Do collagen supplements really help your muscles grow and skin glow?
There’s a lot of hype around collagen supplements, which we’re told can prevent bone loss,…
There’s a lot of hype around collagen supplements, which we’re told can prevent bone loss, boost muscle mass, relieve joint pain and improve skin health by slowing the signs of aging (aka wrinkles).
You might have seen these supplements in your socials or heard someone mention them at the gym. You might already be taking them and wonder if they’re working.
The hype stems from the fact collagen is a seriously impressive protein — one of the most abundant in the body. It gives our bones, ligaments and tendons their strength, and makes our skin firm and supple.
And since collagen production slows naturally from our 20s onwards, it makes sense to think we could just top up our supplies with a supplement.
But unfortunately, eating more collagen doesn’t make our bodies build more, says Emma Beckett, a food and nutrition scientist at the University of Newcastle.
Plus, “almost all Australians would be getting enough protein in their diets, even a plant-based diet, to make our own collagen”, Dr Beckett says.
So what are you adding to your smoothie?
Like all proteins, collagen is made from a long chain of building blocks called amino acids.
Once assembled, these collagen chains are twisted into strands and bundled together to form fibres found in skin, nails, hair, bones and joints.
“It’s perfectly structured as this binding material that’s really strong and allows for flexibility,” says Professor Belinda Beck, a musculoskeletal anatomist and bone physiologist at Queensland’s Griffith University.
Our bodies naturally make collagen from the protein we eat. It can be in the form of a supplement or just the protein we get from eating lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy or lots of fruit, vegetables and grains.
How much protein do you need?
A diverse diet of protein-packed plants and the occasional serve of healthy meat or fish is probably all the protein your body needs to maintain health — and even bulk up, Dr Sandro Demaio writes.
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Regardless of what protein we choose to eat, all proteins need to be broken down into amino acids to get absorbed through the gut.
“Then the body decides what to do with them,” Dr Beckett says, and there’s nothing to say the protein you digest will get rebuilt into the same one that you ate.
Your body could choose to use that protein to make any one of the many thousands of other proteins it needs every day.
Another thing to consider is where the collagen in your supplement comes from, especially if you have any food allergies or certain dietary preferences.
Collagen supplements are commonly made from animal products rich in collagen, like chicken bones and pig skin, which are ground up into powders to be added to food and drinks, says Dr Beckett. Others can be made from fish scales.
Now, if you’ve still got an appetite for collagen supplements, let’s look at those reported benefits.