Best time to take collagen: morning, night or with coffee?

When should I take collagen, morning or night?

Whichever suits you. No study has compared morning and evening collagen and found a difference, and there is no biological reason to expect one: collagen is digested into amino acids like any other protein, whenever you eat it.

Claims that taking collagen at night “supports repair while you sleep” are not based on evidence. Some people like it in a morning coffee because it becomes a habit; others prefer an evening drink. The best time is the one you will remember.

Should collagen be taken on an empty stomach?

There is no need. The idea that an empty stomach improves absorption has not been shown in studies, and your gut digests protein well with or without other food. If collagen leaves you feeling full or gives you mild heartburn, taking it with a meal or snack may be more comfortable.

Can you put collagen in hot coffee?

Yes. Hydrolysed collagen has already been broken down into short peptides, so the heat of a cup of coffee or tea does not “destroy” it. Its amino acids – which is what it delivers as a protein – stay the same. That is also why it dissolves in hot drinks without setting like gelatine.

Unflavoured collagen has a mild natural taste and aroma, which coffee and tea mask well. Other easy options:

• stirred into tea, hot chocolate or a bowl of porridge
• blended into a smoothie
• mixed into yoghurt or overnight oats
• dissolved in a glass of water or juice
• added to soup just before serving

Should I take collagen before or after a workout?

For most people it makes no practical difference. What matters for training is your total protein intake across the day.

There is one area of research where timing has been studied. In a small 2017 study of eight healthy men, 15 g of gelatine taken with vitamin C an hour before short bouts of rope skipping roughly doubled a blood marker of collagen production compared with a placebo. It is an interesting early finding in sports science, but it was very small, measured a blood marker rather than any outcome you would notice, and has not been shown to translate into stronger tendons or fewer injuries.

How long does it take for collagen to work?

In studies on skin and joints, participants usually took collagen every day for 8–12 weeks before anything was measured, and some trials ran for six months or a year. Results were mixed and modest, and no health claim for collagen is authorised in the UK. See Do collagen supplements work? for what the trials found.

If you decide to take collagen, consistency matters more than the clock. Pick a daily slot and stick with it. How much people take is covered in How much collagen per day?.

How do I take a daily scoop of collagen powder?

Our Collagen Pure is one ingredient: hydrolysed bovine collagen peptides, Type I and III, with no added flavour or sweetener. Stir one level 15 g scoop into about 200 ml of a hot or cold drink – coffee, tea, water, a smoothie or yoghurt – once a day, at whatever time suits you. Each scoop gives 14 g of protein. Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass. Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass. Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

4 HERCollagenHydrolysed Type I & III collagen peptidesView product →