Is a Collagen Protein Supplement Worth Taking?

Collagen is one of the most popular supplements on the market. Many of you always have questions if collagen actually works or is just hype. Collagen has a lot of health claims, but is the science really there to back it up? Let’s dive into it a bit more.

What is collagen?

Collagen is a type of protein that is taken from connective tissue from bones, ligaments, and tendons of animals and sometimes scales of fish (marine collagen). Collagen contains 19 out of the 20 amino acids that make up a complete protein. It’s missing tryptophan; therefore, not considered a complete protein.

Amino acids come from the protein we consume. There are 9 essential amino acids and 11 non essential amino acids. Essential means we must get from our food (our body cannot make them) and non essential means our body create on it’s own for the most part. It’s very important to get enough protein overall. Protein is important to so many functions in the body. Collagen contains mostly non essential amino acids; however, collagen is popular because the amino acids in collagen are what make up a high percentage of our skin, connective tissue and bone. Therefore, the thinking is that collagen protein target these specific areas.

What I’ve learned is, that out body cannot distinguish the different sources of protein. The protein we consume is broken down into those individual amino acids and from there your body will use what it needs where it needs it. The collagen protein is not shuttled directly into our tendons and ligaments per se. Taking collagen does not necessarily directly support collagen in our body…it’s a more indirect process if that’s where the body transfers the proteins.

What does the science say about the different health claims:

Skin health: studies show small (very moderate) improvements in skin hydration and skin elasticity.

Gut health: no science to back up collagen improves gut issues like IBD, IBS, gas, bloating, leaky gut, etc.

Bone health: not a lot of research on bone mineral density and collagen benefits because it takes a long time to conduct studies on bone density.

Joint health: some studies do show small improvements in joint pain.

Muscle building/recovery: collagen is not a high quality protein for muscle growth and repair. It is not a complete protein and doesn’t contain a high amount of amino acids needed for muscle growth like leucine. Collagen is not a good option for a post workout supplement. Whey protein is the gold standard protein for muscle growth and recovery.

Do we need to supplement?

The studies that look into collagen are all comparing collagen protein to a placebo (not comparing to another protein source). Therefore, by the study participate adding in a protein supplement they are increasing their overall protein intake. Would they have gotten similar or even better outcomes with taking any protein supplement? Hard to say if the benefits are directly from collagen protein or just increasing their overall protein status. So maybe the collagen is helpful or just the fact they are increasing their overall protein intake, which most people lack getting adequate protein in their diet.

My Takeaway:

I continue to add 2 scoops of Vital Proteins in my coffee daily. I sometimes have a difficult time getting in enough protein throughout the day if I’m busy, so adding (2 scoops) 20 grams of collagen protein first thing in the morning is helpful. I’m mindful to get in more complete sources of protein throughout the day and take amino acid supplement post workout for muscle growth and repair.

I don’t think collagen is a “vital” supplement…see what I did there ;). If someone asked for my top 5 supplements it wouldn’t make the list. If you have no issues getting in enough protein daily- skip it. I think the benefits come from total protein intake vs. collagen protein specifically. However, there don’t appear to be any risks to taking a collagen supplement and the low to moderate potential benefits are a bonus for me on top of the extra grams of protein to start my day.

xx, A