Most people are eager to maintain their health as they grow older. In particular, they want to protect the visible parts of their bodies from the damage of aging and enjoy a long life doing what they love.

If you fall into that group, you might be wondering if supplementing with collagen can help you achieve your health goals.

In this article, we’ll answer that question. We’ll explore what the current research says about supplementing collagen to benefit longevity. 

What Is Collagen?

Collagen is a protein, a string of amino acids, found in skin, bones, muscles, cartilage, and tendons. It’s in skin, bones, muscles, cartilage, and tendons. Collagen acts as structural support and facilitates other important functions like repairing tissue, maintaining immunity, and enabling communication between cells. 

Collagen is pervasive in the human body, making up approximately a third of all protein content. There are twenty-eight known types of collagen. Collagen Type I, which is abundant in bones, skin, and tendons, is the most common. The second most common collagen is Collagen Type II, which primarily supports cartilage.

The human body naturally converts food proteins, which are made up of amino acids, into collagen. 

Collagen levels reduce by 1% every year after early adulthood. And it depletes even faster if you’re regularly in contact with harmful substances like UV rays, cigarette smoke, or pollution. However, supplementing collagen may help the body to maintain healthy levels despite aging. 

Types of Collagen Supplement 

Your body converts protein from the food you eat into collagen. So the first step to ensuring you’re producing enough collagen is to eat the necessary amount of protein each day. 

The amount of protein you need depends on your weight. It’s recommended to eat at least 0.8 g protein for every kilogram you weigh per day. For example, if you weigh 60 kgs, that’s 48 g protein.

However, if you’d like to add extra collagen to your diet, retailers offer supplements in various forms. Most commonly as gels, tablets, and powders. While products can significantly vary in price, there is currently insufficient research to prove which type of collagen supplement is most effective.

Often, collagen is available in a “hydrolyzed” form, meaning that the collagen has been broken down into smaller elements for easier digestion. This broken-down collagen is also referred to as “collagen hydrolysate” or “collagen peptides.” 

Most collagen supplements are made from animal sources, usually marine or bovine.  While vegan and vegetarian collagen supplements are available, they contain collagen-supporting vitamins and nutrients like Vitamin C and amino acids rather than collagen itself. 

Collagen is most likely a safe addition to your supplement cupboard. However, ensure the collagen you buy is from a reputable source because some products can be contaminated with harmful substances like lead. 

Skin Aging: What the Research Says

If healthy skin is a priority for you, you’ve probably heard of collagen. It’s essential for skin health, with the second layer of skin, known as the “dermis,” made of 70% collagen. And collagen loss is responsible for the most noticeable signs of skin aging, like wrinkles and sagging. 

Early research suggests that collagen supplements reverse many unwanted effects of collagen loss. Firstly, it may improve skin elasticity. If it’s slow to return to its original shape, that is probably a sign of elasticity loss. 

One study included sixty-nine women between thirty-five and fifty-five years old. The researchers randomly assigned each participant with a placebo or collagen hydrolysate supplement to be taken once a day for eight weeks. They measured participants’ “skin elasticity, skin moisture, transepidermal water loss and skin roughness” before and after the treatment. At the end of the study, participants who took either 2.5 g or 5 g of collagen per day experienced improved skin elasticity.

In addition, a review of studies found that collagen supplements improve well-known signs of skin aging like wrinkles and loss of hydration. 

Applied directly to the skin, topical creams containing collagen may also have an anti-aging effect. For example, a small study of thirty-seven women found the topical application of a collagen cream reduced both fine and coarse wrinkles. 

Joint and Bone Aging 

It’s easy to focus on skin aging because you can see how your skin is changing. However, collagen supplementation may offer more than just surface benefits. 

A review of studies focusing on the effect of collagen supplementation on joints and bones found that collagen supplementation is beneficial. The researchers concluded that collagen helps with pain and improves function in people with osteoarthritis and other joint conditions. 

The Final Word on Collagen

If you want to reduce the signs of skin aging, topical creams containing collagen may be worthwhile. But oral collagen supplements have the added benefit of aiding bone and joint health. 

There are many different collagen supplements available, so choose the best form for you. And always remember to consult a health practitioner before taking supplements if you have a health condition or are taking medication.