A 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled study tested whether taking a mix of undenatured type II collagen (UC-II) and hydrolysed collagen could reduce knee osteoarthritis symptoms. The study included 68 adults aged 50–80 with moderate knee OA. Half took collagen supplements daily (480 mg hydrolysed collagen + 20 mg UC-II), while the other half took a placebo. Researchers tracked pain levels, joint function (KOOS scores), use of pain meds, and patient satisfaction at 2, 6, and 12 weeks.

Both groups showed clear improvements in pain and function over time (p < 0.001), but there were no meaningful differences between the collagen and placebo groups. Pain scores dropped by about 2.2 points in both groups, and KOOS scores improved equally. Medication use went down, and satisfaction stayed high across the board. No side effects were reported. In short, the combined collagen didn’t work any better than placebo over 12 weeks.

The study suggests that short-term collagen use may not offer extra benefits when both collagen types are combined. It’s possible that a longer trial or different doses might show more. Limitations include the short timeline, small sample size, and lack of lab or imaging data to measure deeper effects. Future studies should run longer, include more people, and explore how these supplements might work better together. Overall, the findings raise doubts about whether combining collagen types leads to better results. At least in the short term.