Ingredient Spotlight: Collagen

Everything You Need To Know About Collagen Supplements

Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body, it is responsible for giving our skin, joints, tendons, ligaments and hair structure and resilience. Think of it as the scaffolding or the poles holding up a tent – without it, we have a weak structure that stretches, sags, wrinkles and cannot retain moisture effectively. Unfortunately, as we age, our collagen levels progressively decline and this contributes to the signs of ageing.

There are five common types of collagen classified under type I-V. While 90% of our body contains type I collagen, our skin has an abundance of type I and III. Our body makes collagen through cells called fibroblasts. They also produce other skin-serving elements like elastin and hyaluronic acid. Stimulating fibroblasts to ‘switch on’ increases collagen production.
This is one of the goals to control the speed of skin ageing!

How Our Body Absorbs Collagen Supplements

Just like if you ate brains (offal, anyone?), it wouldn’t make you smarter; when you swallow collagen, it isn’t absorbed intact to go on to boost your collagen levels. If only it were that simple.

So how does your body absorb and use ingested collagen? Collagen is too big to be absorbed whole – therefore, collagen first needs to get broken down into smaller collagen peptides called collagen hydrolysates (CH). This is the form that supplement products will often use in their formula. Once ingested, the body breaks it down further into bioactive collagen bipeptides and tripeptides. These can be absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body, in particular – to the skin’s dermis.

There are three suggested pathways ingested collagen hydrolysates (CH) promote skin health:

1. Stimulates fibroblasts and downregulates Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) – resulting in improved collagen
2. Inactivates free radicals – reducing cellular damage and inflammation
3. Inhibits inflammation by regulating inflammation signallers called cytokines

Skin Benefits of Collagen Supplementation

A systematic study looked at multiple Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) using CH, collagen dipeptides, and/or collagen tripeptides and suggested their skin benefits are:

• Improved skin elasticity
• Improved collagen density
• Reduction in collagen breakdown
• Improved skin moisture
• Increased production in procollagen type I and elastin
• Reduction in cellulite (BMI <25)
• Improved wound healing

Are collagen supplements safe? No observations of Adverse Events were recorded across all studies. This suggests collagen supplements are well tolerated with few issues or side effects.

What’s the Best Source of Collagen?

Though there are thousands of collagen supplements on the market – they’re not all the same.

Collagen can derive from various sources, including cows (bovine collagen), pigs (porcine collagen), and fish (marine collagen). Interestingly, since marine collagen has a comparatively lower molecular weight, it is absorbed approximately 1.5x more efficiently than bovine or porcine sources. Marine collagen is most similar to human collagen structurally, making it the ideal source for nutraceutical use. Each source comprises a different makeup of collagen (between type I, II, and III), each one holding its own benefit.

When choosing a collagen supplement, look for brands that share specific details on their source of collagen. For example, if the source is bovine collagen, where is it sourced, and under what conditions? Grass-fed, hormone-free, sustainable, and kind living conditions? In addition, your diet, religion, and allergy history may also factor into your decision of what source of collagen is best for you. Marine sources are great for people who don’t eat beef or pork, pescatarians, or people who minimise their meat consumption. However, if you have a fish allergy, we don’t recommend marine collagen.

Collagen Types 1 – 3