Are collagen supplements worth taking?

Collagen-containing dietary supplements have grown in popularity in recent years. Collagen is indeed a very impressive protein, but do we really need it as a dietary supplement? You need to understand how it works and how it is generated.

It is no coincidence that collagen is very common in our bodies, as it is largely responsible for the integrity and tissue strength of our bodies.

This is because collagen is the main component of the extracellular matrix. It is a collection of fibers, enzymes, and sugars that hold all the cells of the body together and play a role in providing tissues with structural support, a substrate for growth, and more.

The role of collagen in this matrix is ​​more or less similar to the role played by steel bars in modern building concrete. It can be stretched to half its height.

Collagen fibers, like many other proteins, are built up from smaller protein chains. I’m here.

Although the basic unit is 330 nanometers (billionths of a meter) long, a single collagen fiber can reach several millimeters in length, a gigantic size for a single molecule.

Collagen is found in all tissues of the body, but its concentration is particularly high in tissues requiring significant structural strength such as skin, bones, teeth, tendons, muscles, and blood vessels.

Because of its role in these tissues, it is no wonder that collagen is intimately involved in the wound repair process. It will be reorganized to

Nonetheless, the repair process is accident-free, and excess collagen build-up in the skin can leave scars.

In internal organs, collagen buildup can lead to a condition called fibrosis. In this condition, similar to scarring, collagen fibers replace healthy tissue and organ function is compromised. Fibrosis can affect many systems in the body, especially organs such as the lungs, kidneys, heart, and liver.

Collagen-containing dietary supplements have become increasingly popular in recent years. There is no need to boost collagen externally.

Even if there is such a need, the amount of protein in the supplement is so small that it cannot be said to be completely negligible and does not affect the functioning of our bodies in the least.

As an advantage, for the same reason, this supplement does not harm us. Fibrosis occurs due to lack of clearance and breakdown of collagen, and under normal circumstances, excess collagen is essential. It breaks down into building blocks.

Collagen is used in cosmetic creams, but its role there is different. It is not meant to be absorbed by the skin, it is meant to act as a water absorbing agent to retain moisture and enrich the cream. Collagen is not unique in this role and is often replaced by derivatives of vitamins, lactic acid, various alcohols and other molecules.

But the real point is that the collagen in these supplements simply never reaches its destination because it breaks down long ago.

As early as the late 1970s, it was already known that collagen, like other proteins, is broken down in the digestive system into its constituent amino acids.

In addition, collagen itself does not contain exceptional amounts of essential amino acids, so there are far more accessible sources for the foods we eat, even if they lack the protein building blocks.

Additionally, most collagen supplements do not contain collagen in its entirety in its entirety. and very bad).

To enable its absorption, manufacturers break collagen down into its basic building blocks: short protein fragments called peptides or individual amino acids. It is not collagen, just as it cannot function as the plate it once was a part of.

For this reason, there is no benefit to consuming amino acids derived from collagen over amino acids and peptides derived from protein-containing foods.

Nonetheless, the supply of these supplements is constantly increasing, and it’s no wonder.The size of the global beauty supplement market is expected to reach $7 billion by 2024, with manufacturers launching new products. I have a strong motivation to develop.

In an independent study of 176 dietary supplements, U.S. physicians found that most of these products contained outdated nutritional recommendations and made medical claims that were not supported by independent research studies. I discovered that

In the report, the researchers found that relatively modest controls over dietary supplements, as opposed to healthcare, which must meet much stricter requirements, allowed companies to make such claims. emphasized.

The researchers also noted that while these are just dietary supplements, they are not without risks and should be tested for potential effects on pregnant women, drug-drug reactions, etc.

A review conducted by Harvard Medical School sheds light on the state of collagen supplements and shows the importance of independent scientific research. revealed that it was funded by the supplement makers themselves.

One of the most important factors in the credibility of scientific research is its independence. That is, the authors of the study are not interested in obtaining any particular result.

Because it is clear that manufacturers have a strong interest in research on dietary supplements when it is funded by the company that manufactures it, especially if the company is actively involved in this research. There are concerns that the research is fundamentally biased. to the success of their products.

In fact, many studies’ author lists included employees of the companies themselves, and one study even gave credit to the company’s CEO. Nonetheless, studies conducted with collagen supplements have failed to demonstrate a difference between collagen consumption and balanced consumption of protein as part of a balanced diet.

Therefore, our body is a well-oiled metabolic machine. Therefore, proteins absorbed from food can be converted into their building blocks, amino acids, from which all of the body’s proteins can be produced.

Collagen is only found in animal-derived foods, but nevertheless, there is no evidence that a vegan diet has any effect on the body’s production of protein and collagen, as long as it contains the correct ratios of essential amino acids.

The importance of scientific research to understanding the world cannot be overstated. That said, science itself is also a product of human activity and is not without bias. Therefore, conducting scientific research in a transparent, honest and independent manner is of utmost importance.

In a field with such high economic incentives, the apparent lack of independent research is particularly frustrating and does not indicate a need for these dietary supplements.