A clinical trial on Gelita’s Fortigel, a formula of specific collagen peptides formulated for sports nutrition, suggested that a specific few collagen peptide types from the broader collagen protein family were able to significantly improve knee joint discomfort in young, physically active adults.
 
Knee pain is a common exercise complaint, which can impair performance and reduce gains made in sports and exercise. The recent study (University of Freiburg, Zdzieblik et al., 2021) investigated the benefits of Fortigel, a specific formula of cartilaginous collagen peptides optimized to regenerate cartilage, maintain joint mobility, and minimize joint discomfort.
 
The study involved 180 physically active young men and women who reported knee joint discomfort with physical activity. The participants were randomized to supplement with either 5 g of Fortigel or a maltodextrin placebo for 12 weeks. Specifically, the mixture contained porcine type 1 collagen peptides derived from a special hydrolysis, characterized by molecular weight fraction and amino acid sequence.
 
The primary outcome of the study showed that supplementation with Fortigel resulted in a statistically significant reduction in reports pain during activity compared with the placebo, which was assessed by both the study participants and the physician. According to the authors of the study, this “may help to prevent the clinical manifestation of chronic degenerative joint diseases.”
 
A previous clinical trial conducted by the researchers (Zdzieblik et al., 2017) showed similar benefits on activity-related joint discomfort from use of Fortigel compared to placebo in a randomized controlled trial involving 139 active men and women.
 
“Fortigel is the most clinically-studied bioactive collagen peptides, for 30 years. Over 20 studies, involving more than 2,500 participants, contributed to develop Fortigel and prove the product’s positive effects to joint health,” Dr. Stephan Hausmanns, Gelita’s vice president for Health and Nutrition, said.  “So far, no other collagen peptide solution on the market has been able to offer an alternative to Fortigel, backed by science.”
 
The researchers stated in the study that the effects measured are valid only for the specific bioactive collagen peptides used in the study, and the benefits could not be readily applicable to other collagen products. “According to the current state of research, the positive effect of collagen peptides in cartilage, tendon and ligament tissue may be due to molecular biological processes such as the stimulation of elastin and collagen type 1 formulation,” they said. “It must be emphasized that the presented results are only reliable for the collagen peptide product that was investigated in this study and cannot be transferred to other collagen products.”