Youth is passionate about the wellness industry. So naturally, collagen has become and continues to be a huge trend for anti-aging and overall health.

There has been some new research on collagen since I wrote my first review on collagen supplements, so I’m bringing it here with your thoughts (have they changed?) on taking oral collagen supplements.

The problem with a lot of the studies on collagen and skin is that they are done on animals, they are sponsored by the manufacturers of collagen supplements, or they are done poorly in general.

What is collagen?

Collagen is a protein made up of the amino acids glycine, proline and hydroxyproline. It is found in the skin, bone, tendons and ligaments of humans and animals. Collagen is a rigid structural protein, like the scaffolding for our skin and other body organs.

We don’t need to consume collagen to produce it — our bodies produce collagen from nutrients, especially foods high in vitamin C, copper, zinc, and protein like chicken and fish.

Collagen can also help our skin look plump and hydrated, which is why as we age, our skin tends to sag and become less elastic. Pores look bigger due to loss of firmness.

Other factors, such as smoking, stress, genetics, sun exposure, and poor diet also affect the quality and rate at which we lose collagen in the skin.

Collagen production begins to decline by about 1% per year in the mid-twenties.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, women lose up to 30% of their collagen production in the first 5 years after menopause, which is just luck. This leads to crepey skin, weak muscles, and stiff ligaments and tendons.

It’s just part of getting old. Nothing – except surgery – can correct these signs of aging.

What happens when we take collagen?

When we consume collagen, the same thing happens when we consume any protein.

Protein foods are made up of chains of amino acids. When we digest these foods, the amino acid chain is broken down into individual amino acids.

The body then takes these different amino acids and reassembles them into a configuration best suited to its needs, then sends them to where they are needed. It is not certain that the amino acids will be delivered to your skin in the form of collagen. We cannot control where the protein we eat ends up in our bodies.

Although there are specific amino acids in our diet that build collagen, they can also be used in processes other than collagen.

For example, proline — which we can consume in collagen supplements but can also be made by our bodies from another amino acid called glutamic acid — is used in the skin and joints, but also in muscles, as well. Other amino acids are also manufactured. Chain. So all the proline you eat doesn’t necessarily turn into collagen.

Opinions and science are pretty mixed on how the collagen in our diet affects our skin. If collagen breaks down into its parts with digestion, how would eating collagen improve skin texture?

This is where I left my last collagen review. However, I sometimes change my opinion as the science changes and updates. This may be the case with collagen supplements.

drum roll please!

Do collagen supplements improve skin?

Let’s take a look at the latest research around collagen and skin.

First, the most effective collagens are derived from fish and cows (aka bovine collagen).

Several reviews and meta analyzes (here), (here), (here) have been released showing that hydrolyzed collagen, aka collagen peptides, improves the appearance of the skin, increasing hydration and elasticity. The point, however, is that meta analyzes are often only as good as the studies they study – and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Other recent studies on collagen (here), (here), (here) also found favorable results in terms of skin appearance/hydration, although we found one of the studies with a researcher working for collagen supplements of interest. The conflict has to be accepted. company. All three studies were also very small, with fewer than 100 subjects in total.

The dosages were not consistent in these studies, and the ratio of glycine to proline and hydroxyproline was unique. Some studies used collagen products that also contained other ingredients. All of this is problematic if you are using this research to prove that collagen works, or if you are looking for the optimal dosage for a collagen supplement.

There seems to be no continuity in studies.

The many studies we have here are a mixed bag of sponsored, small, and potentially flawed. However, as the years go by, I haven’t seen many studies on collagen No Favorable results were found with respect to skin texture.

This is a classic example of ‘where there is smoke, there is fire’.

If collagen supplements help with skin hydration, this is a logical explanation for the appearance of fewer wrinkles. More hydrated skin is less crepey and wrinkled.

Given that collagen supplements appear to be safe, here’s my bottom line about collagen and skin:

More research needs to be done. I’m talking, large studies with consistency in product and dosage and a lot more people with no sponsorship.

Make sure you get the right type of collagen. Be wary of functional foods like popcorn and protein bars, which contain ingredients like collagen more for marketing than anything else.

Make sure your collagen supplement has been third-party tested for safety. There have been problems with heavy metal contamination of some collagen supplements. Don’t just buy stuff from Amazon; Get a reputable brand from a reputable store.

Hydrolyzed collagen is the best form of collagen to take because it has already been broken down.

Finally, be realistic about aging. No supplement or diet is going to help stop aging or ‘reverse ageing’. We all age, and we all show signs of aging. Unfortunately, we’ve been fed a harmful narrative about women and aging that fuels insecurity and sends us in search of the holy grail of youth.

Galveston Diet Book Review – Read it here.

Is Collagen a Good Protein Powder?

Collagen protein powder is not the best source of protein. For one, it has a limiting amino acid — tryptophan — which prevents collagen from being a complete protein. Whey is still the gold standard for protein powders, as it has the most favorable bioavailability and absorption rates.

Still, if you want to use collagen in protein powder form, make sure your diet is complete. This will ensure that you get that tryptophan from another source.

How about plant-based collagen?

It doesn’t exist. Collagen is present only in animals. ‘Plant-based’ collagen supplements contain vitamins and minerals that are essential for collagen production in the body. Calling these supplements ‘collagen’ is misleading, which is why many of them are labeled ‘collagen boost’.

Most of us get enough to make our own collagen. I would not recommend vegan collagen products unless you have a serious deficiency in your diet.

What about some of the other claims surrounding collagen?

collagen and joint pain

One of the collagen benefits that seems pretty solid in terms of research (here), (here), and (here) has been the use of collagen type II for joint pain. This is a different type of collagen than Type I, so if you’re interested in trying it, you’ll want to look for Unnatural or Type II collagen.

collagen and gut health

Does collagen heal leaky gut?

Many alternative health practitioners think so. Bone broth contains collagen, although the amount can vary among products.

The GAPS Diet Review: What Causes Leaky Gut Disease?

While bone broth may be soothing, to say that the collagen in it can ‘seal up’ the leaky junctions in gut cells is a gross simplification. It’s a common theme with these types of claims: The body is more complex than it seems. Gut cells are not like bricks that have just lost their mortar; To help increased intestinal permeability (it’s the actual diagnosis, not ‘leaky gut’), it’s important to address the cause, whatever it is in each case.

I have written about leaky gut here.

Should You Be Taking Collagen for Your Skin?

It might be worth a try, but don’t expect miracles. There appears to be a lot of positive research surrounding hydrolyzed collagen for skin hydration and appearance, but that research appears to be low in quality.

Still, maybe there’s something in this?

I do not advise you to listen to people or companies making tall promises about collagen and how it can help you ‘reverse ageing’ or any of that nonsense. We don’t need to normalize aging and use it as a marketing tool.