Collagen Supplements: Phony or Fabulous?

An estimated $239 million dollars will be spent this year alone on collagen supplements. The promise of more youthful, plump skin just being a scoop or pill away! (Marshall, 2019) Does this 2020 fad look promising and what questions are being raised to its efficacy?

While 2019 started the fad, 2020 is sure to kick it into high gear with powders, foods, pills, and complete supplement lines devoted to this ‘fountain of youth’. Collagen holding the body together in a lattice of scientific processes and structures while also helping with the healing of joints, tendons, skin, and -bones. (Marshall, 2019) Treatments like micro-needling and other laser procedures increasing as they offer slight trauma to the skin signaling our bodies to increase collagen production and generate new skin tissue(s). The treatments starting at $300 are out of reach for some especially with the recommendation of a treatment every 4-6 weeks for optimal results. This is where the collagen supplements come into play!

Supplements offer a variety of price points and formulas for everyone and make the idea of plumper more youthful skin available to all. While the price points for many supplements are intriguing, one often forgets how well or if the supplement works-getting sucked into genius marketing and promises not backed by scientific studies.

“Regulations are lacking on quality, absorption, and efficacy” (Franchesca D. Choi BS RPh, 2019) thus the ground hides, bones, joints, and other collagen rich animal parts have the potential risk of being toxic. This like the recent consumerlab.com study on 14 of these collagen supplements which came back with high levels of cadmium-a toxic heavy metal. (Marshall, 2019) This raises questions of whether this million-dollar industry is causing more harm than good.

While the studies are in their infancy, they are seeing very promising studies with wound healing, skin aging, and other repair aspects within the body. A noted eleven studies with 805 patients have shown positive results. (Franchesca D. Choi BS RPh, 2019) Continued research is needed to hone in on the type of collagen that can be taken orally with the best results. “I think collagen is interesting and there is some data out there suggesting benefit, but I prefer for my patients to eat food”, says Valori Treloar, MD.

Try eating more meat, leafy greens, eggs, dairy products and if you MUST join the collagen supplement fad, “look for companies that get their bones and tissues from cage-free, free-range, and antibiotic-free sources. Look for a trusted brand with a third-party label like NSF or USP. And check out the company’s website to see what it’s doing to keep heavy metals and other contaminants out of their products.” (Marshall, 2019)

While there is promising research and studies continuing to surface and be verified, the collagen supplement era is still too new to say whether it is or is not worth the price tag. Dr. Schultz recommends using a topical collagen opposed to an ingested one. “When it comes to skin and hair, (Livermore, 2017)drinking collagen is probably not worth your money.” With issues in regulating the pieces and parts that are ground to go into the supplements and lack of quality control, the $15+ bottle of collagen powder may be rendering useless in your body and even causing harm.

Have you joined the #collagen band wagon? What supplements have you tried? Let’s hear your #lipsmack below

Works Cited

Choi, F. et al. (2019, January). Oral Collagen Supplementation: A Systematic Review of Dermatological Applications. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 18(1), 9.

Livermore, S. (2017, August 30). Here's What Really Happened When I Drank Liquid Collagen For Two Weeks. Retrieved from Delish.com: https://www.delish.com/food/a55156/liquid-collagen-benefits/

Marshall, L. (2019, December 12). Collagen: ‘Fountain of Youth’ or Edible Hoax? Retrieved from WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20191212/collagen-supplements-what-the-research-shows