Collagen Supplementation
The supplement market is highly saturated with many snake oil products that promise a “get fit quick” solution. Most of these supplements are unable to produce their promised results. Supplement companies can use skewed statistics to market their product as being “effective.” All the while, the consumer is unaware of the supplement company’s deception.
This is because the general population does not know much about supplementation, and the average “gym rat” is no better. My hope for the next few articles is to cover a few popular supplements and give the basics on their ergogenic (performance-enhancing) properties. First up is collagen supplementation.
What is collagen?
Collagen is a rigid structural protein that is found in the cells of animals and humans. If our cells were a building, collagen would be the steel beams. They are found in high quantities in rigid structures in our bodies, like bones, joints, nails, and tendons. Collagen proteins are helical structures (like DNA), made from 2 to 50 amino acids. Their helical shape gives them structural integrity.
Many different amino acids can be found in collagen. However, collagen is primarily made of glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. Those three amino acids are critical for many bodily functions. Collagen is a protein that is both produced by the body and can be consumed. Our bodies can create collagen from free amino acids or break down collagen to free up amino acids for other functions.
It is important to know that dietary collagen is NOT a complete protein. It contains 8 of the 9 essential amino acids (it is missing tryptophan). Therefore, collagen needs to be consumed with complementary proteins (proteins containing tryptophan) or complete proteins. A good complementary protein for collagen is legumes.
How does it work?
Our bodies naturally produce and use collagen. We use collagen to add rigidity and structure to our cells. As we age, our body becomes less efficient at creating collagen, and our collagen becomes less rigid. This can lead to degraded joints, weaker bones, wrinkly skin, and weaker muscles; all of which are classic symptoms associated with aging.
Consuming dietary collagen helps our bodies counteract the natural aging process. Dietary collagen has been shown to “kickstart” your body’s natural collagen-producing pathway. It also provides amino acids that can be broken down and used for other bodily functions. Therefore, consuming dietary collagen helps us two-fold. It helps us produce more collagen through our bodies’ natural pathways and provides amino acids to create other proteins like elastin.
Elastin is another protein that is critical to the health of the skin. Unlike collage, elastin is flexible. Elastin is the protein that allows our skin to have an elastic nature. The amino acids (mainly glycine and proline) found in collagen can be broken down from collagen and used to create elastin. Studies show that dietary collagen can increase the production of elastin.
Should you supplement it?
Collagen has many benefits, with almost no risk to the individual. Unlike many other supplements, your body does not build up resistance to collagen. Supplementation also improves your body’s natural ability to produce collagen. It does not hinder it.
Collagen supplements can be found in powder, capsule, or liquid form. The powder is highly soluble and can be bought flavored or flavorless to add to your favorite beverage.
Studies show that collagen supplementation can improve skin health and joint strength, decrease inflammation, and improve bone density. It is especially helpful in aging populations. Collagen has very little consistently-measured negative side effects. However, some collagen supplement products can contain other supplements mixed in with collagen - which could cause side effects. Always check the product’s labels and the reputation of the company before purchasing and consuming a supplement.
If all these benefits are not enough for you, collagen is still a protein - even though it is not a complete protein. As long as you consume a well-balanced diet of complete animal proteins or complementary legume proteins, you can consume up to a third of your diet as collagen proteins and still get a proper balance of amino acids.
As for myself, I might start consuming a collagen supplement. Instead of having a double scoop of whey protein, I might try having one scoop of whey and one scoop of collagen. Even if I do not see any additional benefits, collagen is still a decent source of protein. Although collagen is not a complete protein, it has 8 of the 9 essential amino acids as well as some non-essential amino acids that could benefit me. Collagen has a lot of potential upsides with almost no downsides.
Can collagen replace your protein powder? (2018, April 24). Well+Good. https://www.wellandgood.com/collagen-protein-powder-workout/
Chakrabarti, S., Guha, S., & Majumder, K. (2018). Food-Derived Bioactive Peptides in Human Health: Challenges and Opportunities. Nutrients, 10(11), E1738. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10111738
Collagen: Benefits, Side Effects, and More. (2022, February 9). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen
Elastin—An overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/elastin
Hartmann, R., & Meisel, H. (2007). Food-derived peptides with biological activity: From research to food applications. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 18(2), 163–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2007.01.013
Paul, C., Leser, S., & Oesser, S. (2019). Significant Amounts of Functional Collagen Peptides Can Be Incorporated in the Diet While Maintaining Indispensable Amino Acid Balance. Nutrients, 11(5), 1079. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051079
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