Gelatin is a protein made by cooking collagen from animal skin, bones and connective tissue. It is rich in the amino acids glycine, proline and hydroxyproline and is used in food and as a supplement.
Also known as: gelatine, hydrolyzed gelatin, gelatin supplement.
A crossover trial gave 5 or 15 g of vitamin C-enriched gelatin 1 hour before short exercise (Shaw 2017); a recovery pilot used 15 g twice a day (Graham 2026). These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
The NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database lists gelatin products such as Gelatin 600 mg from 21st Century as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.
What studies show: in 8 healthy men, 15 g of vitamin C-enriched gelatin 1 hour before 6 minutes of rope skipping doubled a blood marker of collagen production compared with placebo (Shaw 2017). In a 2026 pilot in 22 active adults, 15 g twice a day did not change soreness or strength recovery after hard exercise compared with placebo; some single time points favored gelatin, and the authors called these early findings (Graham 2026). Neither study tested injury rates.
Safety: the abstracts do not report side effects. The sources here do not describe drug interactions.
A half-life does not apply to gelatin: it is digested into amino acids like any food protein, so we do not list one. In one trial, blood glycine, proline, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine peaked about 1 hour after a dose (Shaw 2017).
How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator