Effects of resistance exercise, collagen ingestion and circulating oestrogen concentration on collagen synthesis in a female athlete: A case report.

Abstract

We investigated the effects of resistance exercise (RE), hydrolysed collagen (HC) ingestion and circulating oestrogen concentration on collagen synthesis in a naturally menstruating female CrossFit athlete. In a double-blind, randomised cross-over design, the participant (36years; height 1.61m; mass 82.6kg) consumed 0 or 30g HC prior to performing back-squat RE when endogenous circulating oestrogen concentration was low (onset of menses, OM) and high (late follicular phase, LF) during two consecutive menstrual cycles. Ten 5-mL blood samples were collected during each of the four interventions to analyse concentrations of serum 17β-oestradiol, and biomarkers of type I collagen turnover, that is serum procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP, a biomarker of collagen synthesis) and plasma β-isomerised C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (β-CTX, a biomarker of collagen breakdown), as well as the serum concentration of 18 collagen amino acids. 17β-Oestradiol concentration was 5-fold higher at LF (891±116pmolL-1) than OM (180±13pmolL-1). The PINP concentration × time area under the curve (AUC) was higher in the 30g HC OM intervention (201μgL-1h) than the 30g HC LF (144μgL-1h), 0g HC OM (151μgL-1h) and 0g HC LF (122μgL-1h) interventions. β-CTX concentration decreased 1.4-fold from pre-RE to 6h post-RE in all interventions. Thus, high circulating oestrogen concentration was associated with lower collagen synthesis following RE in this female athlete. Ingesting 30g HC, however, augmented the collagen synthesis response at LF and particularly at OM. HIGHLIGHTS: What is the central question of this study? Does resistance exercise-induced collagen synthesis vary according to circulating oestrogen concentration in a naturally menstruating female athlete, and if so, does hydrolysed collagen ingestion have any impact? What is the main finding and its importance? Exercise-induced collagen synthesis was low when circulating oestrogenconcentration was high and vice versa. However, ingesting 30g hydrolysedcollagen prior to exercise reduced the negative effect of oestrogen oncollagen synthesis. As high circulating oestrogen has been associated withgreater injury risk in females, supplementing exercise with hydrolysedcollagen may help protect these tissues from injury.