Do collagen supplements actually do anything?
Collagen supplements are everywhere. Every influencer is putting collagen peptides in their coffee. Does it actually help with skin, joints, or anything? Or is it just expensive protein?
The evidence is... actually not terrible for once. Some studies show modest benefits for:
- Skin hydration and elasticity (multiple RCTs showing improvement)
- Joint pain (especially in athletes)
- Bone density (emerging evidence)
But — and this is important — your body breaks collagen down into amino acids just like any other protein. The theoretical mechanism for why supplemental collagen peptides would specifically help is still debated.
The skin studies are the most convincing. Multiple double-blind placebo-controlled trials showing improvement. Whether this is specific to collagen peptides or just adequate protein intake generally is unclear.
I take it. Noticed my nails grow faster and my knees feel better after running. Could be placebo. I don't care — it's cheap protein either way and if there's a chance it helps my joints, why not?
Mechanistically it's questionable. Your body doesn't take intact collagen peptides and slot them into your skin. But the specific amino acid profile (glycine, proline, hydroxyproline) might signal collagen-producing cells to ramp up. Interesting if true.
If you're going to try it: look for hydrolyzed collagen peptides (type I and III for skin, type II for joints). 10-15g daily. Give it at least 8 weeks to evaluate.
One thing to note: collagen is an incomplete protein (lacks tryptophan). Don't count it as your primary protein source. It's supplementary on top of complete proteins.
Interesting that the evidence isn't as bad as I expected. I'll try it for a couple months and see if I notice anything. At worst it's extra protein.
Note: collagen comes from animal sources (bovine or marine). There's no vegan collagen supplement — the "vegan collagen" products are just collagen-boosting ingredients. Not the same thing.