Question 1

What is collagen made of? Where does it come from?

Accepted Answer

Collagen is a type of protein. Collagen peptide supplements contain specific amino acids you need in order to synthesize the more than two dozen types of collagen found in the human body. Collagen supplements are derived mostly from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of cows, pigs, chicken, and fish.

Question 2

What does collagen do? Why is it important?

Accepted Answer

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. It’s integral to the structure of tendons, ligaments, fascia, bones, skin, blood vessels, hair, nails, and even your eyeballs. Insufficient collagen leads to pain, weakness, joint issues, and inability to heal wounds and other injuries.

Question 3

What is collagen good for? Why should I consider taking collagen peptides?

Accepted Answer

Collagen peptides provide amino acid “building blocks” that your body uses to produce and maintain collagen protein, including in hair and nails. In scientific studies, collagen supplementation alleviates joint pain, speeds wound healing, reduces wrinkles and promotes skin elasticity. Glycine in collagen improves sleep quality and gut health.

Question 4

What is the difference between hydrolyzed collagen and collagen peptides?

Accepted Answer

There is no difference. Collagen proteins are long chains of amino acids. The process of hydrolysis breaks them down into peptides, which are just shorter chains of amino acids. Collagen supplements are variously labeled as “hydrolyzed collagen” or “collagen peptides,” but they’re the same.

Question 5

Who needs collagen supplements?

Accepted Answer

Pretty much everyone could benefit from it. Most people don’t eat bones, skin, and connective tissues—the parts of animals that contain collagen. That means they don’t get the amino acids (especially hydroxyproline, glycine, and proline) that are found in collagen but not much in muscle meat.

Question 6

How much collagen should I take per day?

Accepted Answer

To be safe, it’s always a good idea to follow the dosage instructions on your collagen supplement.

Question 7

Can you take too much collagen peptides?

Accepted Answer

Many things in nature follow a J-shaped curve—too much or too little are both bad. The same might be true for collagen supplements, but unfortunately, there’s no indication of what would constitute “too much.” There’s also no evidence that collagen toxicity is a concern if you following dosing guidelines.

Question 8

Can I take collagen peptides every day? Should I?

Accepted Answer

I see no reason why not. You can consume meat and bone broth every day. Collagen peptides are just amino acids in a different form, albeit more concentrated.

Question 9

Do I have to supplement collagen if I’m getting adequate protein?

Accepted Answer

It depends. By “adequate protein,” do you mean that you are tracking your food in a macronutrient app and hitting your protein target? That’s great… but did it all come from muscle meat? What about skin and connective tissue? If you’re not eating that  you probably want to supplement.

Question 10

Collagen side effects? Are there risks associated with taking collagen peptides?

Accepted Answer

Collagen peptides are generally regarded as safe.

Question 11

What is the best time of day to take collagen? Morning or night? On an empty stomach or with food?

Accepted Answer

Feel free to experiment with different protocols and see if you have a preference. Since the glycine in collagen promotes sleep, it makes sense to take it in the evening if better sleep is your goal.

Question 12

Does it matter if I mix collagen peptides in hot or cold liquid? Can hot liquid damage collagen peptides?

Accepted Answer

No, it doesn’t matter. Collagen starts to become denatured, or degraded at around 570 degrees Fahrenheit (300 degrees Celsius), but it probably isn’t irrevocably altered until closer to 650 degrees Fahrenheit (345 degrees Celsius). That’s much hotter than any liquid you’d ever consume.

Question 13

What can I do to enhance the effectiveness of collagen peptides or make them more bioavailable?

Accepted Answer

Vitamin C and zinc both stimulate collagen synthesis.

Question 14

Are collagen peptides and gelatin interchangeable?

Accepted Answer

Yes and no. They contain the same amino acids, so they’ll deliver the same collagen building blocks. However, collagen peptides are smaller and probably more easily absorbed.

Question 15

Are there any good vegan collagen supplements?

Accepted Answer

Scientists have recently successfully genetically engineered vegan collagen from yeast. It is very effective with a much smaller dosage requirement with approximately 500mg equivalent to 12g of animal derived collagen yielding the same results. Check out our exclusive CollaVegan product here: https://www.opticoll.co.za/product-page/collavegan-pure-pepwell-vegan-collagen-60-caps (https://www.opticoll.co.za/product-page/collavegan-pure-pepwell-vegan-collagen-60-caps)

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