Clinical Study: Collagen Hydrolysate reduces symptoms of joint

discomfort
A clinical study presented at Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI)
congress 2007 and published in Current Medical Research and Opinion, Vol. 24, No. 5,
2008, 14851496, shows that the administration of collagen hydrolysate reduces joint
symptoms brought about by mechanical stress. Significant improvement was
demonstrated in the case of the knee, the joint most frequently affected by pain.
In the study, carried out at the Faculty for Nutrition and Sports Nutrition in conjunction with
the Faculty for Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at Penn State University, USA, 147
students were treated. All the participants of the study suffered from joint symptoms caused
by sporting activity, e.g. stress conditions, injury, post-surgical trauma, limited mobility and
inflammation.
The study was prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled and double-blind. The effects
brought about by the administration of a daily dose of 10 grams of collagen hydrolysate over
a period of 24 weeks on a number of joints were observed. The hip, knee, shoulder, ankle,
wrist and elbow joints as well as neck and back of the participants, otherwise healthy and
active in sports, were investigated. At the beginning of the study and subsequently every six
weeks, changes in various pain parameters were objectively observed by a physician and
subjectively by the participants with the help of a visual analog pain scale. These were then
defined as primary parameters.

Knee benefits particularly

One result of the study was that participants with knee pain in particular benefited from the
administration of collagen hydrolysate. 65% of the students in the study suffered from
symptoms of the knee resulting from sports activity; these were included in a sub-population
of 96 students and subjected to a subgroup-analysis. In this group, the pain experienced in
walking, standing, at rest, running straight and running with change in direction was
compared to the placebo group. The collagen hydrolysate group produced significantly better
results. In addition, it was observed that, subsequent to completion of the study, the specific
sub-group showed greater differences on average on the analog pain scale. This indicated a
pronounced reduction in pain brought about by collagen hydrolysate compared with the other
joints investigated.
In general, with respect to the primary parameters, all joints in the collagen hydrolysate group
showed positive results: the subjective factor of pain on walking, standing, carrying objects
and standing up was reduced significantly. The objective parameters of pain at rest and joint
mobility as documented by the physician were also shown to improve significantly and
represented a statistically positive trend.

Concomitant treatment for pain reduced

The secondary parameters of the study were concomitant medication for pain or alternative
treatment and the subjective views of the students to swelling and mobility of their affected
joints. These were assessed every six weeks. After 24 weeks, it was established that collagen
hydrolysate was significantly superior to placebo with regard to alternative pain therapy:
accompanying methods such as physiotherapy and acupuncture became significantly less

effective as from week 18 both in the entire and in the sub-group. This can be so interpreted
that collagen hydrolysate becomes effective with some delay but remains so for the longer
term.
"The clinical data collected show that collagen hydrolysate significantly alleviates the joint
symptoms in persons that pursue active sports. This could well result in an increase in overall
performance", summarized Dr. Klaus Flechsenhar, Head of Medical Research at GELITA
AG. The study confirms already existing clinical data that clearly show the positive influence
of collagen hydrolysate on joint symptoms as well as improved joint mobility.

References:
Current Medical Research and Opinion, Vol. 24, No. 5, 2008, 14851496