Consuming a gelatin supplement enhanced with vitamin C and performing a burst of intensive exercise can help build ligaments, tendons, and bones, according to a recent study.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Functional Molecular Biology Laboratory at the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences and the Australian Institute of Sport, was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In the study, eight young men drank a gelatin supplement enhanced with vitamin C, and had their blood taken, then after 1 hour performed a 5-minute bout of high-impact exercise (skipping).

The researchers tested the blood for amino acids that could build up the collagen protein that composes tendons, ligaments, and bones. They also tested blood samples for their effect on researcher Keith Baar’s lab-grown ligaments at UC Davis, explains a media release from University of California at Davis.

The study suggests that the gelatin supplement increased the level of amino acids and markers linked to collagen synthesis in the participants’ blood, and improved the mechanics of the engineered lab-grown ligaments.

“These data suggest that adding gelatin and vitamin C to an intermittent exercise program could play a beneficial role in injury prevention and tissue repair,” the researchers conclude, per the release.

[Source(s): University of California at Davis, Science Daily]