MARINE COLLAGEN

With marine collagen, the first question isn't about absorption at all. It's whether you can safely eat fish, and our naturopaths ask that before anything else.

A good fit if

• You eat fish comfortably and want a collagen that doesn't come from cattle
• You're pescatarian, or you avoid beef and pork for religious, cultural or ethical reasons
• You want almost entirely type I collagen rather than a mix of types I and III
• Sustainability matters to you and you're happy to look for a certification mark rather than take the word 'sustainable' on trust
• You're happy to give it eight to twelve weeks, the timeframe the published trials used

Check with us first if

• You've had a reaction to fish that was never properly diagnosed. Marine collagen isn't the way to find out, so get allergy testing first.
• You keep halal or kosher. Fish is usually simpler than beef, but certification still covers the whole processing chain, and only a mark on the pack confirms it.
• You have kidney disease or a prescribed protein limit. A 10 g daily serve is a meaningful amount of protein.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. Collagen itself is a food-type protein, but marine beauty blends often add herbs, vitamins and minerals, so the whole formula needs checking.
• The powder smells or tastes strongly of fish. That's a known quality issue with this type of product rather than a sign it's gone off, but a strong smell is a fair reason to try another brand.
• You take prescription medicine. Check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.

• Fish skin collagen, unflavoured peptides. Best known for: The plainest marine tub: one ingredient, and the format most trials used. Absorption: Broken down into short peptides that mix into cold water without going gluggy. Typical use: Stirred into water, coffee or a smoothie. Sold in tubs and measured by the scoop.
• Fish scale and bone collagen. Best known for: Using the mineral-rich leftovers rather than skin, which is the sustainability case for marine collagen. Absorption: The same peptide once broken down; the difference is earlier, in how much is extracted and how the minerals are removed. Typical use: Rarely stated on a label. If sourcing matters to you, ask the brand which part of the fish was used.
• Wild-caught single-species marine collagen. Best known for: Naming the fish. North Atlantic cod is the most common single-species claim in Australia. Absorption: The species makes no difference to the finished peptide. Typical use: Chosen by people who want traceability. It's also the claim to look for if you avoid farmed fish.
• Sustainability-certified marine collagen. Best known for: Independent certification of the fishery or the reused by-product supply, not of what the collagen does. Absorption: Identical. Certification is a supply-chain audit, not a change to the formula. Typical use: Look for the certifying body's mark. 'Sustainable' with no mark behind it means little.
• Marine collagen with vitamin C and cofactors. Best known for: Collagen at a lower dose per serve, alongside vitamin C, zinc or silica in a flavoured powder. Absorption: The collagen behaves the same; vitamin C matters because your body needs it to build its own collagen. Typical use: Check the collagen milligrams per serve rather than the tub size.
• Single-serve marine collagen sachets. Best known for: A fixed dose you can't get wrong, and the format that made marine collagen a mainstream Australian buy. Absorption: No different from the same powder out of a tub. Typical use: Convenience and travel.

Reference values. None. Collagen isn't an essential nutrient, so the NHMRC doesn't set a recommended intake for it, and there's no separate figure for marine collagen. The recommended amounts that matter around it, for protein and vitamin C, are on our collagen page.

Typical supplemental range. Trials of fish collagen peptides have generally used around 10 g a day for eight to twelve weeks. Australian marine products vary a lot against that. Bulk unflavoured tubs are scooped at about that amount, while single-serve sachets and flavoured beauty blends often contain well below it, with the rest of the sachet made up of flavour and other added nutrients.

Upper level. None is set, by the NHMRC or by Australia's permitted ingredients rules. The practical limit is the same as for any collagen. A 10 g serve is a real amount of protein and counts towards your daily protein, not on top of it.

Worth knowing. The number worth checking on a marine product is grams of collagen per serve, because sachets and blends are where it varies most. What you need depends on your age, diet and health, so talk to one of our naturopaths.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• Fish skin, eaten crisped or on a fillet: one serve, skin on. This is the same tissue most marine collagen powder is extracted from
• Small whole tinned fish: sardines, mackerel: one tin, bones and all. Skin, fine bones and connective tissue all carry collagen
• Fish head and frame stock: about one cup from a frame simmered for an hour or two. The stock sets on cooling, which is the collagen
• Fish maw or swim bladder: A traditional ingredient in several cuisines, and one of the collagen-bearing by-products the extraction industry uses
• Salmon or trout with the skin left on: one fillet. A practical way to eat the tissue rather than buy it powdered

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

• You have a fish allergy. Never take it. Marine collagen is made from fish, and fish is an allergen that must be declared in Australia.
• You have a crustacean or mollusc allergy. Check the 'Contains' statement for shellfish-derived material or shared processing before you buy.
• You've had reactions to fish that haven't been diagnosed. Get tested first; don't use marine collagen to find out.
• You're vegan or vegetarian. It comes from fish, and vegan collagen builders contain no collagen.
• You follow halal, kosher or other religious dietary rules. Only a certification mark confirms how it was processed.
• You have kidney disease or a prescribed protein restriction. A 10 g daily serve is a real amount of protein.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. Check the whole formula; marine beauty blends often add herbs, vitamins and minerals.
• It has a strong fishy smell or taste. That's a known quality problem in this category, and a fair reason to change brands.
• You're buying from overseas websites. Those products aren't regulated in Australia for quality, safety or allergen labelling.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.