Taking creatine and collagen together
Answer
No interaction, and they answer different questions. Creatine works through saturation over weeks with no timing requirement. Collagen has a research argument for before loading exercise.
Key takeaways
- Do they interact?
- No known interaction at ordinary serving sizes.
- Does creatine timing matter?
- No. It works through muscle saturation built over weeks, so 3g a day at any consistent time reaches it.
- Does collagen timing matter?
- The research places it before loading exercise, which is research rather than an authorised claim.
Two different products answering two different questions
Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short term high intensity exercise, at 3g a day. It works through muscle saturation built over three to four weeks, so timing does not matter and a loading protocol only brings saturation forward.
Collagen carries no authorised claim at all. The vitamin C alongside it carries one for normal collagen formation. Its only timing argument comes from research protocols placing a dose before loading exercise.
Taking them together
There is no known interaction and no reason to separate them. If a player is following the collagen loading protocol they would take that before training and can take creatine at any point on the same day.
Futuro Labs Marine Collagen provides 1200mg of type 1 marine collagen with 12mg of vitamin C at 28p a day. Futuro Labs does not make a creatine product and no other supplement brand is named on this site.
The dose gap worth knowing
The collagen research protocols use several grams with vitamin C before loading, and a capsule serving is around one gram. That gap is stated on every collagen page here rather than mentioned once.
So a player combining the two for the loading protocol specifically is looking at a collagen powder rather than capsules, taken about an hour before training, with creatine wherever it fits.
The full version
- Do rugby players take creatine?The claim in full, and why loading is not necessary.
- When to take collagen around rugby trainingThe research protocol and the dose gap.
The product
Futuro Labs Marine Collagen
Futuro Labs Marine Collagen is the 1200mg type 1 marine one with the vitamin C that carries the claim, at 28p a day, fish derived and UK made to GMP standards.
- 1200mg type 1 hydrolysed marine collagen
- 12mg vitamin C and 1.5mg zinc, both 15% NRV
- UK made to GMP, lab tested for purity
- Fish derived. Collagen carries no claim
Sharper Rugby is published by Futuro Labs. If you buy through this link Futuro Labs earns from the sale. Prices are set by Amazon.
Questions players ask
Can they be taken together?
Yes. No known interaction at ordinary serving sizes.
Does creatine need timing?
No. It works through saturation built over three to four weeks.
Does collagen?
The research places it before loading exercise, which is research rather than a claim.