As some of you know I’ve had knee issues for some time, with everything getting a little worse recently. When I called my Nana to tell her the news, her advice was ‘start adding gelatin to your diet, just mix it in water and drink it’. 

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling a little dubious. Then up popped a new study where vitamin C and gelatin showed to be effective at improving collagen synthesis and as such, beneficial for injury prevention in athletes.

You mean gelatin actually works?

Supplementation with vitamin c enriched gelatin showed both improved mechanics and increased collagen synthesis. 

More than 50% of injuries in all sports are classified as sprains, strains, ruptures or breaks. This  is usually due to poor mechanics or technique, muscle imbalances due to poor conditioning, overuse and insufficient stretching. 

The ability to increase collagen synthesis means the potential to reduce risk of injury, due it’s potential to improve mechanics, based on this study’s results. I don’t know an athlete who wouldn’t want to take that to the bank!

So how to use it? 

As Nana suggested, you can literally mix it in water and drink it, or if you prefer, make it into a jelly shot. It seems taking vitamin C with it may help as well, though the gelatin is the main thing working here.

In the study I’m talking about, physical activity was commenced after taking the gelatin to help aid the production of collagen, through skipping!

My take home?

Nana certainly knows best! What a legend.

*Photo courtesy of Simply Fresh Cooking through

About Chloe McLeod