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> Osteoarthritis occurs when a joint is stressed by aging, injury or obesity. The chondrocytes begin to release pro-inflammatory molecules and to break down col
by stacktrust 9mo ago
> Osteoarthritis occurs when a joint is stressed by aging, injury or obesity. The chondrocytes begin to release pro-inflammatory molecules and to break down collagen, which is the primary structural protein of cartilage. When collagen is lost, the cartilage thins and softens; the accompanying inflammation causes the joint swelling and pain that are hallmarks of the disease.
Collagen synthesis in the human body can be aided by hydrolyzed collagen, Vitamin C, zinc and copper.
- rixed 9mo agoEvidence seems to be lacking though. Do you have any specific source in mind?
- aeonik 9mo agoThere's very good evidence coming out of UC Davis. they have MRIs, decent experimental evidence, and biochemical explanations. They have published quite a few papers over the years. You can start here, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9267994/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9267994/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5183725/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5183725/ Look up Keith Baar.
- asterix99 9mo agoKeith Baar's videos on YT have helped me a lot; both for treating my knee pain and for increasing overall muscle strength. The videos tell you how to heal or strengthen your tendons, ligaments, and muscles.
- fc417fc802 9mo agoI found that second link interesting although it raised the question of why gelatin versus amino acids in general. However neither link seems to have anything to do with UC Davis or biochemical mechanisms related to collagen supplementation. I realize that it probably wasn't your intent but the mismatch leaves me feeling vaguely as though you tried to deceive me there.
- aeonik 9mo agoThey have published a lot of stuff. I don't remember the exact link for the biochem stuff. Something about collagen being glycine limited and vitamin C being a catalyst for synthesis for tendon tissue regrowth. Here are the two papers I remember reviewing. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2wn8s39q https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2wn8s39q https://escholarship.org/content/qt2j57t1j1/qt2j57t1j1.pdf https://escholarship.org/content/qt2j57t1j1/qt2j57t1j1.pdf
- chrisfosterelli 9mo agoAmong endurance athletes collagen supplements have become increasingly popular the past couple years -- from what I understand the evidence is kind of mixed though e.g. https://thefeed.com/products/pillar-performance-collagen-1?variant=41261266599999&queryID=052b75811fded336f2838a757ad287ad https://thefeed.com/products/pillar-performance-collagen-1?v...
- IsTom 9mo agoI don't get what's the supposed mechanism of action here. Collagen is a hard to digest protein and it has to get digested to be processed and then it's no longer collagen. Why not just eat any other protein source instead?
- kelipso 9mo agoDifferent protein sources have different amino acid compositions and they have different effects on the body.
- IsTom 9mo agoStill, if you eat enough complete protein sources you'll have all the amino acids you need.
- kelipso 9mo agoMaybe, maybe not. It would depend on a variety of factors including the activities you do, your age, etc. Maybe athletes need more collagen compared to people who don’t exercise, etc, etc. Also complete protein sources are definitely not easy to get. Good luck if you have dietary constraints.
- loeg 9mo agoNotably, whey is a complete protein source and very easy to get, while collagen is a crappy source.
- rjdj377dhabsn 9mo agoA recent meta analysis suggests the positive results for collagen are mostly funding bias. See discussion here: https://massresearchreview.com/2025/09/29/connecting-the-dots-for-connective-tissue-outcomes-an-update-on-the-collagen-supplementation-debates/ https://massresearchreview.com/2025/09/29/connecting-the-dot... I have been taking collagen, but will likely stop.