To collagen, or not to collagen? That seems to be the latest question in the natural beauty and health world as natural food stores and conventional grocery stores alike now have shelves full of collagen supplements that promise better skin, accelerated wound healing, reduction of inflammation, and tighter pores, all from a daily dose of powdered animal bones. At the Wellness Market I recently attended, all of us panelists were asked our personal take on these supplements, and I had to give a long answer. Below is my progressive thought process on collagen supplements, and why you won’t see me lining up to add it to my cart in the checkout line. Until the research is more definitive, I personally will be over here side-eyeing the collagen fanatics, eating my fruits and veg, reducing sugar intake, and taking my vitamin C and silica while waiting for this health fad to pass and the next new fix-it-all to emerge on the marketplace. If you are heaven bent on trying them, keep in mind that supplements are not heavily regulated by the FDA. I recommend you do your research to make sure the supplement you take has been tested by a third party to verify its claims. -XoXo Raw Girl
- The Science is Fishy. There is no science to justify that when collagen (mostly from animal bones/ sources) is ingested it translates directly to building the collagen in our own skin. In fact it seems a bit nonsensical as collagen is simply an amino acid or protein, which is not complete as it’s missing tryptophan. When we ingest collagen the body breaks it down like any other protein.
- Opt For Whole Food Sources. IF (and this is definitely hypothetical) I were to buy into this idea of consuming collagen to get more collagen, it would make a lot more sense to source it from bone broth which contains around 6 grams of collagen per cup. I would opt for this because I believe a whole food source is always better than a supplement in a shiny bottle from a company that may or may not properly oversee the production and sourcing of it’s product. Bone broth can be made from the comfort of your home or purchased. I will add the precautionary statement as I do with most meat products to do proper research on your sources, because even broth made from organic ingredients can contain harmful chemicals and toxins. One study found that bone broth sourced from organic chickens had ten times the amount of lead than the water used to boil it with once finished. Not so YUM.
- Lack of Unbiased Research Studies. Most of the minimal research conducted on collagen supplements is not very in depth, does not show long term consequences, and is also paid for by companies that could stand to benefit from favorable results. I won’t be able to trust that I can try these supplements or recommend them without someone showing me valid unbiased research that also shows the long term implications of taking them over time. There are findings that are promising:
- In 2014, a study of 69 women ages 35 to 55 found that those who took 2.5 or 5 grams of collagen daily for 8 weeks showed that those who took collagen had improvement in skin elasticity, compared with the control group.
- A study conducted in 2015 found that protein supplementation in combination with resistance training may increase muscle mass and muscle strength in elderly subjects. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of post-exercise protein supplementation with collagen peptides v. placebo on muscle mass and muscle function following resistance training in elderly subjects with sarcopenia. A total of 53 elderly men with sarcopenia, a loss of muscle caused by aging, found that those who took 15 grams of collagen daily, in addition to lifting weights three times per week for 12 weeks in a guided resistance training program, gained significantly more muscle and lost more fat than those who only lifted weights.
- In 2006 a study of 89 long-term care residents compared Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) scores at 8 weeks in long-term-care residents with pressure ulcers who were given standard care plus a concentrated, fortified, collagen protein hydrolysate supplement vs. residents who were given standard care plus placebo. By week 8, PUSH tool scores showed approximately twice the rate of pressure ulcer healing in the treatment group that took the collagen supplement compared with the control group.
- The Magical Pill Effect. We all want to stay youthful, maintain healthy weight, and live disease-free but most of us do not want to do the work. The danger here is that products, such as these collage supplements can flood the market and in a wave everyone is rushing to use them and relieved that the one answer to solve all of their health woes has finally arrived. Except, there is no answer beyond the daily hard work of exercise, a healthy balanced diet, and long term stress management. I know, I know, it’s not what any of us want to hear but it’s important to check ourselves so we don’t get caught in health fads that can possibly do more harm than good to our long term health.
- Misguided Focus. Rather than trying to ingest collagen, a more productive focus is to supplement and boost intake of things that will increase collagen production and reduce foods that can lead to it’s speedier breakdown or accelerate aging overall. Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen and you can easily take up to 16,000 mg of vitamin C without adverse effects. In addition to or instead of a regular old supplement, I would focus on increasing vitamin C rich foods and super foods like camu camu which has 30-50 times the vitamin C of oranges. Fruits and vegetables in general which are high in phytonutrients, antioxidants and also include vitamin C are winners when it comes to boosting collagen production. After boosting vitamin C intake, and intake of nutrient dense plant foods, I would focus on eliminating refined sugar and salt intake. The process of breakdown or destruction of collagen and elastin can be accelerated with excess consumption of sugar, and consumption of high protein or high fat foods that also have high sugar content. The other supplement I personally would opt for over collagen, is a high quality plant based silica supplement which can help boost skin, hair, and nail health. Silica is another nutrient that is required for the formation of collagen and decreases naturally as we age.
References:
Lee SK, Posthauer ME, Dorner B, Redovian V, Maloney MJ. Pressure ulcer healing
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Kassel, G. (2018, May 25). Will Collagen Supplements Really Make You Any Healthier? Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19995031/collagen-supplements/
Marshall, L. (2018, March 08). Collagen: ‘Fountain of Youth’ or Edible Hoax? Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20180308/collagen-supplements-what-the-research-shows
Monro JA, Leon R, Puri BK. The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets.
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Moyad, M. A., & Lee, J. (2014). The supplement handbook: A trusted experts guide to what works & whats worthless for more than 100 conditions. Emmaus, PA: Rodale.
Zdzieblik D, Oesser S, Baumstark MW, Gollhofer A, König D. Collagen peptide
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