Beauty Collagen

Is collagen worth taking for you, and if so, which source suits you? These are the questions our naturopaths ask in store.

A good fit if

• Skin, hair, nails or connective tissue is what you're really interested in, rather than muscle
• You're happy to judge it over eight to twelve weeks, which is how long the published trials ran
• You already get enough protein from food and are adding collagen on top
• You want a source you can name (bovine, marine or chicken) and a dose printed on the label
• You'd rather stir a powder into your coffee than cook with bones more often

Check with us first if

• You have kidney disease or need to limit protein. A 10 to 20 g daily dose is a meaningful amount of protein.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. Collagen is a food-type protein, but formulas often add herbs, vitamins and minerals that need checking.
• You're relying on collagen to meet your protein needs. It shouldn't be doing that job.
• You keep halal, kosher or vegetarian. Bovine, porcine and marine sources all matter, and they aren't always clearly stated.
• You take prescription medicines. Check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.

• Bovine collagen. Best known for: The most widely used source. Made from cow hide and bone, mainly types I and III. Absorption: Rated moderate for absorption in published comparisons of sources. Typical use: An everyday powder choice. Not suitable if you avoid beef.
• Marine collagen. Best known for: Made from fish skin and scales. Almost all type I, the main type in skin. Absorption: Rated high for absorption in the same comparisons. The peptides are usually smaller. Typical use: Chosen for skin, and by people avoiding beef. Fish is an allergen that must be declared on the label.
• Collagen hydrolysate (collagen peptides). Best known for: A way of processing rather than a source: beef or marine collagen broken down with enzymes. Absorption: The short-peptide form used in most clinical trials. It dissolves in cold liquid without setting. Typical use: Stirred into coffee, water or food. The standard powder format.
• Gelatine. Best known for: Collagen that has been only partly broken down (denatured, not hydrolysed), so it still sets into a gel. Absorption: Needs hot liquid to dissolve and sets as it cools, which makes it awkward in drinks. Typical use: Cooking, jellies and gummies rather than a daily dose stirred into a drink.
• Undenatured type II collagen (UC-II). Best known for: Works in a completely different way: a tiny intact dose, not a peptide dose. Absorption: Deliberately not broken down. The intact structure is the point. Typical use: Milligram doses in capsules. Australian medicines have a dose cap and are labelled adults only.
• Eggshell membrane collagen. Best known for: Comes with hyaluronic acid and glycosaminoglycans already sitting alongside the collagen. Absorption: Supplied broken down (as a hydrolysate), at a much lower dose than a collagen powder. Typical use: Capsules. Egg is a declared allergen, so it is not for people allergic to egg.
• Vegan collagen builder. Best known for: Containing no collagen at all. It is amino acids plus vitamin C and other helpers (cofactors). Absorption: Gives you the raw materials and cofactors rather than collagen peptides. Typical use: The only option for vegans and vegetarians, but think of it as a different product.

Reference values. None. Collagen isn't an essential nutrient, so the NHMRC sets no recommended intake for it. The one that matters is vitamin C, which your body needs to build collagen: 45 mg a day for adults, 60 mg a day in pregnancy and 85 mg a day while breastfeeding.

Typical supplemental range. Australian labels commonly provide 2.5 to 10 g of collagen peptides a day for skin, and 10 to 20 g for muscles, joints and tendons. Undenatured type II collagen is different and can't be compared directly, as it's dosed in milligrams.

Upper level. There's no NHMRC upper limit, and Australia's ingredient rules set no maximum daily dose for collagen or hydrolysed collagen. The only caps are for specific ingredients: 40 mg a day for chicken sternum cartilage powder and 2,000 mg a day for hydrolysed chicken cartilage extract.

Worth knowing. Most published trials ran for 8 to 12 weeks, so judge it over months rather than weeks. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Bone broth or stock made from bones and joints: about one cup, from bones simmered for several hours
• Slow-cooked tough cuts: beef shin, oxtail, lamb shanks, pork hock: one braised serve; the sticky texture is the collagen
• Chicken eaten with the skin and around the joints: A drumstick or wing, skin on
• Small whole fish and fish skin: one tin of sardines, bones and all
• Gelatine: one sachet, about 10 g, set as jelly
• Vitamin C foods: capsicum, citrus, kiwifruit, broccoli: everyday serves; vitamin C is required for the body to build its own collagen

If any of these sound like you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before you start.

• You are allergic to fish, crustaceans or molluscs. Marine collagen is not suitable, and these are allergens that must be declared in Australia.
• You are allergic to egg. Eggshell membrane collagen is not suitable, and egg is a declared allergen.
• You are vegan or vegetarian. All true collagen comes from animals, and vegan collagen builders contain no collagen.
• You follow halal, kosher or other religious dietary rules. Beef and pork sources are not always clearly declared.
• You have kidney disease or have been told to limit protein. 10 to 20 g a day is a meaningful amount of protein.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Check the whole formula, since collagen products often add herbs, vitamins and minerals.
• Children and teenagers. Australian medicines containing chicken sternum cartilage powder or hydrolysed chicken cartilage extract must be labelled adults only.
• You rely on collagen as your main protein. It did not raise muscle protein building in the randomised trial cited here.
• Products bought from overseas websites. They are not regulated in Australia for quality, safety or allergen labelling.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.