Today, we continue the discussion about TARGETED NUTRUTION!
Last week, we discussed the importance of Vitamin C and Glycine in the diet for maintaining/rehabilitating tendon.
In one particular experiment, Keith Baar and colleagues found that consuming 15G of gelatin doubled the amount of collagen synthesis compared to a control group, and another cohort that only took on board 5g of gelatin. Unfortunately, there is no plant-based source of collagen, so if you’re a vegetarian or vegan athlete chances are you’re going to struggle to implement this regimen.
The reported collagen gains are manifested most graphically with the addition of LOAD. Steffen & Baar in David Lesondak and Angeli Maun Akey’s “Fascia, Function and Medical Applications”, were at pains to point out that tendons and ligaments have relatively low blood flow, and that these structures rely on diffusion from the environment to provide nutrients and remove waste products.
Similar to a sponge, fluid within connective tissue moves out as the tissue is loaded and when the tissue relaxes the fluid flows back in, increasing nutrient uptake. Given that loading of the connective tissue increases nutrient delivery, the timing of the nutrition relative to load is a worthy consideration. It has been found that 15g of vitamin C-enriched gelatin an hour before loading results in an increase in collagen synthesis. The Vitamin C dosage needs to be at least 50mg.
Bovine bone broth is an outstanding source of collagen as we know– especially if you incorporate the bones of joints – but the concentration or measurable dosage of glycine is too inconsistent. Collagen supplements are now widely available, and easily incorporated into our diets.
Just look in the “Recommended Reading” tab if you’re hungry for knowledge or just want to nerd-out completely!
Join me next week for a continuation of this critical topic, focusing on fascia in pathological states.
