How to Choose a Collagen Supplement – Three Things to Look For

If you’re in the market for a collagen supplement, here are three most important things that you need to look for. So you might be familiar with the buzz around collagen supplements, and maybe you’re wondering, well, how do I make the right choice? I’m Natasha, a nutritionist, and here are the top three things to look for when you’re choosing a collagen supplement. As you know, when it comes to buying anything, there’s good quality, there’s bad quality, even medium quality. Just ask a skilled carpenter, for example, is it worth investing in good quality tools? Of course. And the same goes with supplements. It’s worth selecting a high quality product because it’s a direct investment in your health. So you wanna choose wisely. So here are my top three things to look for in a collagen supplement. The first thing to look for is bioactive collagen peptides. So what is that? Let’s back up for a moment. Just bear with me. Whole collagen is a large protein. It’s a very large structure called a triple helix composed of three polypeptide chains, which wind around each other. Basically, just remember, collagen is a large protein, so something has to be done to it on the manufacturing side in order for us to be able to absorb it. It’s just too big to be absorbed whole. So this brings us to hydrolyzed collagen. So hydrolyzed collagen is essentially when that large collagen structure has to be broken down into smaller, more easily absorbed molecules. Most collagen that you see on the shelves is gonna be this generic hydrolyzed collagen. So you have whole collagen, then you have hydrolyzed collagen, then you have bioactive collagen peptides. And this is the type of collagen that I recommend. Why, how are bioactive collagen peptides different from hydrolyzed collagen? Well, bioactive peptides are hydrolyzed collagen, but they do undergo additional steps that makes them superior. So first, they’re designed to have a unique amino acid composition that actually corresponds to that of collagen. So this means higher amounts of certain amino acids like glycine, glycine and hydroxyproline, for example. So the body can recognize them as collagen fragments and say like, Hey, collagen must be breaking down somewhere. Let’s grab these peptides and start making more collagen. Second, those unique amino acids like glycine and proline, make really strong peptide bonds making them highly resistant to breaking down in the gut. And this is a good thing because some critics say, oh, collagen supplements just get broken down and destroyed in the gut like other protein and actually don’t do anything in your body. Well, bioactive collagen peptides are designed to not get destroyed in the gut, and that means that they can reach the bloodstream intact, where they can signal your cells to start producing more collagen. And this has actually been proven in studies where researchers saw a pronounced increase in these peptides in blood plasma after just 15 to 30 minutes of consumption. So from this, we know that they do get to work and actually do something in your body. So when it comes to absorption, whole collagen is just too big to be absorbed and do anything hydrolyzed. Collagen is better, but bioactive collagen peptides are the best and the most utilized in the body because of their unique design. The second thing to look for is quality. So collagen is sourced from the connective tissue of animals. So you want the quality to be top notch if you’re looking for bovine collagen. So that’s collagen sourced from cows. Look for these things on the label. Pasture raised, grass fed, antibiotic free, hormone free. And non GMO if you’re looking for marine collagen. So obviously sourced from fish, look for sustainably sourced, wild caught, and non GMO. I also recommend checking for a third party verification label to ensure that your product has been tested for heavy metals and other contaminants. And the third thing to look for is synergistic ingredients. So what does that mean? Well, synergistic ingredients refers to nutrients that work together to enhance each other’s benefits. For example, vitamin C is a key co-factor in collagen synthesis. It’s actually essential for collagen production. Another one is hyaluronic acid. This one is an excellent ingredient. We may be familiar with it in our topical skincare products, but in supplemental form, it can help maintain hydration in skin and joints. So it works really nicely with collagen. Glutamine is another one. It helps to support muscle protein synthesis. So it’s often combined with collagen for muscle recovery and athletic performance benefits. Biotin, um, this one’s really great ’cause it helps to support healthy hair and strong nails, especially if you’re deficient. Again, making it another great compliment to collagen and tryptophan. So tryptophan is an interesting ingredient because collagen actually lacks this essential amino acid. So tryptophan would be a great thing to add into a collagen supplement so that it could be a complete amino acid profile. So look for a collagen that has tryptophan. Of course, you can take just straight collagen. You see plenty of collagen supplements on the shelves with no added or no synergistic ingredients. But if you are looking for a superior product, a standout from all the options on the shelves, I recommend looking for a collagen with some of these additional ingredients. So there you have it. Three things to look for when you’re at the health food store or online shopping. For a collagen supplement, you wanna look for bioactive collagen, peptides. Two, you wanna check for quality and look for that third party verification label. And three, look for synergistic nutrients like vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, glutamine, biotin, and tryptophan. Now, if you’ve taken the time to invest in a high quality supplement, maybe you’re wondering when is this gonna start working? If you want more information on collagen supplements and how long it takes to see specific results, check out the links in the description down below.