Most people don't think about their tendons and ligaments until something goes wrong. A knee that doesn't feel quite right after a long walk. A shoulder that takes weeks to settle after an awkward movement. An ankle sprain that heals, technically, but never feels quite the same.
That's the nature of connective tissue. It's quiet when it's working, and loud when it isn't.
The good news is that your body is constantly remodelling this tissue — breaking down older collagen and laying down new. The question is whether you're giving it what it needs to do that job well. A 2017 randomised controlled trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at exactly that.
What the research found
Researchers from the Australian Institute of Sport and the University of California Davis gave participants either a placebo, 5g, or 15g of vitamin C-enriched gelatin before a short bout of exercise (six minutes of rope skipping). They then measured markers of collagen synthesis in the blood over the following 72 hours.
The group who took 15g of gelatin an hour before exercise showed double the collagen synthesis marker in their blood compared to the placebo group. The researchers also treated engineered ligament tissue with serum taken from participants after gelatin consumption — those ligaments showed increased collagen content and improved mechanical properties.
The mechanism isn't complicated. Gelatin is rich in glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline — the amino acids your body uses to build collagen. After participants consumed gelatin, those amino acids peaked in the bloodstream about an hour later — which is why timing the supplement before exercise matters. You want those building blocks circulating while the tissue is being stimulated.
Vitamin C plays a supporting role here too. It's required for the hydroxylation of proline — a step that's essential for collagen to form properly. Without adequate vitamin C, collagen synthesis stalls regardless of how many raw materials are available.
Where MSM fits in
Collagen isn't just about amino acids. Once those building blocks are in place, the structure needs to be held together — and that's where sulphur comes in.
Collagen fibres gain their tensile strength through cross-links: bonds between individual collagen strands that make the overall structure stable and resilient. Sulphur is central to that process. MSM — methylsulfonylmethane — is a bioavailable sulphur compound, meaning it's a form your body can actually use for exactly this kind of structural work.
This is one reason MSM has such a strong track record with joints, tendons, and connective tissue generally. It's not doing one thing. It's providing a raw material — sulphur — that your body uses across cartilage maintenance, joint fluid production, and the structural integrity of collagen itself.
The research above focused on gelatin and vitamin C. MSM wasn't part of that study, and it wouldn't be honest to suggest otherwise. But if you're thinking about supporting your connective tissue properly, the picture is broader than any single supplement. Amino acids to build the collagen. Vitamin C to form it correctly. Sulphur to stabilise the structure.
What this means practically
A few things worth taking from this:
Timing matters. The study protocol involved taking the gelatin supplement an hour before exercise, which aligns with when those amino acids are peaking in the bloodstream. If you're using supplements to support tissue repair, taking them in the lead-up to activity — rather than after — appears to make a meaningful difference.
Exercise is part of the equation. The collagen synthesis response in this study was triggered by the combination of nutritional support and movement. The researchers concluded that adding gelatin to an intermittent exercise program improves collagen synthesis and could play a beneficial role in injury prevention and tissue repair. Supplements support the process. They don't replace the stimulus.
Results take time. Connective tissue remodels slowly — significantly slower than muscle. Don't judge your progress at two weeks. Most people using MSM for joint and connective tissue support are advised to give it at least six to eight weeks of consistent use before drawing conclusions.
Connective tissue doesn't get the attention muscles do, but it's what keeps you moving without paying for it. The research is building a clearer picture of what that tissue needs — and it's less mysterious than it might seem. Give it the right building blocks, move regularly, and be patient with the timeline.
If you have questions about MSM dosage or how to incorporate it alongside other supplements, feel free to get in touch. We've been at this for over 20 years and we're happy to help you work out what makes sense for your situation.
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