Collagen: Everything You Need to Know

March 2, 2021

Collagen gives shine to hair, leaves skin clean and nails strong. However, with age, its production in the body begins to decline. Like all proteins, collagen is made up of amino acids: glycine, proline, and lysine. While mixing in various ways between each other, these amino acids form strong threads called fibrils. Initially, collagen was widely used only in medicine, but now it is also used in cosmetology — producers add it both to the composition of products for topical use and in the form of dietary supplements.

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The main forms of collagen for oral consumption are:

  • Animal collagen, as the most abundant, available and inexpensive type of collagen, being obtained from cartilage, joints, skins of mammals and birds. This type of collagen is the most studied and tested over the years of use in cosmetology and nutrition;
  • Marine collagen, which is obtained from fish and other inhabitants of the sea. Its price is higher than the animal collagen, since more expensive raw materials are used for production, and the production process itself is more complicated than the animal collagen.

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Natural collagen vs. artificial

From the biochemistry point of view, these are different concepts, but for digestion — they are practically the same thing. Collagen cannot penetrate the skin and make it denser and more elastic, and it is used by the body only as a source of amino acids, which will later be used to build new protein molecules.

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Do collagen supplements improve skin health?

Undoubtedly yes, but only with prolonged use. It is necessary to clearly understand that a short course of taking collagen will not change anything, because metabolic processes in the body are very complex and multistage, and the body will first of all begin to solve primary tasks in other organs and systems, and only lastly strengthen the skin with this collagen.

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The more collagen the better?

Like any other substance that we consume, the collagen must be taken strictly in accordance with the producer’s recommendations. The recommended dose, as a rule, is verified through many years of research, due to the metabolic characteristics of this particular type of collagen and, if you adhere to these recommendations, it is guaranteed to give a positive result.