Hey everybody, it’s Brian here, coach and nutritionist at Triage Method, and today I’m going to be talking to you about collagen protein, and answering the question, “Is collagen protein worth taking?”
Collagen protein is something that is often discussed in the health and fitness world. Coaching clients often ask me questions about it. People on social media also often ask me questions about it. There’s a lot of hype around it, so I want to go through whether or not collagen is actually just hype and there’s not that much benefit to it, or maybe there is some truth to the claims being made about collagen protein.
There are many reasons why someone would potentially consume collagen protein, but a lot of the discussion seems to centre around potential benefits to skin, hair and potentially even nails, while there is also some discussion around collagen in the context of joint health, and reducing pain in certain joints and connective tissues, potentially helping connective tissues recover or heal. So let’s actually get stuck into answering whether collagen protein is worth taking or not!
Is Collagen Protein Worth Taking?
Before we can answer whether or not collagen is worth taking, we have to discuss what collagen actually is. Collagen is a protein; it’s actually the most abundant protein in the body. It’s a main structural component of the skin, as well as connective tissues like ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. There are many types of collagen, but we’re going to discuss three main types as they’re the ones that tend to appear most commonly in a supplementation context.
So we’ve got types one and three (often denoted as type I and type III), which are mostly found in the skin, and we’ve got type two (type II) collagen, which is mostly found in the joints and connective tissue. Collagen is somewhat unique in terms of a protein source because it has an amino acid profile that is quite different from a lot of the commonly consumed proteins, like eggs or muscle meats.
What Does Collagen (Potentially) Do?
So what sort of claims are actually made about collagen supplementation? As with many other supplements, the marketing hype is telling you that amazing things will happen if you use collagen protein, and that it is the thing that you are missing from your diet that will lead to all the amazing results you desire. Collagen is big business, at the time of this going live, it’s estimated to be worth about 3.5 billion Euros. So, a lot of money is involved in these types of supplements, especially when they also enter the conversation of beauty or anti-ageing, as this dramatically expands the marketing potential. As a result, there’s a huge market for this kind of stuff.
To help you answer the question of whether collagen protein is worth taking, it helps to understand the claims around collagen protein and whether they are accurate.
Collagen protein has been implicated in potentially helping in anti-ageing, supporting better skin health, and, reducing joint pain and improving joint health overall. But are these claims supported?
The evidence does seem to suggest that collagen supplementation, specifically type 1 and 3 collagen, can actually improve skin health. It can improve skin elasticity and maybe also reduce wrinkling. However, it is important to keep in mind that all of these effects are quite modest. You’re looking at less than a 10% increase in those metrics, however, it does only seem to require a relatively small dose of collagen (around 10 grams per day, but potentially as low as 3 grams per day) to see these effects.
For things like joint pain or connective tissue health, it seems that the undenatured type 2 collagen, which I often abbreviated as “UC-II”, does seem to improve things like pain in this context. The effects are very modest, however. An important difference here is that this UC-II collagen is used in very, very small doses, only around 40 milligrams per day. That’s quite a difference compared to the 3 to 10 grams of hydrolyzed collagen of type 1 and type 3.
It is hypothesised that this type 2 collagen helps modulate pain via interactions with the immune system. So the fact that it’s actually not hydrolyzed is an important feature here, and again, it does seem to have quite modest benefits in the context of joint pain and overall joint health.
However, there are other claims made about collagen protein and it has been implicated in helping people to sleep better. Collagen has high levels of the amino acids glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline, and these potentially have their own unique benefits as well. Glycine, for example, has been suggested to improve sleep quality, and collagen itself is about 25 to 30% glycine. So if you were to consume, say, 10 grams of collagen per day, it’s going to give you about three grams of glycine, and the effective dose for glycine to improve sleep, based on the limited amount of research, seems to be about 3 to 5 grams (you can read our sleep guide if you want to learn more about how to improve sleep). So collagen protein may provide a small benefit for improving sleep.
Now, as many of you who follow our content are interested in optimising your body composition and performance, you might be wondering whether collagen protein is beneficial for muscle gain. However, despite its potential benefits for numerous health-related issues, collagen does not seem to be a useful protein for muscle-building purposes. This comes back to collagen’s specific amino acid profile I mentioned earlier. Collagen is somewhat unique in its amino acid profile. It’s high in certain amino acids like glycine, but it’s also low in the essential and branched-chain amino acids, which are quite important in terms of regulating muscle protein synthesis.
| Amino Acid | Whey Protein (per 100g) | Collagen Protein (per 100g) |
|---|---|---|
| ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS | ||
| Histidine | Present | Absent or Trace |
| Isoleucine | High | Absent or Trace |
| Leucine | High | Moderate |
| Lysine | High | Absent or Trace |
| Methionine | Present | Absent or Trace |
| Phenylalanine | Present | Moderate |
| Threonine | Present | Absent or Trace |
| Tryptophan | Present | Absent or Trace |
| Valine | High | Moderate |
| NON-ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS | ||
| Alanine | Moderate | High |
| Arginine | Moderate | High |
| Aspartic Acid | High | Low |
| Cysteine | Present | Absent or Trace |
| Glutamic Acid | High | Low |
| Glycine | Low | High |
| Proline | Low | High |
| Serine | Moderate | Low |
| Tyrosine | Moderate | Absent or Trace |
| Asparagine | Present | Present |
| Glutamine | Present | Present |
| Hydroxylysine | Absent or Trace | Present |
| Hydroxyproline | Absent or Trace | High |
So collagen is not going to be the go-to option if you’re trying to maximise muscle gain. But I don’t think it is fair to say that collagen is just not useful for those interested in optimising their body composition and performance. I think it’s like saying, well, you shouldn’t eat apples because they’re not high in vitamin C; you should just eat oranges. However, you’re literally comparing apples to oranges, and there are potential benefits you are missing out on by not consuming apples. It doesn’t necessarily have to be one or the other, it can be both.
In terms of collagen protein versus something like whey protein, which people are way more familiar with in the context of muscle gain and muscle recovery, they just perform two different functions. While collagen is not the go-to protein source in terms of muscle-building protein, it does still have certain specific benefits in the body composition and performance realm. It can potentially help improve connective tissues (i.e. ligaments and tendons), and while muscle building tends to get all the spotlight, you do need strong tendons and ligaments to be able to train hard and elicit the adaptations that lead to improved body composition and performance.
Collagen, when combined with vitamin C, is particularly useful in the context of helping with improving connective tissue health. This is because vitamin C is actually involved in the natural synthesis of collagen in the body. So that is something that is worth keeping in mind when you are selecting a collagen protein supplement, as the inclusion of vitamin C in the formulation may be quite beneficial for specific goals.
Further to the benefits on connective tissue, collagen protein may potentially help in the recovery from injury. I have coached many people through recovery from various injuries, and I often recommend that they consume collagen protein as part of this process. Even if it only helps a slight amount, in combination with all the other nutritional protocols I use with them, it does seem to help with recovery from injury. This is obviously incredibly helpful for overall health (nobody wants to be injured for long periods of time) and of course, the sooner you heal up after injury, the sooner you can get back to hard training and thus working towards your body composition and performance goals.
Collagen is also potentially beneficial for bone health and bone strengthening, which is obviously vital for long-term health, and performance.
What Kind Of Collagen Should I Use
Now, it is important to realise that in the vast majority of the studies on the various benefits of collagen, the effects tend to not be all that impressive. There does seem to be some benefit, but the overall effect doesn’t seem to generally be all that impressive. However, there does seem to be some signal from the noise that collagen may be somewhat beneficial. Of course, it should go without saying that if you are focusing on collagen supplements and you have not already got your diet set up correctly, and your sleep hygiene and stress management dialled in, you are missing the forest for the trees. Those foundational pieces of the puzzle have to be in place first and foremost.
But let’s assume you have those dialled in and you feel that collagen protein may be able to offer you some benefits, what one should you choose?
Well, the answer is that it depends on what kind of job you want it to do.
If you’re looking at it from the skin health perspective or an anti-ageing perspective, then you probably want to go for the type 1 and type 3 hydrolyzed collagen.
If you’re trying to use collagen in the context of joint pain or joint health, then it seems like type 2 undenatured collagen, could be the better option.
Is There Vegan Collagen?
Collagen, as it is usually sold, is isolated from pig, cow, or marine sources. This is important to keep in mind, as these are obviously not vegan options. You will see some vegan products advertised as vegan collagen. Oftentimes, they’re not actually collagen; they’re just the different co-factors involved in the actual synthesis of collagen in the body. Thus they are not really delivering what you think you’re getting with them. However, there is also some innovation going on around making collagen from certain types of yeast and bacteria. So if that’s the vegan collagen that you’re looking at and it says this is how it’s been produced, then that could be a good vegan option.
Where Can We Get Collagen In The Diet?
As a nutritionist, and at Triage more broadly, we’re obviously quite big on taking a food-first approach to nutrition (you can learn more about how to set up your diet properly here). So what’s the story with collagen in the context of a food-first approach? Can’t I just get it from the diet? Why are we talking about supplementation?
Well, you can certainly get collagen from the diet, however, it’s found in foods that are not that commonly consumed for various reasons.
For example, the skin and the bones of fish, so if you get canned sardines or canned salmon, some of those will have some skin in there, and the bones will be steamed, so they will be edible, and that will be a good source of collagen. Now, a lot of people don’t eat oily fish, but if you do, then that is a great source of those nutrients, plus omega-3s, plus high-quality protein. Such a good food to have, if it suits your taste.
Gelatin is also quite high in collagen, and as a result, you’ll be able to get a decent amount of collagen in the diet if you consume foods that are high in gelatin. You will also be able to get a decent amount of collagen by eating meat that’s on the bone, has connective tissue on it or has some skin on it. You can also make your own stock or bone broth, as it’s often referred to, from the bones or carcasses of animals, and that will actually be quite rich in gelatin, and you can consume that as an adjunct to your diet without having to get collagen supplements, potentially.
However, most people don’t eat those types of food sources as often, so you may not be getting that much collagen in the diet. Therefore, supplementation might be a good option.
How Much Collagen Should You Take
This is always a difficult question to answer, as realistically, collagen isn’t exactly a game changer and it really needs to be consumed against the backdrop of a well-balanced diet. So I will reiterate it again, if you want to get benefits from collagen, you need to ensure that your diet is dialled in, and your sleep and stress management practices are dialled in too.
Overall, as part of a well-balanced diet, collagen is quite a nice addition. You don’t actually need a huge amount to potentially see benefits, and if you were to take 10 grams of collagen per day from a supplemental source, then that is probably a pretty effective dose. This is something you can very easily add to meals/foods you are already consuming. For example, you could easily add some collagen protein to yoghurt, and both increase the protein content of that meal, while also getting your collagen in. Similarly, you could mix some additional collagen protein into your whey protein shake (I know that the founder of Triage, Paddy does something like this, where he buys a big bag of whey protein and a small bag of collagen protein and then mixes them together).
With something like collagen supplements, there’s no real risk in terms of consuming them. All you really have to do is buy them, and that’s about as far as the risk goes. But then there are a lot of potential benefits, so it’s quite a large upside for essentially no (to very little) downside. When coaching clients, I very often discuss supplements (and other interventions) with the framework of assessing the risk to reward. When thinking about supplementing with collagen, there doesn’t seem to be that much risk associated with it, and for relatively small amounts, there may be some potential benefits. So with that assessment, supplementing with a small amount of collagen makes sense.
However, you do need to watch out for whether you’re getting the right collagen for you, and that you’re not overpaying for under-dosed collagen products. Some products will only be about 1 gram of collagen. These may be little collagen shots or something like that, and you’re not really going to be getting an effective amount of collagen. They’re often sold in a “beauty” context, which seems to add quite an extortionate price tag to supplements and all sorts of products. So just be wary of that. They do certainly contribute to your collagen intake (and overall protein intake) but they are generally an expensive way to go about supplementing with collagen.
If you are looking for potential benefits to your hair, skin and nails, you want to consume something like 10 to 15 grams per day of hydrolyzed type 1 and/or type 3 collagen (often, they’re combined). If you’re looking at the joint support and joint pain consideration, then the undenatured type 2 collagen may be something to try out at around 40 milligrams per day.
Is Collagen Protein Worth Taking?
So, to wrap up this article, and answer the question “is college protein worth taking?”, the answer for most people is likely, yes, there is some potential benefit to taking collagen protein. Is it going to be worth it for you and your specific goals? Well, it’s hard to say without speaking to you specifically. There does seem to be some benefit for certain specific issues, and there doesn’t seem to be too much downside (outside of perhaps not having a complete amino acid profile, which isn’t really an issue in the context of a mixed, well-balanced diet). As a result, including some collagen protein in the diet isn’t likely to be harmful, and can potentially be helpful. You don’t actually need a huge amount to get benefits, and it is fairly easy to include some collagen protein into your diet, either by altering your food selection practices or simply consuming a collagen protein powder.
If this content is something that you resonate with, or if you want to get your health and fitness questions answered and a comprehensive plan of action put in place to help you, then we might be able to help you on a one-to-one basis through our online coaching services. With coaching, we can look at your overall diet and help you come up with a comprehensive, science-backed plan of action to help you get the results you are looking for.
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Is Collagen Protein Worth Taking FAQs
I know whenever we post content like this, there are usually a few questions that people still have that didn’t get answered in the article or video, so we have included an FAQ section to tackle any of these lingering questions. If you have any questions, you can always reach out to us on social media, and we will always try to help. We will add more FAQs to this section, as they come in!
There is no need to time your collagen intake, as I know some people do wonder whether there is a best time to take collagen. There is some potential benefit to taking it before/during/after a workout, if you are looking for potential connective tissue benefits, but for most people simply consuming some collagen at some stage throughout the day is all they need to focus on.
You certainly can get enough collagen from the diet alone, as long as you are willing to eat more of the connective tissue of animals, and/or consume gelatin derived from connective tissues. Stuff like bone broth and stocks made from boiled animal carcasses can also be quite high in collagen.
Collagen protein does certainly add to the amino acid pool, and can thus aid in overall recovery, muscle gain and improving athletic performance, but it lacks the full amino acid spectrum we would ideally like for this purpose. However, it may aid in muscle gain and athletic performance by virtue of helping with connective tissue health or aiding in the recovery from injuries.
Collagen protein can be used long-term, and there doesn’t appear to be a need to cycle its use.
Collagen can be used as a preventative measure, and it can be used to address specific health concerns. Just consume it as part of a generally well-balanced diet, and you should see the benefits.
This really depends on what benefits you are hoping to gain from collagen supplementation. But for most of the potential benefits, you should be able to see some sort of return on investment within 2-12 weeks.
References and Further Reading
de Miranda RB, Weimer P, Rossi RC. Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Dermatol. 2021;60(12):1449-1461. doi:10.1111/ijd.15518 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33742704/
de Paz-Lugo P, Lupiáñez JA, Meléndez-Hevia E. High glycine concentration increases collagen synthesis by articular chondrocytes in vitro: acute glycine deficiency could be an important cause of osteoarthritis. Amino Acids. 2018;50(10):1357-1365. doi:10.1007/s00726-018-2611-x https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6153947/
Khatri M, Naughton RJ, Clifford T, Harper LD, Corr L. The effects of collagen peptide supplementation on body composition, collagen synthesis, and recovery from joint injury and exercise: a systematic review. Amino Acids. 2021;53(10):1493-1506. doi:10.1007/s00726-021-03072-x https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8521576/
Schön C, Knaub K, Alt W, Durkee S, Saiyed Z, Juturu V. UC-II Undenatured Type II Collagen for Knee Joint Flexibility: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study. J Integr Complement Med. 2022;28(6):540-548. doi:10.1089/jicm.2021.0365 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35377244/
Shiojima Y, Takahashi M, Takahashi R, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Dietary Undenatured Type II Collagen on Joint and Motor Function in Healthy Volunteers: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study. J Am Nutr Assoc. 2023;42(3):224-241. doi:10.1080/07315724.2021.2024466 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35512781/
Lugo JP, Saiyed ZM, Lau FC, et al. Undenatured type II collagen (UC-II®) for joint support: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy volunteers. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013;10(1):48. Published 2013 Oct 24. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-10-48 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24153020/
Martínez-Puig D, Costa-Larrión E, Rubio-Rodríguez N, Gálvez-Martín P. Collagen Supplementation for Joint Health: The Link between Composition and Scientific Knowledge. Nutrients. 2023;15(6):1332. Published 2023 Mar 8. doi:10.3390/nu15061332 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36986062/
Mobasheri A, Mahmoudian A, Kalvaityte U, et al. A White Paper on Collagen Hydrolyzates and Ultrahydrolyzates: Potential Supplements to Support Joint Health in Osteoarthritis?. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2021;23(11):78. Published 2021 Oct 30. doi:10.1007/s11926-021-01042-6 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34716494/
Kim DU, Chung HC, Choi J, Sakai Y, Lee BY. Oral Intake of Low-Molecular-Weight Collagen Peptide Improves Hydration, Elasticity, and Wrinkling in Human Skin: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Nutrients. 2018;10(7):826. Published 2018 Jun 26. doi:10.3390/nu10070826 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29949889/
Proksch E, Schunck M, Zague V, Segger D, Degwert J, Oesser S. Oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2014;27(3):113-119. doi:10.1159/000355523 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24401291/
Figueres Juher T, Basés Pérez E. REVISIÓN DE LOS EFECTOS BENEFICIOSOS DE LA INGESTA DE COLÁGENO HIDROLIZADO SOBRE LA SALUD OSTEOARTICULAR Y EL ENVEJECIMIENTO DÉRMICO [An overview of the beneficial effects of hydrolysed collagen intake on joint and bone health and on skin ageing]. Nutr Hosp. 2015;32 Suppl 1:62-66. Published 2015 Jul 18. doi:10.3305/nh.2015.32.sup1.9482 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26267777/
Aguirre-Cruz G, León-López A, Cruz-Gómez V, Jiménez-Alvarado R, Aguirre-Álvarez G. Collagen Hydrolysates for Skin Protection: Oral Administration and Topical Formulation. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020;9(2):181. Published 2020 Feb 22. doi:10.3390/antiox9020181 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32098294/
Proksch E, Segger D, Degwert J, Schunck M, Zague V, Oesser S. Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2014;27(1):47-55. doi:10.1159/000351376 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23949208/
Bolke L, Schlippe G, Gerß J, Voss W. A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study. Nutrients. 2019;11(10):2494. Published 2019 Oct 17. doi:10.3390/nu11102494 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31627309/
Rømer AMA, Thorseth ML, Madsen DH. Immune Modulatory Properties of Collagen in Cancer. Front Immunol. 2021;12:791453. Published 2021 Dec 8. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.791453 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34956223/
Jürgensen HJ, van Putten S, Nørregaard KS, et al. Cellular uptake of collagens and implications for immune cell regulation in disease. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2020;77(16):3161-3176. doi:10.1007/s00018-020-03481-3 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32100084/
Wang H. A Review of the Effects of Collagen Treatment in Clinical Studies. Polymers (Basel). 2021;13(22):3868. Published 2021 Nov 9. doi:10.3390/polym13223868 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8620403/
Brian OhAonghusa
Hey I’m Brian O'hAonghusa, nutrition coach at Triage.
I have a bachelors degree in Human Nutrition & I’m currently doing a masters degree in Counselling & Psychotherapy (cognitive behavioural modalities). I have coached a wide variety of clients since 2017 and in particular I love to help people to transform their health & their relationship with food for the better.
I enjoy lifting weights, BJJ, basketball, reading, eating and spending time in nature with my dog, Kodi.
Paddy Farrell
Hey, I'm Paddy!
I am a coach who loves to help people master their health and fitness. I am a personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and I have a degree in Biochemistry and Biomolecular Science. I have been coaching people for over 10 years now.
When I grew up, you couldn't find great health and fitness information, and you still can't really. So my content aims to solve that!
I enjoy training in the gym, doing martial arts and hiking in the mountains (around Europe, mainly). I am also an avid reader of history, politics and science. When I am not in the mountains, exercising or reading, you will likely find me in a museum.
