There are many different things collagen is being used for, improved digestion, hair, nails, energy, sleep, weight loss, the list is long. We are going to talk about the best uses based on research and discuss what works and what doesn’t when it comes to collagen.
It is the main structural protein in our bodies, more than 30% of our total protein, the principal element in the extracellular matrix(what gives our bodies support and structure), and up to 80% of our tendons. (1).
You may have heard of types of collagen, usually, we are supplementing with Types 1-4. There are more than 28 types of collagen that researchers are currently aware of. Each has different makeups, structures, and uses in the body. (2)
Taking Collagen has been shown to help with a variety of things in our bodies. We are going to discuss the most common reasons you may take collagen and whether or not it can help.
There are many products on the shelves that make claims to improving health and vitality, we want to make sure that you’re making the best choice in choosing the collagen that’s right for you. When you read below and see our recommendations you can always check out the link to the research we are basing our recommendation on.
Collagen supplementation does show pain reductions in patients. The research shows that supplementing between 5-15 grams per day reduced post workout soreness and reduced pain in previously painful joints. Studies have also shown improved growth in articular cartilage and believe that it accounts for the reduction in pain. This finding was important, it shows that we can help our cartilage heal. We have also seen in recent years that weight bearing exercise will also improve cartilage health. This study showed that the combination of exercise and collagen supplementation improved outcomes on pain and recovery (7)
Taking up to 15 grams of collagen daily improves muscle mass it also reduced body fat. Talk about a great 2 for 1. Taking collagen in combination with exercise has a significant impact on your body’s ability to recover and helps repair damaged tissue. These studies also showed improved collagen growth by adding Vitamin C along to your daily collagen. It improved collagen crosslinking significantly, which helps make your new tissues stronger. 3
Just an FYI, if muscle growth is your primary goal, whey isolate is a better choice!
The same study linked above and a few others have shown that supplementation with collagen improves our fat free mass and reduced body fat mass. The good news again is that collagen can be safely used to support the healthy choices you are making. The thing about weight loss is that it is much more important to make good food choices. The best pills and powders in the world won’t work better than what goes on your plate. (5)
There are several studies that all show that collagen helps skin. They have shown that all measures of skin health improve with taking collagen. If you are looking to improve skin health than you’ve made a great choice. (8)
Will it improve my hair? The theory is sound, collagen is the building blocks of hair, skin, and nails, so it should help, right? The short answer is, maybe. There is no strong evidence that collagen improves hair growth. There are some mouse studies that show after injury collagen improved tissue and hair grown over the injury site. Does that mean it’s not going to have any effect on hair? No, but don’t make that your only reason for collagen supplementation.(4 )
Anytime you start a new supplement you need to watch how your body responds. Don’t assume that because it is generally regarded as safe that there won’t be any issues. Collagen is considered very safe to supplement with. There are reports of rare cases of allergy, acne, constipation, and kidney stones but these are rare and typically come with high dosing. There have been several studies that used up to 15g per day without any side effects. (6)
When we put together this review we wanted to give you some idea as to why collagen might be a good supplement to include in your daily routine. We primarily use two different types of collagen. The first is for daily use, it is general collagen and not specifically made to target a specific tissue. This collagen is good for daily supplementation, recovery, skin health, and gut health. We use Great Lakes Collagen for general use.
Nutrition Dynamics Collagen Renew is our go-to for pain, joint injury, tendonitis, tendinopathy, and arthritis. This product has specific collagen peptides that have been shown to improve bone density, cartilage density and production, reduce pain, improve healing and elasticity of the skin. This is a much more dynamic approach to collagen supplementation and one that we consistently see benefits from. We also use this product with our anti-inflammatory strategies to help patients recover from injury more quickly with less downtime.
We always recommend that you look for nutritional companies that have GMP certification or better yet triple GMP certification. It means you have a product that will have gone through more rigorous production and quality control standards. There are other things like organic standards, independent lab testing that are beneficial as well. When in doubt talk with your health care team about what you are considering and why.
If you click on the collagen picture it will take you to our supplement store. Just create you account and you can have your collagen shipped directly to your house. We always have it in stock in the office. If you are in the area swing by and pick some up.