Vitamin C and Collagen for tendinopathies and performance

I’ve read that Vitamin C with Collagen can help recovering from tendinopathies when taken before exercise.

However, I’ve also read that vitamin C could interfere in the performance and muscle growth.

What do you think about this? Any recommendations?

Antonitos,

Thanks for this and I hope you’re well.

The short of it is, I don’t think the data on vitamin C and/or collagen (together or in isolation) robustly supports their use for tendinopathy outcome improvement, i.e. pain, function, etc.

I also do not think vitamin C should be supplemented routinely, though I don’t think it alters training outcomes or acute performance either.

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is there a reason to not supplement it routinely?

Did you change your mind on this

Yea I think the combination of having reviewed the primary literature a bit more closely and my current understanding of pain science pertaining to tendinopathy has altered my opinion on collagen supplementation for this application.

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To supplement what? And how much?

Supplement vitamin C, I currently take it daily at 1000mg. You said you wouldn’t recommend routinely supplementing it so I am wondering if I am doing something negative to my body.

Potentially, yes. I do not recommend supplementing vitamin C.

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AFAIK that much around exercise can limit the strength/hypertrophy adaptations. There are some studies supporting that (e.g. Vitamin C and E supplementation alters protein signalling after a strength training session, but not muscle growth during 10 weeks of training - PMC).
The “good” think I saw about Vitamin C (in much lower doses) was the ability to improve Collagen absortion.
However, I wouldn’t recoomend it around exercise at all, specially with such high doses.

Thank you @Jordan, I had read about the possible drawbacks of Vitamin C, but possible benefits of Collagen before (around) exercise (as preworkout).
Actually I think (not 100% sure) I heard from you in a podcast about the possibility of releasing a supplement from your brand for tendinopathies.
It’s a pitty that the evidence of it is limited, as I had expected it as a little bump or help to recover from tendinopathies.

Then…, how would you otherwise aproach a tendinopathy?
Just from the view of a proper exercise selection and proper stress overloading?

Yea I would rather err on the side of caution when it comes to staking our reputation on something (in the form of a potential product).

I think the best management of tendinopathy involves lots of relearning regarding pain/function, expectations, and manipulating training variables (load, tempo, ROM, and exercise selection) is the standard management here.

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