Research

Hormonal

A 20g collagen hydrolysate/milk protein blend stimulates muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in older men to an equivalent degree as a calorie-matched milk protein blend containing higher essential amino acids, despite lower leucine content.

For older adults looking to maintain muscle, a 20g protein supplement containing a mix of collagen and milk protein is just as effective at stimulating muscle building as a standard milk protein supplement, even if the milk-only version has more leucine. The key advantage is that the collagen blend can be delivered in a smaller volume (125ml vs 200ml), which may be easier to consume for those with reduced appetite.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Fresubin®3.2 kcal DRINK, which contains a 20 g mixed blend of CPþMP, resulted in equivalent MPS responses to MP alone.
Matthew S. Brook et al. · Clinical Nutrition · 2021

Why this rating

Randomized crossover trial with stable isotope tracer gold-standard MPS measurement, but small sample size (n=8) and short duration (acute response).

Source

A collagen hydrolysate/milk protein-blend stimulates muscle anabolism equivalently to an isoenergetic milk protein-blend containing a greater quantity of essential amino acids in older men

Matthew S. Brook et al. · Clinical Nutrition · 2021

DOI 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.01.002

crossover · n=8Cited 12×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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