Are Collagen Supplements Actually Helpful? - What The Supplement Companies Don't Want You To Know

There has been a lot of hype about collagen supplements in the past year. There have been many claims that consuming collagen improves skin elasticity, and hence makes skin look more youthful. These claims might sound straightforward, but is this actually true? Does this mean people who don't take collagen will have worse skin in the long-run?

In this blog post, a registered dietitian reviews whether or not collagen supplements are actually helpful and which nutrients are important for skin health.

What They Don't Tell You

You don't actually need to eat collagen because you create it inside your body.

Collagen is created from the protein that you eat in fish, poultry, meat, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy-based foods. Your body breaks down the protein from food into single units (amino acids) or peptides (smaller groups of amino acids), and then puts it back together it into whichever protein is needed, including collagen (a type of protein). To make collagen, your body also needs vitamin C1.

Since your body creates collagen, you do not actually need to consume the collagen supplements to get the same health benefits.

Nutritious food is not only a more cost-effective way to get amino acids, it also provides a lot more nutrition that the extracted amino acids or proteins on their own. The components in nutritious food, including vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, fibre, have many health benefits.

While food might not be bottled up with a marketing campaign behind it, it is an overlooked way of getting important nutrients.

Fun fact: Did you know that gelatin is a form of collagen that has been heated by cooking or boiling? It has the same amino acid composition as collagen! It is amazing to see the price difference between gelatin and collagen, despite the fact that they are essentially the same thing.

What About the Research on Collagen Supplements?

While there has been some research on collagen supplements, the research was not able to identify whether it was the collagen supplements that improved skin health or merely just the improvement in the protein intake from taking the supplements that made the difference. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis in 2021 noted that the results from numerous research studies could have been influenced by the lifestyle factors of the participants2.

It is possible that similar effects would be seen if the people were eating adequate amounts of protein from food sources.

The research studies that were analyzed in the Systematic Review and Meta-analysis also only looked at the effects of collagen supplements for 4-16 weeks2, and therefore it does not provide any information about the effects of taking collagen supplements in the long-run.

What Nutrients are Important for Skin Health?

Getting enough of the nutrients that your skin cells need for proper maintenance and regeneration is important when it comes to skin health.

The nutrients that are important for cell maintenance and regeneration include:

• Protein

• Vitamins: A, B2, B3, B6, C, D, E.

• Minerals: zinc and selenium.

And you can get most of these nutrients from food as well!

And this is just the nutrition-side of things.

The most important way to reduce extrinsic aging (the type of skin aging caused by factors other than the natural degenerative process) is to protect your skin against damage from Ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure. This can include using suncreen and UV protective clothing. It also includes avoiding smoking, which can break down the collagen and other substances in the skin3.

Getting enough antioxidants could also help protect your body against some of the damage from UV radiation4. Antioxidants help to stabilize highly reactive atoms that damage cells. Protecting your cells from damage is not only important for health, including skin health, but also with cancer prevention.

How to Get Enough Nutrients and Antioxidants from Food

A registered dietitian can help you with finding ways to get enough nutrients from food sources, and can let you know which (if any) supplements would be helpful in addition to this, based on your dietary intake, age, and medical conditions. Check out this blog post for general information.

In Summary

You don't need collagen supplements if you are able to consume enough of the amino acids from other food sources.

There are more cost effective alternatives out there, including high protein plant-based or animal-based foods.

Collagen supplements are just one example of how the multibillion dollar supplement industry can convince people to spend additional money on something that they could just get from food.

Disclaimer:

The content on this site is not meant to replace direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

References:

1. Wu M, Cronin K, Crane JS. Biochemistry, Collagen Synthesis. [Updated 2023 Sep 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507709/

2. de Miranda RB, Weimer P, Rossi RC. Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Dermatol. 2021 Dec; 60(12):1449-1461. Abstract available online at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33742704/ 

3. Morita A. Tobacco smoke causes premature skin aging. J Dermatol Sci. 2007 Dec;48(3):169-75. Abstract available online from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17951030/

4. Pittayapruek P, Meephansan J, Prapapan O, Komine M, Ohtsuki M. Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Photoaging and Photocarcinogenesis. Int J Mol Sci. 2016 Jun 2;17(6):868. Available online from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33742704/