What Precisely Is Collagen Anyway?
Collagen is an important part of our body’s connective tissues such as bone, ligaments, tendons and skin as well as hair and nails and something called the extracellular matrix, which is like scaffolding for our body’s tissues. It is a structural protein vs. other types of protein in our bodies such as muscle mass, enzymes, peptide hormones, etc. and it’s all the rage in the supplement world.
Collagen makes up about 30% of our body’s total protein, making it the most abundant protein we have. Collagen is made up of the amino acids glycine, proline, arginine, hydroxylysine, hydroxyproline, histidine and a few others. Collagen’s amino acid composition will vary depending on the source of the collagen. For example, beef collagen from tendon or bone will have twice as much hydroxyproline as fish scale collagen in a marine collagen product.
Collagen is low in branch chain amino acids (valine, isoleucine and leucine – more on the importance of leucine in this article) and other important amino acids such as lysine and tryptophan – more on why that matters in a bit.
Collagen is marketed as aiding in aging by improving elasticity in our skin, as a beauty aid that decrease cellulite and a help for painful joints. It’s also touted as a “great source of protein”. This article will sift through fact and fiction and help you understand better how collagen can help, where it comes up short and how to choose a collagen product targeted for your goals.
If you prefer to listen to this info, I covered it all in this episode of the Dr. Brooke Show!
There are about 30 types of collagen with types I – V being the most abundant in our bodies and each of these types are concentrated in various locations:
- Type I accounts for the most collagen in our body at 90%. It is dense and found in bone, tendons, ligaments and skin.
- Type II is more stretchy and elastic and found in joints.
- Type III is found in arteries, blood vessels and platelets as well as skin and muscles.
- Type IV is found in skin.
- Type V is found in the cornea of your eyes, some layers of skin, hair and in the placenta.
Types I, II and III though are the most commonly discussed and what you will see in collagen supplements, so it’s important to note that type II is for joints and types I and III are more for skin, tendons and ligaments. This matters because you need to know what you’re hoping to accomplish by taking collagen, and then choosing the right type to support that goal.
As early as our 20s we start to see a decline in collagen production and by our 40s we are now starting to outright lose collagen (about 1% a year) which puts us with only about 25% of our collagen left by the time we are 80 years old compared to when we were in our 20s. This shows up as more joint issues, less taught skin and more injuries – all of which are associated with aging.
Collagen supplements have been on the scene for close to a decade now and while they are helpful, for many their benefits can be over hyped. This is in part due to how it’s marketed and because these different collage sources and types will provide specific benefits to specific tissues only, yet most women just grab a collagen peptide powder to throw in their coffee and assume collagen is collagen – but that’s not quite the case! This article will help you make better choices so read on.
How Collagen Products Works
It’s common to think we eat some collagen peptides and that same collagen somehow gets right into our joints or our wrinkles or our hair, but it’s a bit more complicated.
Collagen products come in two forms: native or whole collagen and collagen peptides. There are also products that are considered collagen support or collagen boosters.
Native or whole collagen is a whole molecule form of collagen which is mostly glycine and the amino acids proline and hydroxyproline. It is 3 very long chains with over 1000 amino acids that coil in a helix, twisting the molecule which makes it strong but large – large enough that it cannot cross the intestinal wall so it is not absorbed whole and intact from your gut to your bloodstream like peptides are.
Collagen peptides are hydrolyzed collagen, meaning it’s chemically broken down into smaller, shorter chains of amino acids called peptides. Some collagen peptides will also be broken down into the single amino acids that make up the collagen peptides. Both individual amino acids and peptides can cross the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. Collagen peptides are usually from bovine (cow) sources but can also come from chicken, egg shell membranes, and fish skin/scales.
Collagen support products or boosters while not containing any collagen or collagen peptides, contain nutrients like zinc (activates enzymes that make collagen), vitamin C (part of the pro-collagen molecule), silica (part of collagen structure, is an antioxidant) and copper (part of the structural integrity of collagen and elastin) that are all needed nutrients for collagen synthesis. Other collagen support products contain compounds like hyaluronic acid which help new collagen formation in terms of both structural support and hydration of the tissue.
Their mechanism for supporting your collagen is different as well:
Whole or native collagen doesn’t become incorporated into our own collagen but rather in the gut it creates an immune reaction sending a signal to our own collagen structures like our joints and bones, to stop collagen breakdown. So while we do not use whole collagen found in foods (i.e. any cartilaginous meats, bone broth) or in supplements to make new collagen, it stops us from breaking down our existing collagen. We know that it doesn’t take much joint inflammation or degradation (i.e. osteoarthritis) to cause pain and issues, so supporting less breakdown with whole collagen is helpful. Whole collagen is usually type II thus this is the best type of collagen to eat or supplement with to support joint health.
Collagen peptides or hydrolyzed collagen are absorbed as intact small peptides or individual amino acids that will go to target connective tissues and signal those cells to build new collagen to repair skin, bones or joints. It can also be used as energy for those collagen producing cells cells to make more collagen.
We also know that after we consume collagen peptides there is a rise in a two amino acid dipeptide (hydroxyproline-glycine) which alone or with glycine may stimulate the release of growth hormone which is key for regeneration and repair of tissues in general.
As well, osteoblasts – the cells that make new bone – appear to be directly stimulated by collage peptide ingestion, so this may have a role as well.
So we can see that these various types of collagen products are indeed helpful in supporting the health of our own collagen, but we need to understand how the type of collagen supplement we use works so we can get the results we’re after: less painful joints vs. better hair or skin, because different products will have different or no effects on these various tissues.
What type of collagen should you take?
It really depends on your goal. If joint pain reduction or improved joint health is your goal then type II support is needed and whole, native collagen as well as type II collagen peptides is what you want. If you are supporting skin, hair, ligaments and tendons or blood vessels then type I or III collagen peptides are preferred.
Osteoarthritis, joint degeneration, bone and joint inflammation:
Type II whole native collagen found in cartilaginous meats, bone broth or supplements will be best to signal a slow down in joint breakdown/destruction. Ideally you will use both native/whole collagen (which stops collagen breakdown) as well as type II collagen peptides which spur repair and joint collagen growth.
For support of hair, skin, nails, tendons and ligaments:
Type I and III collagen peptides are needed and they are generally found together in supplements from bovine and marine sources. Bone broth and bone broth protein powders also helpful here.
For postpartum healing:
You are focused on healing ligaments and soft tissue primarily so you would want to use type I and III collagen peptides.
For easy bruising or supporting blood vessel health:
Type III collagen peptides are best here as well.
For workout recovery:
I generally suggest added protein such as KION instead which contains the proper amino acids for recovery and building muscle, whereas collagen does not.
You may also have some nutritional preferences:
Type I and III collagen peptides (often sold together) are most commonly made from bovine sources or they can come from marine sources which include shellfish and fish skin and scales. Marine collagen is better absorbed than bovine, yet bovine is much more commonly available in products.
Type II is usually made from chicken sources but marine sources also provide type II.
As of this writing, it is important to know that there is NO such thing as vegan collagen. In the future there may be microbial fermentation procedures that generate collagen peptides that can be then taken as a supplement, this would be considered a vegan product. So do watch for anything labeled as vegan collagen as this is a false claim. Supplements with plant sourced vitamin C, silica, zinc, etc. can be used as collagen support or “boosters” but there is no preformed whole collagen or collagen peptide in these products.
Hyaluronic Acid is a common ingredient for collagen supplements and this can be from a soy source or more commonly from rooster cones, the former being vegan source and the later not.
If you have allergies to shellfish or egg or even chicken, be sure to read the labels for sources of collagen.
How Much Collagen Do Women Need
The turn-over rate of collagen is estimated at 1.4% per day but there is not full agreement with how much the optimal supplement amount per day is. Data ranges from 10 to 40 grams per day of collagen peptides, with many products suggesting 20g per day on their label. It also may take several months to see full benefit, so collagen is one you may have to be a bit patient with. That said, many women in my practice anecdotally report benefits within a few weeks but it may take 6 months to see full effects.
Does Collagen Count Towards My Daily Protein Intake?
This answer may surprise you, but no, it does not. Collagen is considered a “low biological value” protein in that it is low in key amino acids like tryptophan, lysine and branch chain amino acids such as leucine that are key for muscle growth and the metabolic effects we get from eating protein. Consider collagen as support for your connective tissue but not to support muscle growth or preservation of lean mass.
Have you been told collagen does help with lean mass or is a great source of protein? Likely yes, either by a well-meaning but under informed practitioner or influencer or simply in the marketing of collagen supplements that often say “great source of protein”. Collagen is a good protein source to build collagen specifically but it is not a good source of dietary protein so it should not be counted in your daily intake.
I recommend collagen to my patients as we know collagen loss steadily increases as we age and it has been shown to be helpful for joint health, healing soft tissue injuries and improving health of skin and hair. But you still want to get 100 or more grams of protein per day beyond that scoop of collagen in your morning coffee.
More on protein requirements for women in this article.
Frustrated yet? More confused than ever? I know. Collagen is a simple idea but there are so many confusing and even misleading marketing claims.
It is important to review the label of your collagen supplement for a few things:
If the label says for example 10 grams, it’s important to look at the breakdown of where that collagen is coming from: whole collagen or collagen peptides.
As well, look at the sources of the collagen such as chicken collagen (which would provide type II) or bovine source will only provide types I and III, not type II, marine collagen on the other hand will provide all three (types I, II and III).
Some confusing claims such as “whole body” (yet most are more targeted for certain types of tissues), “collagen protein” (where it should say actually collagen peptide) and collagen concentrate (which does not clearly state if it is whole collagen or peptides) can be frustrating or misleading but I hope this article will help refer you to the product label to determine the source or type of collagen so you can determine if this particular collagen type is what you need for your goals.
You will also see marketing on the most common products out there which are bovine collagen peptides as benign great for “joints, hair and skin” when truthfully bovine is again supporting types I and III which means tendons, ligaments and skin but not so much joint at least as far as cartilage support. Although joints do also have ligaments around them so there would be some support there, but a type II collagen product is needed for rebuilding cartilage in the joints, which is from chicken or marine sources.
When it comes to how much to take here is a guideline:
To rebuild joint cartilage with type II collagen support use both whole and peptide from chicken or marine sources:
- 10-20g collagen peptide + 10mg native/whole collagen with full benefit seen around 6 months
- For ligament, tendon and other soft tissue support/healing as well as support for hair, skin and nails you want type I and III collagen peptides (from bovine or marine sources):
- 10-20g per day, full benefit seen at 3-4 months
Problems With Too Much Collagen
Above I mentioned some experts suggest up to 40g of collagen peptides per day, which is a lot more than I listed above. Collagen is very safe so if you want to take higher doses it’s likely not going to be a safety issue but you may not need that much to see benefit and it’s less expensive of course to take a lower dose.
Collagen is well tolerated and side effects are not common but can include:
Allergic reaction if you are sensitive to the collagen source (i.e. shellfish, egg).
Digestive upset, generally mild and not overly common.
Collagen is high in the amino acid hydroxyproline which should be avoided if you are at high risk of developing kidney crystals or stones.
Itching or aggravation of histamine issues (that are not due to allergy to the collagen source) can indicate you have some histamine intolerance as collagen contains histidine (a component of histamine).
Read more about histamine intolerance here. You might be better off using GLOW from Organifi (save 20% off with this link) as it does not contain any collagen protein yet it provides the nutrients such as plant sourced vitamin C and bamboo silica to support collagen repair and growth. It also contains Tremella mushroom which is touted to have 5X the hydrating power of hyaluronic acid.
Supporting Your Collagen Beyond Supplements
You can support collagen with your diet in the following ways:
Bone Broth + Bone Broth or Beef Based Protein Shakes
Bone broth is made by boiling bones thus the collagen from the bone, cartilage and marrow gets into the broth that can be consumed as is or dried out and used to make bone broth protein powders. It does get denatured during cooking so consider it more like collagen peptides. One advantage of bone broth is that it also contains minerals and vitamins from the bones that aren’t generally found in collagen peptide supplements.
Beef based protein powders, although marketed as “beef” and not as “bone broth” are indeed bone broth protein thus similar in amino acid content to collagen peptide supplements. While they may have a minimal amount of meat on the boiled bones, the idea that they are made from beef muscle meat vs. beef bones is very misleading and inaccurate.
Bone broth can be made or purchased and should be thought of as similar to collagen peptides – same is true for bone broth and beef based protein powder, consider them essentially the same as a collagen peptide supplement. A cup of bone broth contains about 6-12g collagen protein. If you are looking to support joint health/cartilage opt for chicken bone broth and beef broth if you are looking for types I and III collagen support for tendons, ligaments, skin and hair. There of course is fish broth as well.
Another real advantage to bone broth is that you can use it as part of your regular cooking to make soups, chili, anytime something calls for water or even milk in some cases so you can boost your collagen support just by switching from water or regular broth to bone broth.
Problems With Bone Broth
Because of its high glutamine content, bone broth is often used to heal leaky gut or for intestinal permeability repair, however higher intakes of glutamine are not well tolerated by everyone. If you are depleted in vitamin B6 or have issues (autoimmunity or genetic variants) with an enzyme called GAD65 you may feel agitated or anxious when using glutamine in supplemental form or even when consuming bone broth. Bone broth is also considered a higher histamine food, so if you feel anxious, get itchy, have changes in your period pain, among other symptoms you may have histamine intolerance. More on histamine intolerance here.
And just like collagen peptide or whole collagen supplements, bone broth protein powders should not be counted towards dietary protein intake but rather considered as supplemental collagen support because they lack the amino acids to stimulate muscle growth and metabolism. Essentially collagen peptides and bone broth protein powders are the same in terms of their amino acid content.
Gelatin + Gelatin Gummies
Gelatin is often recommended as a food source of collagen support and while it is made up of similar amino acids, gelatin is cooked and thus hydrolyzed so it is more similar to collagen peptides than whole, native collagen. It likely is not as denatured or hydrolyzed as collagen peptide supplements. Like collagen peptides, it is derived from animal sources such as bovine and pork making it a better source of types I and III vs. type II. Consider gelatin similar to bone broth, but lacking the extra minerals and other amino acids found in bone broth.
Eat adequate protein.
While muscle meat like steak or chicken breast is not as high in the specific amino acids found in collagen itself, it is a complete protein and dietary amino acids from protein at your meals will support regeneration of all protein based structures in our bodies.
In particular, meats with some cartilage included will further support your collagen building such as fish with the bones (i.e. canned salmon), egg whites (and egg white membrane), chicken on the bone (i.e. chicken wings) and steak such as ribeye. Other proteins like oysters are high in zinc which is important for collagen synthesis. Throw in those brightly colored fruits and veggies like bell peppers and citrus for vitamin C as well.
Lifestyle Factors That Will Support Better Collagen Synthesis
Handle Chronic Stress
Cortisol is a catabolic hormone, meaning it breaks down tissues. In the short term this is fine, it’s actually even a vital part of our remodeling and recovery of our bodies. Short term stressors like exercise can build resiliency and repair but prolonged, high cortisol from ongoing stress can certainly impact our ability to recover and regenerate any of our tissues, including connective tissue and collagen. Now we can’t always keep our stress as low as we’d like so when things are turned up be sure you take time for practices that help you recover like deep breathing, meditation, etc.
I talk a lot about reframing and dealing with inevitable stress on the Dr Brooke Show, here are a few specific episodes on this idea:
How To Get Better At Stress, Part I
How To Get Better At Stress, Part II
Can You Choose Your Stress Response?
Get Great Sleep
Sleep is our time for repair so do what you can to improve your sleep. Sleep can be elusive due to stress, blood sugar imbalances, problems with neurotransmitters, chronic inflammation or changing hormones such as low progesterone so if you are having trouble falling or staying asleep it’s a problem worth solving ASAP.
Exercise + Strength Training
Exercise is a potent regulator of collagen turnover. We can see an uptick in collagen collagen synthesis for up to 3 days after a workout. This may be in part due to a growth hormone stimulation such as IGF-1 by strength training and other factors such as certain myokines (hormone like chemical messengers made by muscles) that encourage muscle repair after lifting weights. So one more reason to lift!
Need a workout plan? Check out my book Hangry.
To quickly recap:
Be sure you know what you’re trying to accomplish by taking collagen, such as better joints or better skin, so you can choose the best type of collagen supplement.
You may need more or less than the label suggests, so check what dose is best for you.
Watch for buzzwords such as “complete collagen” or “collagen protein” and be wary of a label saying “vegan collagen” or “plant based collagen” as that is super misleading. Collagen boosters or collagen support is more accurate and I recommend this one if you are vegetarian, vegan or otherwise can’t use collagen peptides.
And remember collagen is great for supporting collagen, but it does not count towards your daily protein intake and is not a great protein source for building lean muscle mass.
And lastly, I’m sure you’re wondering what collagen I recommend? This one as it contains a variety or sources thus supports multiple tissues.