Should I Take Collagen?

Collagen peptide supplementation is a huge fad (especially for women), but is it worth the hype? In today’s blog post, I’ll be answering questions like:

• What is collagen?
• Does collagen supplementation help with skin, hair, and nails?
• Does it improve joint health?
• Does it count as protein?
• How should I take it?
• Do I really need to take collagen?

Let’s dive in!

What is collagen?

Collagen is a type of protein in your body that provides strength to many of your tissues, like muscle, ligaments, and even skin. Most of us associate collagen with skin health, because it helps to develop new skin cells and provide elasticity to your skin.

Many people notice that collagen production reduces with age – especially after menopause, our bodies don’t have as much collagen as previously. This is a natural part of aging, and it’s not just wrinkles – you might experience more joint stiffness as you get older, as well.

Does Collagen Help with Skin, Hair, and Nails?

Ultimately, it seems like improving the appearance of your skin could possibly be the main benefit of taking collagen supplements. Some studies (like this one and this one) show that trial participants reported positive results. But overall, the research is not super strong on this topic, and there are other things that you can do to boost your natural collagen production (read on for details).

For hair and nails, on the other hand, almost no conclusive evidence exists that collagen is helpful.

To truly boost the health of your hair, skin, and nails, you probably don’t need collagen supplements. It’s more important to:

• Eat enough protein – Since collagen gets broken down into amino acids when you eat it, it doesn’t necessarily have hair and skin superpowers. You might as well eat the right amount of protein (focusing primarily on complete proteins, which collagen is not) so that your body has the building blocks to maintain skin and hair health.
• Eat enough zinc – Since zinc boosts natural collagen production in your body, it’s smart to include shellfish, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and meat in your diet
• Eat enough Vitamin C – This also boosts collagen production in your body. Food sources include leafy greens, citrus, and colorful veggies like bell peppers and tomatoes.
• Wear sunscreen and use appropriate skincare like retinol
• Hydrate, exercise, and don’t smoke – these general healthy habits improve the appearance of your skin

Does It Improve Joint Health?

Again, there is not strong evidence (i.e., randomized, controlled trials) that collagen improves joint or connective tissue health. A few studies (like this one) indicate perhaps a slight benefit.

But overall, joint health is often most improved by:

• Appropriate resistance training to strength muscles around the joints in question
• Being cognizant of age-related changes in your body, but not overreacting by becoming sedentary or “overly careful” – sometimes, it’s simply a matter of modifying certain exercises
• Healthy fat intake from fatty fish, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, and fish oil supplements (because these foods are anti-inflammatory)
• Eating enough calories – This is especially applicable if you are a serious exerciser recovering from an injury or surgery. Although it might be tempting to cut calories because your activity is reduced, you have to keep in mind that injury recovery raises metabolic output all on its own. Yes, you might not be running or walking like you normally do, but your body is working hard to heal. Don’t cut calories or carbs – you need the protein, carbs, and fat of a balanced diet to keep your hormones at normal, healthy levels to promote optimal recovery.

Does collagen count as protein?

Traditional wisdom is to not count it towards protein intake, but to count it toward calories overall. However, a more nuanced view is that collagen, being an incomplete protein, contributes somewhat to protein intake, but probably not the full grams. When you eat incomplete proteins with other sources of protein, usually this “fills the gaps” and it ultimately counts as complete proteins. However, you can do this with higher-quality sources of protein like whey or soy and get a lot more bang for your buck on fewer calories (and this is what I usually recommend).

How should I take it?

Most of the women I know who take collagen do it in the morning, fasted, in their coffee as a “creamer.” It’s not that there’s something wrong or harmful about this, but the issue is that the collagen will not be optimally absorbed and used when it’s not eaten in the same time period as other complete proteins and foods.

If you do take collagen, take it with other foods, including protein.

So… Is It Worth It?

Let’s review.

• Your body makes it naturally, especially if your diet is balanced and rich in protein, zinc, and Vitamin C.  You can also consume naturally-occurring sources of collagen like bone both, cuts of meat with lots of connective tissue, or sardines with the bones.
• If your motive is to improve your hair, skin, and nail health, you would benefit more from wearing sunscreen and practicing good skincare habits (like using retinol treatments), as well as drinking plenty of water. Particularly if you are taking collagen supplements as part of aging, it’s important to know that collagen will not work miracles.
• If you’re trying to improve joint health, you’re probably better off eating an anti-inflammatory diet (with lots of healthy, non-saturated fat) and training appropriately.
• If your goal is weight management or increased protein intake, there’s no reason to focus on collagen – it doesn’t offer any particular benefits. In fact, you are better off focusing on your overall protein intake, and if you supplement, using a “complete” protein like whey or soy.

The bottom line is that the research on the benefits of collagen supplementation simply isn’t there, and many of the studies are funded by the collagen industry, which can be problematic. There’s a lack of randomized, controlled trials that would strongly indicate that collagen supplementation does something special for aesthetics, performance, or quality of life. Plus, as with any supplement or vitamin, it’s not regulated by the FDA, which means that doses could perhaps be incorrect or inconsistent. It can also be expensive, and especially targeted at women in terms of packaging and promises.

My opinion is that it doesn’t hurt (unless you are accidentally overeating calories by supplementing with it), but you don’t need it, and there are probably better ways to reach your goals!

If you want to take a deeper dive into your health goals, click here to set up a free consultation with me!