Collagen - is it the secret to great skin and hair?

These days many of us hear about collagen supplements. We might know someone who is taking collagen in bulletproof coffee, with smoothies or in energy balls. There are a lot of collagen products available on the market that seem to offer all kinds of benefits from skin creams to reduce the signs of ageing to hydrolysed collagen supplements for skin repair from within. 

What is collagen?

Collagen is a kind of protein known as a fibril. Fibrils are structural meaning that they are used to create the framework of your cells and tissues. Collagen is the most common protein in humans and animals. Think of pinched skin, bouncing immediately back to its original form when released. That is healthy collagen at work in your skin.  

Collagen is a complete protein which means that it contains all the amino acids (building blocks) needed for protein synthesis in the body. The main amino acids in collagen are proline, glycine and hydroxyproline. Your body uses co-factors to create collagen in the body in the presence of these amino acids. Those co-factors are Vitamin C, Copper, Zinc and Manganese. Peptides are groups of amino acids bonded together, the smaller the peptides, the less work your body has to do to break them down (hydrolyze them) and the more ‘bioavailable’ the ingredients needed for collagen synthesis are. 

Cigarette smokers take note - each cigarette you smoke uses up 25mg of Vitamin C. Think about how quickly skin loses its elasticity in smokers compared to non-smokers and it’s not hard to make the link to collagen and vitamin C. 

Where is collagen found?

We find collagen naturally in chicken skins, meat, broth and stocks and any food that contains connective tissue. We can also supplement collagen from a variety of sources. Despite the claims of some supplement manufacturers, there is NO vegan source of collagen, it is not possible to find outside of animal tissue. Some recent attempts to make collagen from bacteria and yeasts have been tried but this cannot be said to be strictly vegan. Vegan collagen supplements only give the body the precursors to synthesise collagen, however whether the body can do this effectively using these ingredients depends on genetics, diet and a number of other factors. Not everyone can make collagen effectively, especially on a limited vegan diet.  Good sources of collagen are from marine or animal sources. 

There is no substitute for real food. Creating your own broths and consuming at least a cup or two daily of the broth will give your body bioavailable collagen, nutrients and much more besides (depending on which vegetables or animal you used to make the broth). The benefits are far reaching and not just limited to your skin, though this is also a great (not to mention visible) side effect. 

What does collagen do?

Collagen is used by the body to repair skin and tissues. It is also used to heal the gut lining where a person has leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome is a common affliction and arises as a result of stress among other factors.  Drinking broth regularly will provide the body with some highly bioavailable nutrients that can be used in gut repair, reducing the severity of or eliminating entirely symptoms not usually associated with the gut like arthritis, asthma, auto-immune disease, depression and brain fog. Collagen coats and protects organs and also helps your blood clot.

Some studies have shown that collagen supplements provide a much higher ratio of the amino acids used in collagen synthesis and are therefore ideal when used alongside a healthy, balanced diet which ideally also contains home made broth. 

What are the different types of collagen?

There are so many types of collagen available that it’s easy to become confused by which to buy or use and even how to use them. 

Let’s break that down. There are five main types of collagen. 

Type 1  - This type makes up 90% of collagen in your body. It is tightly structured in skin, bones, ligaments and tendons. 

Type 2 - Found in cartilage which supports healthy joints. 

Type 3 - We find this type mainly in organs and muscles but also in arteries. 

Type 4 - This type is found in skin. 

Type 5 - Found in the eyes, in hair and even in the placenta. 

How do we lose collagen?

Ageing is the number one predictor of loss of collagen and for women this drop steeply after menopause. Many environmental factors play in the decrease of collagen.

Avoid stress, a diet high in carbs and sugar, excessive sun exposure, smoking, drinking excess alcohol and a lack of sleep and exercise.  

The outward appearance of a lack of collagen is simply wrinkles and hardened, non-elastic skin. 

How to improve our collagen

There is a lot we can do to improve and maintain our healthspan by including collagen in a healthy balanced diet. 

First of all, throw away the collagen containing skin creams. They do no good at all and if they contain anything that you cannot eat, they may be actively harming your health. Never put anything on your skin which you wouldn’t eat. Studies have shown that the chemicals in ‘beauty’ products are excreted in urine. This means that your body has to go through a detoxification process to eliminate these toxic products.

Why add to the toxic load? 

Collagen is produced inside the cells in protein synthesis and that is where we look to improve the conditions.  By supplementing collagen daily we ensure the right range of amino acids and hopefully the essential co-factors for our body to continue making healthy collagen in our tissues as we age. Since it is particularly important in gut repair, this is an excellent supplement for many people who have eaten a less than healthy diet in the past and who want to start in a process of repair and healing from that.

I do not recommend any particular product but when you look for collagen, look for a brand that contains all 5 types of collagen. Look for grass fed bovine collagen or high grade marine collagen.

Look for and avoid any fillers, sweeteners or other additives. The collagen should be pure. Collagen comes in tablet form, liquids and powders. 

You can add collagen powder or liquid to bulletproof coffee, to smoothies, into soups or stocks.  If you prefer you can add collagen tablets to your supplement regime but do be aware of the fillers and ingredients in the capsule material themselves.