Collagen Packing for Health and Beauty

As a skin care professional I always have  taken painstakingly good care of my skin.
 I  use the  latest serums and have beauty treatments, I never leaves the house without sun protection, and -- for the past year or so I been spiking my morning coffee each day with a hefty scoop of powdered cow, chicken, and fish collagen.

DID YOU KNOW

U.S. consumers are expected to spend $122 million on collagen products in 2018.

For centuries, Chinese women have viewed collagen as a Fountain of Youth, routinely consuming foods like donkey skin in hopes of smoothing withered skin and preserving aging joints. In the United States, collagen became best known in the 1980s as an expensive injectable filler to plump lips and soften lines. But only in recent years, as companies have come up with more appetizing ways to take it (including fruity chews, vanilla-flavored-powders and easy-to-swallow capsules) has edible collagen begun to catch on here.
 n 2018, thanks in part to a small but growing body of evidence suggesting it can improve skin, ease arthritis symptoms, promote wound healing, and fend off muscle wasting, U.S. consumers are expected to spend $122 million on collagen products. That’s up 30% from last year, according to market research firm Nutrition Business Journal.
But as it's gotten more popular, there have been questions about how well it works and concerns about its safety.
“It’s definitely among the top three products people ask me about,” says Mark Moyad, MD, director of the complementary and alternative medicine program at the University of Michigan Medical Center. “It’s also one of the most wacky and controversial.”

A Must Read !!

The Body's Scaffolding

Collagen -- a protein that binds tissues -- is often called the body’s scaffolding.
“It’s the glue that holds the body together,” says New York dermatologist Whitney Bowe, author of The Beauty of Dirty Skin: The Surprising Science of Looking and Feeling Radiant from the Inside Out.

She says collagen makes up about 75% of the dry weight of your skin, providing volume that keeps skin looking plump and keeps lines at bay. It’s also rich in in the amino acids proline and glycine, which you need to maintain and repair your tendons, bones, and joints.
“As we get older, we break it down faster than we can replace it,” she says.
Injecting collagen has fallen out of favor in many medical skin care practices, since it doesn’t last as long as other fillers and tends to prompt allergic reactions. And when it's put on the skin, it doesn’t absorb well and doesn't work often, Bowe says.
When she learned a few years ago that people were eating it instead to make their skin look more youthful, she was skeptical. But she has since changed her mind.
“Just in the last few years, there have been some impressive studies showing that ingestible collagen can indeed impact the appearance of skin,” says Bowe.
One 2014 study of 69 women ages 35 to 55 found that those who took 2.5 or 5 grams of collagen daily for 8 weeks showed a lot of improvement in skin elasticity, compared with those who didn’t take it.

The science is truly in its infancy.

Mark Moyad, MD, University of Michigan Medical Center

Another found that women who took 1 gram per day of a chicken-derived collagen supplement for 12 weeks had 76% less dryness, 12% fewer visible wrinkles, better blood flow in the skin, and a 6% higher collagen content.
But Moyad, author of The Supplement Handbook: A Trusted Expert's Guide to What Works and What’s Worthless for More Than 100 Conditions, says many of the studies done so far on collagen are small and at least partially funded by industry.
“The science is truly in its infancy,” he says. “There’s a lot of conflict of interest, and not enough quality control.”
But he, too, believes it may hold promise.
Other dermatologists question how well it will work.
Augusta, GA-based dermatologist Lauren Eckert Ploch says stomach acids break down collagen proteins you eat before they reach the skin intact. “It is unlikely that someone would see any benefit from it.”

My Very Favorite Collagen

As a protein source alone, collagen is a good one, packing in more protein per calorie than other sources while containing less sodium and sugar. And Moyad finds the evidence suggesting it may improve body composition, joint health, and healing rates intriguing.
One recent study of 53 elderly men with sarcopenia, a loss of muscle caused by aging, found that those who took 15 grams of collagen daily, in addition to lifting weights three times per week for 3 months, gained significantly more muscle and lost more fat than those who only lifted weights.
Another study of 89 long-term care residents with pressure ulcers found that those who took collagen supplements three times daily for 8 weeks saw their wounds heal twice as fast.
And, while research is mixed, a few studies have shown collagen supplements to help with arthritis pain and sports-related joint pain.

Skepticism Remains

All that said, doctors have their concerns.
“I think the elephant in the room here is safety,” says Moyad. “We are talking about ground-up fish, chicken, pig, and cow parts, and these parts tend to act as sponges for contaminants and heavy metals.”
While little evidence exists yet to suggest that collagen supplements could lead to heavy metal contamination, several collagen supplement companies -- aware of these concerns -- have begun to advertise how they test for heavy metals and keep them to a minimum.
“At the time of manufacture, heavy metal testing is done and the product is approved for human consumption once it passes all testing,” says a page on the Great Lakes Gelatin site. The company says its limits for arsenic are below the standards set by government agencies.

It is not a fly-by-night ingredient that showed up out of nowhere. It has good science behind it.

Duffy MacKay, naturopathic doctor, Council for Responsible Nutrition

Meanwhile, dermatologists and consumer groups have also said they were concerned that those ground-up hooves, hides, and nerve tissues -- particularly if they come from cows -- could carry diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.
In 2016, the FDA prohibited the use of some cow parts in dietary supplements to “address the potential risk” of the presence of BSE. (Human consumption of BSE-infected meat has been linked to neurological disorders.) The FDA exempted gelatin -- a key collagen source -- from the ban, “as long as it is manufactured using specified industry practices.”

Naturopathic doctor Duffy MacKay, of the supplement trade group Council for Responsible Nutrition, calls collagen one of the industry’s “darling, white-hat ingredients.”
“It is not a fly-by-night ingredient that showed up out of nowhere,” he says. “It has good science behind it, and the companies in this space are reputable and have been around for a long time.”
He says he has seen no evidence that heavy metals are more of a problem in collagen supplements than other supplements but adds that both government and industry require companies to keep levels of such contaminants below a certain threshold. Some collagen companies, aware of the concerns, even advertise their heavy metal testing practices.
While collagen makers tend to use “low-risk” animal materials in their products anyway, the BSE issue is definitely on their radar screen too, he says, with all reputable companies asking suppliers to certify that their product is BSE-free.
But Valori Treloar, a Massachusetts dermatologist and nutritionist, says dietary supplements are not regulated as rigorously as drugs.
“I think collagen is interesting and there is some data out there suggesting benefit, but I prefer for my patients to eat food,” she said, noting that a homemade stock using bones from chicken, fish, or beef can be a good source of the protein.

How to Choose

If you are interested in trying collagen, doctors agree that it’s important to choose wisely.

I think collagen is interesting and there is some data out there suggesting benefit, but I prefer for my patients to eat food.

Valori Treloar, MD, dermatologist and nutritionist

Look for companies that get their bones and tissues from cage-free, free-range, and antibiotic-free sources.
“It might help, and it probably won’t harm, unless you are not being diligent about quality control,” says Moyad.
Look for a trusted brand with a third-party label, like NSF or USP.
And steer clear of fancy mixtures that combine collagen with probiotics, fiber, or other additives, which could interact with the collagen and change how well it works.
Mora says she did that, and she’s convinced it has helped her.
“My goal is not to look like I am 20, but rather to look good for my age,” she says.
At 60, she believes her skin care routine is working.

Health Benefits + The Collagen
The typical woman can expect to lose about 1 to 2 percent of her body’s collagen every year starting in her mid-thirties, and this rate typically only increases as she makes her way through her 40s, 50s and beyond.
By the time she reaches 40 years old, she will likely have lost up to 10 to 20 percent of her total collagen. Similarly, by the time she passes into her 50s, she will usually have significantly less collagen available than she did in her teens, 20s or 30s.
In fact, there’s up to 75 percent less collagen in elderly adults as compared to those in young adulthood. That’s a staggering number. And none of us are exempt from this natural aging process.
This loss of collagen often leads to less mobility, muscle mass, flexibility, muscular performance and skin health.
In addition to a collagen-rich diet, Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Beauty Within is part of the missing puzzle piece to bolster collagen intake, acting like “nature’s wrinkle buster.”
Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Beauty Within is a multidimensional superfood powder uniquely formulated with 5 Types of Collagen (Type I, II, III, V and X) whole food sources.
This one-of-a-kind product works from the inside out to:

• Support healthy aging by repairing skin and improving wrinkle depth†
• Support skin hydration and elasticity†
• Provide antioxidants to help protect against oxidative stress

Multi Collagen Protein Beauty Within is specifically designed with select natural ingredients to provide your body with the building blocks it needs for promoting:

• A healthy gut†
• Joint health, with benefits reported as early as 3 weeks†
• Healthy skin hydration, in combination with other ingredients†
• Joint comfort, both rapidly and continuously†
• Comfort immediately following exercise†

Most collagen powders on the market feature only one collagen type. Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein has 5 different food source collagen types!
Food Source Collagen Type I, II, III, V and X from:

• Hydrolyzed collagen peptides from grass-fed beef
• Collagen from chicken bone broth
• Hydrolyzed collagen peptides from wild fish
• Collagen from eggshell membrane

In addition to collagen, Multi Collagen Protein Beauty Within calls on the power of astaxanthin, an antioxidant known for its beauty-enhancing effects. You won’t find anything else like it on the market.

A Focus on Beauty

Organic Astaxanthin

• Supports healthy aging by repairing skin and improving wrinkle depth†
• Features antioxidants to help protect against oxidative stress†
• Multi Collagen-Packed: Uniquely formulated featuring 5 different collagen types
• Nature’s Wrinkle Buster Features an organic astaxanthin source, improving wrinkle depth†

Why is Collagen Important

WHY IS COLLAGEN IMPORTANT?
Collagen is one of the reasons our bodies don’t fall apart. Collagen literally functions to hold you together.
But what is collagen? Collagen is a protein made up of building blocks called amino acids and is so important that it makes up approximately 30 percent of all the proteins in the body. Different systems and organs in our bodies need specific proteins serving a variety of functions.
Collagen...

• Is a protein made up of building blocks called amino acids
• Is the “glue” that holds our bodies together
• Provides your body with healthy building blocks to promote healthy skin, a healthy gut and healthy joints†
• Products often feature only one collagen source, but Multi Collagen Protein features 5 different collagen types from four food sources

But today’s Modern American Diet is often seriously lacking in the collagen our ancestors relied on. Along with collagen-rich foods,  Multi Collagen Beauty Within helps fill the collagen gap in an easy-to-use powder perfect for modern-day convenience.
WHY MULTI COLLAGEN PROTEIN POWDER?
Multi Collagen: Multiple Collagen Types in 1 Easy-to-Use Powder
Derived from Beef | Chicken | Fish | Eggshell Membran

• Derived from real food sources
• Hydrolyzed collagen peptides from grass-fed beef
• Collagen from chicken bone broth
• Hydrolyzed collagen peptides from wild fish
• Collagen from eggshell membrane

Why Multi Collagen?
There are several types of collagen that come from various sources. They are utilized by the body in different ways...
Collagen Peptides from Hydrolyzed Bovine Hide

• Grass-fed
• Cruelty-free
• Hormone-free
• Allergy-free
• Features collagen Types I and III, a rich source of glycine and proline, amino acids necessary for general DNA health support and tissue health, respectively

Supports:

• Healthy skin elasticity†   
• Healthy skin hydration (in combination with other ingredients)†
• A healthy gut†
• Healthy joint function†

Chicken Collagen Type II (Derived from Chicken Bone Broth Concentrate) featuring:

• Collagen Type II
• Joint-supporting chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine†
• Hyaluronic acid, a gel-like substance that supports healthy skin and joints†

Supports:

• Joint health, with benefits reported as early as 3 weeks†  
• Key areas of joint health, including comfort, flexibility and physical function of the joint†

Hydrolyzed Fish Collagen Peptides (from Wild Pollock)

• Features collagen Type I
• Features amino acids glycine, proline and hydroxyproline
• Hydroxyproline generally supports healthy, normal collagen production

Supports:

• Healthy skin elasticity†
• Healthy skin hydration, in combination with other ingredients†

Eggshell Membrane Collagen

• Features collagen Types I, V and X
• In general, Types V and I support healthy connective tissue  
• Collagen Type X is present in normal joint cartilage
• Typically features chondroitin, hyaluronic acid and other glycosaminoglycans

Supports:

• Knee comfort and flexibility†
• Joint comfort, both rapidly and continuously†
• Healthy joint flexibility†
• A comfortable range of motion†
• Healthy joint recovery after exercise†

Comfort immediately following exercise†

How To Use

Easy-to-mix Multi Collagen Beauty Within can be added to a wide variety of beverages, giving you the collagen boost you want.

It’s Beverage Mug Ready! Mixes instantly with water, tea, juice or smoothies for a refreshing, watermelon flavored, collagen-packed drink.

Perfect for...

• Teas
• Smoothies
• Anytime you need a  skin-protecting collagen beverage

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