Collagen supplementation augments strength training-induced gains in tendon size and rate of force development in elite female Master field hockey athletes

Nulty, CD and Erskine, R ORCID: 0000-0002-5705-0207 Collagen supplementation augments strength training-induced gains in tendon size and rate of force development in elite female Master field hockey athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. ISSN 1526-484X (Accepted)

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Abstract

We investigated the effect of 8-weeks’ eccentric resistance exercise (RE) with hydrolysed collagen (HC) supplementation on patellar tendon (PT) cross sectional area (CSA), vastus lateralis (VL) muscle size, maximum voluntary force (MVF) and peak rate of force development (pRFD) in international female field hockey Master athletes. Twenty-two premenopausal women (37±2 years, 68.9±8.0 kg; 1.68±0.04 m) were randomly assigned to collagen (COL, n=10) and placebo (PLA, n=12) cohorts in a triple-blind design. They completed three eccentric RE sessions per week for eight weeks in addition to their regular hockey training. Before each RE session, participants ingested 30g HC (COL) or 30g maltodextrin (PLA), together with 500 mg vitamin C. Pre- and post-intervention, we assessed MVF and pRFD during a voluntary multi-joint isometric muscle contraction, and countermovement jump (CMJ) height, while VL thickness and PT CSA were measured with ultrasonography. MVF increased from 892±366 to 1,011±420 N (P=0.020) and VL thickness from 21±3 to 22±3 mm (P=0.015), with no group×time interactions (P>0.05), while CMJ height did not change (P=0.238). PT CSA increased in both groups (P<0.001) but more in COL (116±12 to 121±13 mm2) than PLA (109±22 to 111±22 mm2, P=0.014). Similarly, pRFD increased in both groups (P=0.002) but more in COL (7.9±1.3 to 10.1±2.4 kN∙s-1) than PLA 8.2 ± 2.4 to 9.6 ± 2.9 kN∙s-1, P=0.039). Therefore, HC supplementation enhanced gains in PT CSA and pRFD following eight weeks’ eccentric RE in elite female field hockey Master athletes, thus providing an effective strategy to improve physical performance in this under-researched population.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Accepted author manuscript version reprinted, by permission, from International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2025 (ahead of print). © Human Kinetics, Inc.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences; 1116 Medical Physiology; Sport Sciences; 3210 Nutrition and dietetics; 4207 Sports science and exercise
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Human Kinetics
Date of acceptance:	22 August 2025
Date Deposited:	11 Sep 2025 10:57
Last Modified:	11 Sep 2025 11:00
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27140

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