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Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in the body and it makes up a large part of our skin, hair and nails. Technically a polypeptide, collagen contains a mixture of amino acids like proline and glycine, which are found in all connective tissue within the body (including vital organs!).
While beauty treatments and shampoos trumpet the benefits of collagen on their labels, the real benefits come internally, not from a topical treatment.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a long-chain amino acid and the most abundant protein in the body. It is composed of the individual amino acids Glycine, Proline, Hydroxyproline and Arginine and in nature is found exclusively in animal tissue, especially bones and connective tissue.
It is what is responsible for giving skin elasticity, hair its strength, and connective tissue its ability to hold everything in place. In fact, the collagen protein makes up 30% of the total protein in the body, and 70% of the protein in the skin!
The body’s natural collagen production declines with age and many modern lifestyle factors (like stress, poor diet, gut health imbalances, etc.) can also decrease the body’s ability to make it.
Gelatin vs. Collagen
These terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference.
Collagen is the basic form of the protein found in the body, and gelatin is produced when collagen is boiled or otherwise heated. The two have very similar compositions and are almost interchangeable, but the difference gets confusing when it comes to supplements. In general:
- Collagen Powder- (the Hydrolyzed form of Gelatin) contains these proteins broken down into individual peptide chains. This form is typically easier to digest and is often suggested for people with digestive problems. One advantage to this particular form of collagen is that it easily mixes into most hot and cold drinks and is tasteless, making it easy to add to foods and drinks for consumption, however, it will not gel and is not good in recipes that require gelatin. In the brand I take, this form has a blue lid)
- Gelatin Powder – I use a grass-fed pastured gelatin powder. Gelatin is the pure form that is often recommended on diets like GAPS and SCD (though some people may not be able to digest it at first and must stick to meat stocks instead), for its ability to coat the digestive tract. From a cooking perspective, it is the form that “gels” and is great for making recipes like chewable vitamins, gummies, and marshmallows. This is the form naturally found in bone broth, as the heat breaks down the natural collagen found in the bones. This is the reason bone broth tends to thicken and gel in the fridge.
In past generations, people often consumed much larger amounts of collagen/gelatin from food, as our grandparents and great-grandparents prepared many meals at home and made things like broths, gravies, and bone-in meats that naturally contained these amino acids.
Benefits of Collagen for Skin
While collagen is beneficial to the entire body, it is most noticeably beneficial to the skin. This is because as a person ages, the epidermic (outer layer of skin) thins and loses elasticity in a process known as elastosis. As this happens, a person tends to show more signs of aging and acquire more wrinkles.
The good news is that these changes do not seem to be permanent or irreversible. In fact, a double-blind placebo study conducted last year found that women who took collagen hydrolysate (the peptide form) regularly for 8 weeks saw a 20% reduction in wrinkles!
Even more exciting:
Additionally, after 8 weeks of intake a statistically significantly higher content of procollagen type I (65%) and elastin (18%) in the BCP-treated volunteers compared to the placebo-treated patients was detected.
This means that supplemental collagen appears to help the body’s own production process improve, as procollagen is the precursor to collagen in the body.
This study also showed that collagen consumption can increase skin elasticity and moisture, which also declines during the aging process.
It is important to note that this study used the hydrolyzed (peptide) form, which is a more easily digestible form of collagen. I’m not aware of any studies that directly compare gelatin and collagen for their ability to improve skin, so for skin health, I use the peptide form.
Other Benefits
Though not as immediately noticeable, there are other benefits that might be even more important. For instance, collagen has been studied for its role in:
- Bone and Joint Health– Collagen may be beneficial to bones and joints in the same way it benefits the skin. By helping the body’s natural production of collagen and providing a bioavailable source of these amino acids, collagen may improve bone and joint health over time. In fact, a double-blind, placebo study showed significant improvement in joint pain.
- Hormone Balance- Emerging research shows that the specific amino acids in collagen may help improve the amino acid balance in the body and support the body’s natural hormone production.
- Digestion– As mentioned, gelatin and collagen may help coat the digestive tract and improve digestion, and the consumption of gelatin is often recommended on gut-specific diets like GAPS and SCD.
Where To Find Collagen
There are several good sources of high-quality gelatin and collagen powders. When sourcing, it is important to make sure that it is obtained from grass-fed and pastured humanely raised sources from a reputable company. I purchase this grass fed gelatin and this collagen powder because I was able to verify that their gelatin and collagen are:
- Sourced from pasture-raised animals
- Packaged in BPA-free containers
I also enjoy these collagen bars from Bulletproof to snack on.
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Scott Soerries, MD, Family Physician and Medical Director of SteadyMD. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
Do you use collagen or gelatin? How do you use it?
How much do you take each day? And have you personally noticed any change in your skin?
I have read that hydrolyzed protein can be toxic (” When whey protein undergoes denaturation or hydrolyzation, it loses the proper dimensions intended by nature. Effectiveness is lost and the renewing process of cellular turnover wanes. Adding to the negative outcome, these processing methods give rise to toxic levels of free aspartic acid and glutamic acid (MSG). Both have toxicity profiles that make party drugs look like health foods.”). Have you done any research on this?
Currently collagen is in trend a lot. You have written this article on a very sensitive issue for women. Good one!
Where can I buy this in Australia can you please tell me
Kitsa’s kitchen to buy Vital Proteins. Iherb ships the Great Lakes brand
Hi Debbie,
I get my Great Lakes grlatin off iherb.com. They post to australia. Or I think vital proteins has a website and I think they post to Australia too but I’m not sure. I haven’t bought any of that brand yet
Hi Debbie, hope you don’t mind me stepping in. I’m in Sydney and i order the Great Lakes through iHerb. The product information states it is grass fed but the label on the container doesn’t. It is less expensive than Vital Proteins, which i could not source even on eBay. Someone in Tasmania is also a distributor for GL and selling on eBay but the price is more and also postage is higher. iHerb have super fast postage from the US and the prices are so much better for this and bentonite clay etc. If you find VP in AU with reasonable postage let me know. Hope that helps. Sandra
Iherb also sells ZINT collagen hydrolysate, ethically sourced
I like the idea of using this as part of a skin care regime without having to spend a lot of money on facial products. If you were to use this as part of a skin care regime, what else would you add to it to make it a complete antiaging regime? I would really like to know your thoughts!
Thanks Kate!
Hey Katie,
What do you think about the WHO’s verdict on red meat being a carcinogen?
Working on a whole post on that, but in general I agree that processed feedlot meats are unhealthy and probably do cause cancer but don’t like that they didn’t differentiate between this and humanely raised organic meats before declaring all red meat dangerous. Also, all of the media comparing meat to smoking is completely overblown as smoking causes a 2500% increase in lung cancer and even processed red meat only caused an 18% increased risk of colorectal cancer.
Thank you! I was thinking the same thing and appreciate your input. I look forward to your post on this.
Hi Wellness mommy. Love your site can I ask how much peptide collagen you take per day? And how.
What would be a recommended amount for daily intake? I didn’t see that specified on your post. Thanks!
do you use these in pregnancy – later stages? I would think they’d be ok since they are natural… Thanks! 🙂
I consider collagen a food rather than a supplement since it is naturally found in many foods, so I do consume in pregnancy but I also checked with my midwife to be sure…
Thank you – that’s what I figured too! I’ve been taking the Great Lakes but actually had just ordered the other a few days ago to try out! Great post! 🙂
It looks like you switched brands? Didn’t you use the Great Lakes gelatin? Great article btw!
I switched about a year ago. Vital Proteins provides more detail regarding their sourcing and where able to verify for me that their collagen and gelatin are actually grass-fed and pastured.
Did you come across the article regarding the exposure of ractpamine to many cattle in Brazil. Russia has band the export of cattle from Brazil. It is not banned to the U.S. And apparently the laws are very loose down there. I do not know this first hand but read some of the reviews through Amazon. Did you see if they tested for ractpamine with this product? I’d like to try it but now I’m Leary. Thoughts??
Emailed the company and will be updating the article with info soon 🙂
Response on ractopamine-
https://www.vitalproteins.com/pages/faq
Is there a risk for Ractopamine in your pasture-raised products?
Ractopamine is a beta agonist added to feed to promote leanness in animals raised for their meat. Ractopamine is prohibited for use in cattle and cattle feed in Brazil (since 2012) and New Zealand and is actively monitored and tested for illegal use. Since our cattle are pasture-raised and grass fed, this further eliminates the risk of this substance in the cattle’s diet. Vital Proteins conducts independent third-party laboratory testing of its collagen products and test results have shown our products to be free of ractopamine. Please find the following link for the analysis report: Ractopamine Certificate of Analysis
This is awesome how proactive and responsive the company is.
Thanks Katie, I had just sent this question to you yesterday, prior to receiving this post. I can’t get VP only GL through Australian eBay and through iHerb. So taking that every morning and night. Husband and I felt the difference almost immediately, lots more energy and able to sleep better. Hope it helps my hair soon as I have lost so much during this pregnancy. I am constantly vacuuming, falls in hand full after every wash and in between whilst brushing. I know its normal but it still alarms me. I did take biotin in the past.
As much as I love these collagen products, (really saved my health!) I am a bit worried about Brazil’s grass fed pastures. I hope it is not rainforest-turned-grassland pastures? Is there a plant-based sustainable source of collagen?? 🙂
Can you get this in capsule form?
So which is better for over health- the collagen or the gelatin? I am slightly lactose intolerant and definitely like the sounds of it coating mg intestines for better digestion, my husband also has some digestion issues. But I am pregnant and like that is helps with akin elasticity. Of course other bonuses such as hair skin and nails is great too! Any recommendations between the two? Thank you!
I prefer the collagen unless I need it to gel since it is much easier to mix into foods and drinks.
I am 66 and started taking gelatin powder a couple years ago when my skin began getting REALLY flabby! I’ve been taking 1 T per day in whatever liquid drink I was consuming any given day. The improvement was amazing. The volume and firmness of the skin on my thighs increased a lot! In fact, my thighs began looking “chubby” again in my pants! LOL! – In case you’re wondering, I’m about 10-15 lbs over weight. I’m 5’4″ at 135-140 lbs. I DO HAVE A QUESTION – I am not taking collagen. I would love to increase the ageing skin issue. The “age” wrinkles are still showing up on my arms, etc. I am upping my gelatin to 2-3 T per day, but I’m wondering if I need to also add colagen?
It could help…
Is there something wrong with Great Lakes or other brands?
Great Lakes is good and I used them for years, but wasn’t able to fully verify that their product came from grass fed sources, and I was able to do so with Vital Proteins…
I’m obsessed with taking gelatin and bone broth! The gelatin is really nice in a morning latte with some raw milk and maple syrup 🙂 And admittedly bone broth is something I just have to get in me, some times I just drink it straight. It’s been an absolute lifesaver for my joints!
You might enjoy the way I’ve started to love my grass-fed chickies’ bone broth (can’t do beef); I pour it hot over shredded raw kale. In a couple of minutes, the kale is steamed and I add some Braggs aminos or pink salt… very tasty. I also take Black Seed oil with honey for joints and overall health as regards any inflamation.
I just got the Vital Proteins collagen peptides after reading many encouraging blogs/reviews.
So far I’ve: added it to a drink
applied it to my hair
used it as a face mask.
These are my honest first impressions:
I don’t know how anyone can like the taste, bovine hide tastes like…bovine hide. It ain’t nice. Hopefully it did my insides good. I almost gagged and had to think of pretty things to stop.
The face mask didn’t seem to do a thing. The only thing I noticed was that some pores on my cheek and nose looked enlarged when I initially washed it off. I’ve made better face masks with honey and egg.
The hair mask was a bit of a hassle to get off, it really hardens the hair. But it was worth it. I felt a noticable difference after washing it out and drying.
I’ll only be using this occasionally on my hair and adding to drinks, but it will be like taking my cod liver oil: downing the collagen mixed drink and then swiftly taking a swig of juice to drown out the memory lol.
I think this clearly works for some-not so much for others so I guess all you can do is try it and see which group you fall into.
you can get the Vital Proteins collagen in unflavored , my son is severely autistic, highly sensitive to everything including taste and has no problem taking it. Don’t bother using in the collagen in hair or skin preparations because it will not be absorbed through skin according to the research I have seen. If that is true , alot of commercial companies have been blowing smoke at us for awhile……
I am having the same experience with this. It is hard to get past the taste and the smell. I wish I could find some way to eat this.
If you drink coffee, add it to the coffee. You shouldn’t be able to taste a thing!
That is what I do is add it to my coffee. I don’t taste a thing.
I add it to my yogurt in the morning and night.
I mix it with Santa Cruz organic lemonade masks the taste nicely. I buy it at Kroger in health food section.hope this helps.