What's All the Fuss about Collagen?
Sorry for the delay. I took some time away for family time. So now back to regular programming.
A few weeks ago I put a call out on my Instagram page (@back.2.basics.nutrition) on what my next Substack newsletter should be. Collagen or protein powder. And it was close to unanimous that y’all wanted collagen. It is one of the newer health products on the market so let’s dissect collagen and if it is really worth all the hype.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a protein made from certain amino acids (proline, glycine and hydroxyproline). Collagen is the ‘glue’ that makes up a large percentage of our skin, bones, muscles, and tendons. Our bodies naturally produce collagen BUT as we age our production decreases. This leads to wrinkles, dry sagging skin, popping/cracking joints. Other reasons collagen decreases: smoking, excessive alcohol intake, eating highly processed foods.
So how do we increase our collagen production? By increasing our intake of certain foods or supplementation so our bodies can manufacture collagen.
Best Sources of Collagen
Number one best source of collagen comes from animal based foods (chicken skin, beef/chicken/pig bones made into broth), certain types of seafood (fish skin) and making sure that you get enough protein in your diet so that you get all the building blocks and amino acids for collagen production.
Ever made broth at home and put the leftovers in the fridge overnight and you take it out and it is jelly-like..That is from the collagen that has come from the bones, etc. Homemade bone broth is super easy to make. Throw the leftover carcasses into a crock pot along with some vegetables (great way to use up those scraps), add some salt and a couple tbsp of apple cider vinegar. This helps pull out all the minerals from the bones and set at high for 4-5 hours. Then I usually set to low for another couple of hours. The longer you can let this cook, the better. Once done and cooled, strain and pour into mason jars to freeze or use right away to make a nutrient rich soup.
The other source comes from supplementation. There are powder/pill and liquid forms of collagen available. But what form is better?
Collagen can not be made in whole form and has to be broken down into smaller peptides/amino acids. Most powder forms of collagen are peptides or hydrolyzed collagen. However keep in mind that these are highly processed and we really do not know how much our bodies will absorb. Some say only 35% of the powder form is absorbed. Liquid collagen is basically hydrolyzed collagen suspended in some sort of liquid. Usually this will also have some added ingredients such as flavours or added vitamins such as Biotin. The rate of absorption for liquid is 90%.
**note for those who use or are interested in vegan collagen. This type of collagen supplement does not actually contain collagen. It will contain biotin and amino acids that the body uses to make collagen.**
There are a lot of studies out there but they tend to be a little biased as most are done by the supplement company promoting the product therefore having a positive outcome.
Oral Collagen Supplementation: A Systematic Review of Dermatological Applications - PubMed (nih.gov)
There is also anecdotal evidence as well. “I mean it works for Linda down the street so I might as well try it”. I will have to say that I did experiment with a powder form of collagen for a while. Did I see a difference in my skin? I can’t say that I did. And maybe I didn’t use it for long enough. What I did find though was my joints didn’t seem to crack as much. Was it enough for my to continue using it? No, not in my opinion. But that is for me. I now have increased my animal protein and use my homemade bone broth for cooking to provide the collagen and building blocks for collagen.
My recommendation is to always get your collagen and building blocks to build collagen from food first. Then look to a liquid supplement and powder last. Always read the labels and make sure you are getting a quality brand with the least amount of additives/ingredients.
Hope this helps your thought process on collagen. I am always open for comments and questions and please share with friends who you might think will benefit from this post or any of my Substack newsletters.
Danni
I have been adding Vita collagen powder to my coffee for years. I do feel like my nails and hair have grown quicker with this. I’m that makes me think that it’s doing something for my joints. Is this correct or am I just wasting money?