Collagen: Super powered protein or just another buzz word

The health and fitness industry is full of trends (histamine resistance) and buzzwords like “cortisol face”, and lately I’ve heard many more people talking about collagen.

I have been very clear that I approach all of these trends with a high level of skepticism because not only have I worked in the industry and tried many of these trends, but I also work in marketing and know that these buzzwords are critical to selling more products.

So when I heard collagen being thrown around the internet, I was interested in investigating the latest research and opinions online to see what all the hype was about.

In this article I’ll cover what collagen is and its role in the body; what forms of collagen supplements are available; and what the research is saying about the efficacy of supplementing collagen.

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What is Collagen?

Collagen is the most abundant form of protein in your body, making up about 30% of all proteins.

This becomes obvious when you learn that collagen’s main role is to help provide structure and protection to organs like your skin (the largest organ of the body), hair, nails, and connective tissue like tendons and ligaments.

Amino Acids, the Building Blocks of Proteins

As with all forms of protein, collagen is made up of amino acids. These are the building blocks for all proteins and there are 20 total types of amino acids. Collagen is made up 3:

• Glycine
• Proline
• Hydroxyproline

These amino acids are “conditionally essential” which means that under normal conditions, our body makes enough of them naturally, but during times like pregnancy, teenage growth spurts, and recovering from physical trauma (breaks, sprains, illness), the body does not make enough.

Thankfully all of these amino acids can be easily found in food sources like animal proteins and by products (meat, fish, eggs, liver) as well as plant sources like mushrooms, cabbage, and peanuts.

What Happens when we don’t make enough?

When we don’t have enough collagen, or, as our body naturally makes less and breaks down more as we age, the skin becomes less supple and saggy, connective tissue loses some of it’s strength, and our eye sight begins with weaken.

We can also see collagen break down due to lifestyle choices. Smoking, consuming products high in sugars and processed fats, and too much exposure to UV radiation without sunscreen can all impact the production of collagen and break down the existing collagen.

So for those of us who want to maintain a healthy amount of protein in our bodies to support healthy skin and strong connective tissue, is a supplement worth it or can we stick to a balanced diet?

What forms of collagen supplements are available?

You can buy collagen supplements in the standard forms of liquid, capsule, or powder. But the actual form of the collagen is most important.

The type of collagen supplement that is currently seen as the best, and most easily absorbed collagen supplement is hydrolyzed collagen, or collagen peptides.

Hydrolyzed just means they have used water to break the collagen molecule into smaller components (peptides). A peptide is a combination of two or more amino acids. The peptide makeup is what is crucial to allow the collagen to be broken down and absorbed by the body.

The reason they do this is because the collagen molecule cannot be absorbed in its full form. Your body needs to have the building blocks in order to decide what type of collagen it will make and where that collagen will ultimately end up in the body.

This is one of the beautiful things about the body is that we can buy things based on the marketing messages, but ultimately the body will decide the best use for those collagen peptides.

As I mentioned before, collagen is made up of 3 conditionally essential amino acids. So when we consume collagen supplements, the body will break those down into amino acids, and then depending on the area of the body that is most in need of collagen, the body will synthesize that type of collagen first.

When it comes time to choose your collagen supplement, you now know that hydrolyzed collagen or collagen peptides are the way to go. To help you choose the format of your supplement, here’s a quick review of the ways you can take collagen:

• Capsules: these are quick and convenient to take and typically have a long shelf life so they can be bought in bulk. The downsides include varied absorption rates due to your body’s ability to break down the capsule, and the common practice of including fillers in capsule products.
• Powders: these have a slightly shorter shelf life, but are typically told in quantities that will maintain their potency (30-day quantity, for example). Absorption is better than capsules, and reputable brands will clearly indicate what they included in the powder supplement. Finding a powder that you enjoy the taste of will also help you stay consistent.
• Liquid: liquid supplements have the best absorption rate but the shortest shelf-life, so missing days or storing it incorrectly can impact the potency of the supplement. The taste can also be a deterrent, making it less pleasant to take the supplement every day.

I typically prefer taking my collagen supplements in powder form so I can control taste, it last longer, and I know exactly what is in the supplement. It also helps me stay hydrated throughout the day.

Is Collagen an Effective Supplement

Ok, so you know what collagen does in the body, where to find it naturally, and what to look for when buying a collagen supplement. Now it’s time to answer the important question: is collagen an effective supplement?

One of my favourite ways to start my research into supplement efficacy is to look at a systematic review. These are research papers that review multiple studies and compile the results of all of those studies into one succinct summary.

From there, I’ll dig into specific research to better understand the concepts and results that were discussed in the review.

Enough about my research method though. Let’s look at the research on collagen supplements.

In this systematic review of oral collagen supplementation, they found that across 11 studies, with over 800 participants, tripeptide collagen supplementation improved the look and hydration of their skin, and dipeptide collagen improved joint health.

Tri- and dipeptide just means that the collagen was broken down into the 3 amino acids or 2 out of the 3 amino acids.

So there is clearly some evidence that these supplements can be used to help improve the appearance of your skin, and may improve the health and resilience of your joints.

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, our bodies can get everything we need from a balanced diet. But there are folks with dietary restrictions, allergies, or who don’t eat animal products. Additionally, our body’s ability to absorb nutrients decreases as we age, so supplementing can be helpful then too.

I have also talked about how I take supplements as both a habit-forming tool and as an insurance policy. Taking collagen supplements not only supports my healthy habit of going to the gym and staying hydrated, but I also know that on days when I don’t eat enough protein, the supplement will “pick up the slack”.

Personally, I am a big fan of Organika’s collagen supplements because they are Canadian, they are transparent with their ingredients and how their products have been tested, and I have found powders that actually taste good.

For you, I hope that this article has helped you understand why collagen is being talked about in the fitness industry. I also hope that you were able to read this and decide whether or not collagen is actually necessary for your current lifestyle and your health and wellness goals.

If you have decided that you want to add a collagen supplement to your diet, then I recommend Organika if you are in Canada. You can get 25% off with my code RILEY_25.

Please note that this article was not sponsored by Organika, and they did not ask me to write this article. This actually came to me when a friend told me that her colleagues were talking about it and had heard some wildly false claims about collagen. So I thought it would be helpful.

If you are based in the US, then I recommend Snap Supplements’ Collagen and Greens. Their claims and price point are very similar to Organika.

What do you think about collagen supplements? Have you had a positive or negative experience? Let me know in the comment section below!