Is the hype about collagen supplements legitimate? The answer is a resounding, YES!
Collagen is one of the few supplements that can directly support our aging body. Most scientists and clinicians agree that our natural production of collagen begins to decline in our 20’s. And, no surprise, this is about the same time many of us begin to see our first wrinkles, our joints start to ache, and we don’t recover from exercise as quickly as we used to.
You may not realize that our collagen peptide supplements and many protein supplements contain the same ingredients…all are made of peptides or amino acids that are the basic building blocks of proteins.
In general, whether you take a whey or soy or plant protein product they all contain some types of amino acids. Hopefully, you’re using a protein supplement that is rich in essential amino acids. As the name implies, these amino acids are “essential” because our own body is not able to make these amino acids on its own.
Now, the biggest difference between a collagen protein supplement and a typical protein supplement is that collagen contains a higher concentration of hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine. Only collagen supplements typically contain hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine. These two amino acids are the magic ingredient that is going to give you the most benefit to a collagen supplement. Our bodies can make hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine from proline and lysine, respectively. If these two amino acids are freely available, then our bodies can conserve the energy needed to make them and just plug them directly into our own collagen production.
Another benefit is that a collagen peptide supplement has already been broken down to small blocks of collagen proteins, known as peptides, that allow for more rapid absorption by our body. And again, your body conserves energy used during digestion since the collagen peptides are already absorbed in a smaller building block.
Since the collagen peptide has been partially broken down, there is a much lower chance of gastric issues (bloating) often reported by whey users. These collagen peptides are created from pure protein materials, so there is much less concern for an allergic response if you have a milk allergy (common problem with whey protein isolates).
If you are already using a whey, soy, or plant protein supplement and aren’t satisfied with your skin hydration or elasticity, experience regular joint pain, have symptoms of leaky gut, or want to improve the strength of your hair and nails, you may want to add collagen to your daily routine. Adding some collagen capsules, typically 3000 mg daily serving, with your protein supplement can result in some improvements. Or, you can replace your protein supplement with a hydrolyzed collagen peptide to reap even more benefits!
About the author:
Dr. Josh Kogot is a Ph.D. Protein Biochemist and founder of AlcheVita. He has numerous publications and patents in protein and peptide biochemistry and enjoys “spreading the word” about the amazing properties of proteins.