the day, peptides distributed around your body will do their job in each different cell.”

Check the podcast (in Spanish)  for more insights from Dr Joan Martínez and podcast guest Paula Ellis, Key Account Manager for Weider Nutrition and an running and fitness fan.

[1] Clifford, T, et al., 2019. The effects of collagen peptides on muscle damage, inflammation and bone turnover following exercise: a randomized, controlled trial. Amino Acids 51(4):691-704, doi.org/10.1007/s00726-019-02706-5