Why This Protein Scientist Changed his Stance on Collagen Protein

Thomas DeLauer's lab conducted the longest-known collagen RCT: 0, 10, or 20g daily for 9 months in middle-aged active people. The 10g group showed the greatest joint pain reduction. A critical factor was exercise volume—those exceeding 150 minutes of weekly exercise saw far greater improvements. As pain decreased, mood scores rose on validated questionnaires. Before this study, Thomas dismissed collagen as ineffective; the data changed his mind. He notes that giving it pre-exercise (as Keith Baar's jump-rope study showed) could further boost outcomes by exploiting exercise-induced blood flow to connective tissue. The lab is now analyzing blood samples to uncover the mechanism.

Thomas had taken 5g for years. Research now indicates that brain creatine uptake requires higher daily intake. He ramped up to 10–15g and describes the cognitive difference as 'noticeably different.' The host notes he settled at 10g and felt the same. This protocol moves beyond muscle performance to brain health.

Thomas mentions he takes protein powder many days, considering it a needle mover among supplements. It's not the focus of the deep dive, but he includes it in his daily stack alongside creatine and collagen.

Thomas's applied physiology lab ran a 9-month RCT (the longest he's seen for collagen) on 0, 10, or 20 grams daily in middle-aged active adults. The 10-gram dose emerged as most effective in reducing joint pain, though both 10g and 20g showed benefit. A key moderating factor was exercise volume: participants exercising over 150 minutes per week experienced greater relief. Joint pain reduction improved mood scores, a downstream quality-of-life effect. The study took almost 5 years to execute. Thomas notes that the data convinced him to add 10g collagen to his daily regimen, contradicting his prior 'this won't do anything' stance. He speculates the effect might have been even larger if dosed pre-exercise (as Keith Baar's work suggests) and combined with micronutrients, but his study simply administered it daily without timing requirements.

Thomas describes a phase where he loosened his grip on needing data for everything. He realized that some things simply feel right, and that feeling itself—whether placebo or not—produces real benefits. In his sports nutrition consultations, the first two questions are 'What are you doing?' and 'How do you feel?' If a client loves a practice, he supports it unless it's harmful, because removing something that feels good can create a negative mental effect. He acknowledges his own collagen trial was placebo-controlled, so the benefit goes beyond suggestion, but he now fully embraces the power of subjective experience. The host reinforces this by noting that 'loosening the grip' itself might be doing the most work.

Thomas had taken 5g of creatine for a long time. Recent literature indicating that getting creatine into the brain requires a higher daily dose prompted him to scale up to 10–15g. He reports that the cognitive difference is 'noticeably different.' This reflects a broader trend among researchers moving beyond the muscle-centric view of creatine to its role in brain energy metabolism and neuroprotection. The host mentions he is at 10g and feels similarly.