NCT07456449

Collagen Peptides and Cellular Aging

Collagen Peptides and Cellular Aging: a Randomized, Placebo-controlled Intervention Study on Telomere Length, Inflammation, Body Composition, and Functional Capacity in Middle-aged and Older Adults

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 125 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Vienna · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 50 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if daily collagen peptide supplementation can stabilize or lengthen telomeres and improve related markers of cellular aging in adults aged 50-70 years with overweight and low-to-moderate physical activity (healthy volunteers without major chronic disease). Main questions it aims to answer are: Does six months of collagen peptides stabilize or extend telomere length and increase telomerase activity compared with placebo? Are any telomere-related changes associated with lower inflammation, healthier body composition, and better functional health? Researchers will compare collagen as an intervention to a placebo group to see if collagen will influence aging markers. Participants will take collagen peptides or a placebo daily for 24 weeks. They will attend three study visits: one before starting the intervention (T0), one at 3 months (T1), and one at 6 months (T2). At each visit, blood samples will be collected to measure telomere length, telomerase activity, and inflammation/redox markers. Participants will also undergo body composition assessments using bioelectrical impedance, complete functional tests of muscle strength and mobility, and fill out questionnaires on health and vitality.

Conditions

• Longevity
• Healthy Aging
• Biological Ageing

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Collagen peptides	Collagen peptides (oral daily supplementation), taken once daily for 24 weeks in a randomized 1:1, double-blind design; primary outcomes: telomere length (qPCR T/S) and telomerase activity (TRAP), with inflammatory/redox markers as secondary endpoints. Target population: adults 50-70 years with BMI 25-30 and low-to-moderate activity; vegetarians/vegans excluded due to animal-derived collagen. Matched maltodextrin placebo, identical dosing and visit schedule (T0, T1, T2), serving as the comparator to isolate collagen peptide effects in the parallel-group, double-blind trial. Products are approved as foods; prior clinical studies reported no substance-related adverse effects.
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Maltodextrin (Placebo)	Placebo instead of the collagen peptides

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-02-01
• Primary completion: 2028-02-01
• Completion: 2028-08-01
• First posted: 2026-03-06
• Last updated: 2026-03-06