Which type of collagen is in ligaments?

By Tom Francis·Updated 2026-09-03·3 sources·Editorial policy

The anatomy answer

Ligaments are predominantly type 1 collagen, arranged to resist tension between bones. So is tendon. So are skin and bone. Type 2 is the cartilage associated type and comes from chicken sternum rather than from marine or bovine sources.

Marine collagen is essentially all type 1. Bovine carries type 1 with some type 3. That is accurate and it is where most product marketing in this category stops, because the next step does not go where it wants to.

Why matching the type is not a mechanism

The implied reasoning is that taking type 1 collagen supplies type 1 collagen to type 1 tissue. That is not how protein digestion works.

Ingested collagen is broken down into amino acids and peptides in the gut. Those enter the general pool and are used wherever the body is synthesising protein. Nothing about having eaten type 1 collagen directs the resulting building blocks to a ligament rather than anywhere else, and no authorised claim rests on the idea that it does.

What the research actually proposes

The collagen and vitamin C literature does not rest on type matching. It proposes that raising circulating amino acid availability at the moment tissue is loaded may support that tissue's own synthesis, given that tendon and ligament have poor blood supply.

That is a different and more careful idea than take type 1 for type 1 tissue, and it is still research rather than an authorised claim. The protocols use doses of several grams and measure markers of synthesis rather than injury outcomes.

The claim position

Collagen carries no authorised health claim in the UK, of any type, from any source, for ligaments or anything else.

Vitamin C carries the claim available in this category: it contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage, bones, skin, gums, teeth and blood vessels, at 15 percent of its reference value or above. Futuro Labs Marine Collagen includes 12mg at exactly 15 percent NRV alongside 1200mg of type 1 marine collagen, for 28p a day.

After a ligament injury

Assessment first, because ligament injuries range from a mild sprain to a complete tear and the management differs entirely. Then a graded programme, then objective criteria for return rather than elapsed time.

Ligaments adapt to loading much less than tendons do and some do not reliably heal, which is why prevention through neuromuscular conditioning has a better evidence base than anything done afterwards. None of that is a supplement, and nothing on this page is about treating an injury.

So what is the type question worth

It is worth knowing that type 1 is the relevant type for the tissue rugby loads, and it is worth knowing that a product offering type 2 for tendon and ligament questions has answered the wrong question.

Beyond that, the type question is used in marketing to imply a mechanism that does not exist. Futuro Labs Marine Collagen is type 1 hydrolysed marine collagen and that is a specification rather than a claim about where the amino acids end up.

What the amino acid profile actually offers

If type matching is not the mechanism, it is fair to ask what collagen supplies that ordinary protein does not.

Collagen is unusually rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, and hydroxyproline in particular is close to unique to it. Those are the amino acids used to build collagen, and the argument in the research is about their availability at the moment tissue is loaded rather than about the type of the protein consumed.

It is also incomplete as a protein: low in tryptophan and modest in the essential amino acids, which is why it does not count towards a protein target. Futuro Labs Marine Collagen provides 1200mg per serving at 28p a day, which is not a meaningful contribution to daily protein and is not offered as one.

Where to go next

• Collagen for ligaments in rugbyHow ligaments differ from tendons and what reduces injury rates.
• Collagen for tendons in rugbyThe tissue the research actually studies.
• Marine or bovine collagen for rugby players?Type and source across the two common products.

Questions players ask

Sources

• EFSA register of nutrition and health claims
• Vitamin C enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis
• Food supplements guidance, gov.uk