Submitted by Alexander_Elysia t3_124pn6t in explainlikeimfive
I'm basically wondering like what effect is it having if it's broken down into peptides in the stomach before absorption in the system, or is it one of those things that's somehow absorbed by the bloodstream before digestion (like some medications)
Collagen supplements usually don't have all the wonderful benefits people claim. You are correct that it will mostly be broken down into component parts before reaching the blood stream. It might have the benefit of having nearly the same ratio as what the body may need to synth it, but whether that matters much if you get sufficient general dietary protein is probably not all that likely.
Thats an important thing, it doesn't. Evidence doesnt back it up and neither do Biological mechanisms.
Some will argue that youre ingesting the exact nutrients you need to produce it, but that's exactly the same situation as ingesting other common proteins and in colagen production, the limiting and regulating factors are not availability of nutrients mainly
Collagen is definitely not absorbed to the bloodstream
It doesn’t do anything, and it also doesn’t do anything if you put it on your skin in the form of a lotion. It’s a marketing gimmick. It might definitely contain the ingredient! But it doesn’t actually do anything, it just sits there. People just know it’s a primary reason for youthful-looking skin, so if a supplement or lotion contains it, it must be extra-good for your skin.
Lucky OP!
Today is the day that you get to learn about the fact that dietary supplements are not required to have any evidence to back up their claims. They're not regulated that way, like medicines are.
Aha believe it or not, it's my dad, I'm just tryna save the guy some money, I had a feeling it was snake oil (hence my question), I just wanted to know if I was correct or not
It is still “extra protein” so if that’s something you think your dad could use, like if he has a crap diet, in that sense it’s a good thing. He could also take whey protein (which is cheaper, but some people have digestive issues with it), egg protein, pea protein… each of these has different qualities in terms of cost, slight flavor, digestibility, water-solubility, whether it can be cooked/baked, etc. Protein is important (especially in aging folks) so keeping the intake high is beneficial. The fact that it’s specifically collagen-derived, or whey, or egg, etc. is mostly irrelevant.
OP asking the right questions. The main effect of oral collagen supplements is that they can build healthy, full, and radiant portfolios for the supplement makers. The "glow" of having money is very noticeable.
In general, the efficacy of most supplements is debatable. If you actually read the documentation on most of them, you'll notice that they're rather vague on what they actually DO. In many cases, they have absolutely no scientific evidence to suggest they actually do what they claim, so they leave their claims to vague phrases like "digestive health" or "joint health". There are also concerns about the safety of them if they did work (e.g., a supplement that claims to increase breast size and actually does? What the hell is it doing to your body to do that?)
The only supplements with any real evidence are the micronutrient ones (i.e., "vitamins") and only if you have a specific deficiency (e.g., calcium supplements for someone who's severely lactose intolerant).
Tldr, most supplements are at best useless or at worse harmful.
There is in fact a lot of animal and clinical evidence that supports collagen hydrolysate (assuming this is what you meant by active collagen) supplementation for skin aging: Recent progress in preventive effect of collagen peptides on photoaging skin and action mechanism
The human digestion is a slow process catalyzed by digestive enzymes. Short collagen chains can be absorbed quickly into the blood stream while longer collagen chains are too big to be absorbed and are mixed with the digestive enzymes and broken down into peptides. Collagen hydrolysate are made by using heat or acid to controllably partially digest long collagen fibrils into shorter chains for fast absorption. Aging skin produces less collagen. The wrinkling we see on old people's faces are caused by this change in the material composition of their skin. The short collagen chains travel through the blood stream to the skin and are incorporated into cell-produced collagen fibers, making up for the loss of collagen production caused by aging.
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Wait you're going to tell me that all the money I spent on biotin tablets, didn't actually stimulate hair growth?
This post just made me radiate with delight!
On a related note, if every "anti aging collagen cream" could just quietly stop existing, I'd really appreciate it
That's right
Should've /s thought it was too obvious
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No I got it was /s and upvoted you I just wanted to feel involved lol
I have a genetic issue that influences collagen synthesis in the body, and every now and then some other people with my condition try to "medicate" themselves by eating collagen. No way that will ever do anything as the stuff does not go into the body as is. It's broken up and new collagen is built from available raw materials, using the messed up process.
Best thing you can do for your skin is use sunblock and exfoliate. I wish I knew that when I was younger
Me too. Boom needs to keep us posted on his Health Journey.
Or else I will have a Sad.
Just a warning that all the clinical evidence provided in that review was done by (or funded by) companies using their own products. It's a major issue in a lot of dermatological research as noted by this article from Harvard (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/collagen/).
It's worth noting that the American Academy of Dermatology has no recommendations regarding dietary collagen but does have evidenced backed advice for those looking to maintain healthy skin:
https://www.aad.org/public/cosmetic/younger-looking/firm-sagging-skin
https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/anti-aging/reduce-premature-aging-skin
I just by halal bovine gelatin off Amazon in one kilo pails for $25. Same amino acid profile. Ridiculously cheaper than the fancy degraded collagen, which is exactly what gelatin is.
I've worked in 2 natural/organic grocery stores over the span of 3+ years that emphasized supplement sales and I can confidently say that a solid 85-90% of it is all snake oil. Vitamins, minerals, protein powders, CDB oils, those are fine.
But when you have people asking you for shit like horny goat weed to help with their sexual dysfunction, you know they're easily scammed and unregulated supplement companies bank on that. Worst offender by far is the company Terry Naturally. Go out of their way to claim their products cure cancer and shit. Which does go against what are called DSHEA laws, the only thing really protecting consumers from being conned by statements like that, but they're so hard to enforce on employees in smaller stores. So the cycle continues and people think dropping a stack on whatever newest all natural, organic health craze are all the poorer for it.
But that's just my soapbox moment.
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Collagen is both cheaper and healthier, if you buy it as pure gelatin powder.
Tastes gross, but has none of them artificial sweeteners that are necessary in huge quantities to make whey taste not gross.
For complex proteins, taking oral supplements of something like collagen probably doesn’t do much. There is little scientific evidence to show that it helps, and most of those studies are funded by the companies trying to sell you the supplements.
Best thing you can do for your skin long-term is avoid sun damage by wearing SPF.
It's worth saying that there are some herbal supplements with a demonstrated track record. For example, St John's Wort has seen use as an antidepressant, but it can also severely interfere with other medications. Ashwangadha has less consistent evidence, but may be useful for reducing anxiety in people with severe problems of that type.
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/st-johns-wort
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypericum_perforatum
https://examine.com/supplements/st-johns-wort/
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ashwagandha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withania_somnifera
https://examine.com/supplements/ashwagandha/#examine-database
Note the caveats. They might be "natural", but they still naturally interact with the world around them, and nature contains many allergens and poisons. They might in fact work for someone, but we've yet to isolate which chemical components are responsible for those effects, let alone optimize their ratio or dosage. In that respect, CBD products are somewhat further along the path of science than either of these two herbs.
With all of that said, I do recommend sticking to solutions that have evolved beyond the supplements aisle. (And on a bit of a tangent, remember that homeopathy is bullshit.)
Your right, it doesn’t, there’s a reason doctors don’t prescribe collagen supplements and it’s be cause your body just breaks them down into the amino acids, and your body can’t recognise where those amino acids originally came from and so when it turns them back into proteins, it’s just uses them for whatever it needs to make. Collage supplements and many stuff at the health stores are a load of bullrot
>Thats an important thing, it doesn't. Evidence doesnt back it up and neither do Biological mechanisms.
Studies actually do show that collagen peptides do work. That means your mechanistic understanding is wrong.
>The test product significantly improved skin hydration, elasticity, roughness, and density
>
>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6835901/
Theyre testing a compound with a crapton of other things known to work, not just collagen, and its a test against placebo, that doesn't stablish mechanistic at all you nugget!
That was just a one off study I found. There are numerous studies and sources. Pretty much every decent study and source suggests that they work.
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>A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study
>
>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31627309/
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>Studies show that collagen peptides may actually slow signs of aging by keeping the skin hydrated, which prevents wrinkles.
>
>https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-do-collagen-peptides-do/
HiTekBlueneck t1_je086mr wrote
That refers to collagen that has already been partially broken down so it is easier for us to digest.
The good thing about it is it gives us exactly the peptides we need to build our own collagen. But we do still have to break it down and rebuild it ourselves.
One thing to keep in mind though is that we don't actually replace our collagen that much at all. Unless you go through special procedures to make it happen, like what we are starting to see with regenerative medicine, you are not going to get much effect.