Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
Some of the more noticeable health indicators are hair, skin, and nails. Because of this, many people are on a mission to find products that give them luscious locks, plump skin, and strong nails. The supplement industry knows this and has capitalized on it by creating collagen supplements. The collagen supplement segment of the industry alone brings in at least $2.22 billion a year.
While industry experts are not wrong that collagen plays a vital role in your hair, skin, and nail health, they are highly off base in the best way to get that collagen. You will probably hear many people recommend taking a collagen supplement, touting that they have seen tremendous benefits for themselves. The problem with this in what is called the error of attribution. While it may seem benign to attribute good qualities to a substance that seems helpful to your body, this error results in lots of wasted money on your part and potential side effects.
Your body can produce all the collagen you need except in the rare cases of true deficiency. Collagen is a form of protein, and your body cannot digest it in its pure form. No matter how you take it, your body needs to break it down like any other protein you eat. Although manufacturers have found a way to create hydrolyzed collagen (also known as collagen peptides), which is broken down into amino acids that are easier to dissolve, there is still a process that the body must go through to use it. The amino acids involved are lysine, glycine, and proline. These are released into the bloodstream and transformed into the building blocks your body needs.
But there’s a further consideration! Your body will send the amino acids to whatever area is deficient at the time. If your bones need more collagen, then the amino acids will go there. Likewise, if your cartilage is lacking, more amino acids will go there. You cannot spot-feed amino acids. The body will decide how, when, and where to use them. If you are ingesting collagen for a specific purpose, such as plumping up your skin, taking it as a supplement is inefficient.
What about topical applications? Unfortunately, collagen molecules are too large to penetrate the skin, so products boasting that you will increase your collagen production by taking them are likely not doing what they claim if they rely solely on having collagen as an ingredient.
There are two essential amino acids that your body needs to make collagen: lysine and threonine. Essential means that your body doesn’t produce them naturally, so they must be ingested through food. While meat products like beef and chicken are great ways to get this, due to the health risks of over-eating these products, getting it from plant foods is the optimal way. You can find lysine in many plants, including soybeans, oatmeal, hemp seed, brussels sprouts, and brown rice. Threonine can be found in pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, soybeans, and whole grains. In other words, eat a diet like the one I recommend, and you will not need to worry about giving your body the resources it needs to create what it needs to make.
Generally, there are no side effects from taking too much collagen besides a drain on your wallet. Some people report a mild bad taste in their mouth or stomach discomfort, but this is rare.
Here’s how you can improve collagen production naturally AND effectively:
1. Keep your stress low. Cortisol destroys collagen in the skin. When your body is in a fight-or-flight mode, it prioritizes essential body functions over others that can wait. One of the things that can wait is collagen production. When cortisol is produced, it degrades collagen and can also affect DNA repair over time.
2. Eat fruits and veggies – Lack of proper nutrition affects collagen production because your body uses the nutrients in these plants to produce collagen and avoid deficiencies.
3. Lower your sugar intake—Keep your treats to a minimum to lower your processed sugar intake. Processed sugar contributes to inflammation. The glucose and fructose (sugars) cause cross-linking between collagen fibers, inhibiting them from repairing efficiently. This produces Advanced Glycation End products or AGEs.
4. Smoking – Smoking doesn’t contribute positively to your health. It can affect collagen production by increasing enzymes that break down collagen and increasing oxidative stress on the body, which also negatively affects collagen production.
There’s no quick fix to true health. Popping a collagen pill is not nearly as effective as supplying your body with the necessary ingredients to produce collagen, with the added benefit that the nutrients perform multiple other bodily functions. The health-promoting activities above can only increase your long-term health and give you the best possible chances to achieve the minor outcomes you want.