{"id":26477,"date":"2023-04-15T19:00:39","date_gmt":"2023-04-15T17:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=139039"},"modified":"2023-04-15T19:37:11","modified_gmt":"2023-04-15T17:37:11","slug":"collagen-supplements-the-surprising-science-behind-this-popular-celebrity-wellness-fad","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/collagen-supplements-the-surprising-science-behind-this-popular-celebrity-wellness-fad\/","title":{"rendered":"Collagen supplements: The surprising science behind this popular celebrity wellness fad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is collagen really the key to youthful skin? <\/p>

By Amy Arthur\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 15 April 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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In the\u00a01990s, everyone who watched\u00a0Friends\u00a0wanted Jennifer Aniston\u2019s haircut. Now, she\u2019s hoping that we\u2019ll all\u00a0want to\u00a0copy her morning cuppa: a coffee with a spoonful of\u00a0her\u00a0collagen\u00a0supplement\u00a0stirred in.\u00a0But is there any scientific support for the claim\u00a0that the supplement will\u00a0\u201cpromote a youthful appearance\u201d?<\/p>\n

Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in the body. It\u00a0plays a role in\u00a0building cells for skin, hair and nails, and as connective tissue in cartilage, muscle, and tendons.\u00a0Studies have shown\u00a0collagen\u2019s\u00a0effectiveness in\u00a0reducing symptoms of arthritis<\/a>,\u00a0 repairing tendons and ligaments<\/a>, and as a scaffold for growing tissues for testing in the laboratory.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0production\u00a0of collagen\u00a0is ramped up\u00a0 during childhood and puberty<\/a>, but as we reach our late-20s, our ability to replenish collagen starts to decline. The main cells that synthesise collagen for the skin are called fibroblasts and\u00a0 they\u2019re sensitive to damage<\/a>\u00a0from sunlight\u00a0and\u00a0air\u00a0 pollution.<\/a>\u00a0The decline of collagen has been suggested as\u00a0 a main cause of wrinkles<\/a>, with one study finding\u00a0an\u00a080-year-old\u2019s\u00a0 collagen production is decreased by 75 per\u00a0cent<\/a>\u00a0compared with\u00a0a\u00a0young adult\u2019s.<\/p>\n

So can\u00a0collagen supplements stave off wrinkles, sagging skin and brown spots, as their sellers claim? Technically, collagen supplements \u2013 whether they\u2019re taken as pills, mixed up from a powder, or drunk as a hydrogel shot \u2013 contain a slightly different form of collagen to that made in our bodies. This is because pure\u00a0collagen would be hard for us to digest. To put collagen into a supplement,\u00a0it is\u00a0therefore\u00a0partially broken down in a process called hydrolysis. The result, hydrolysed collagen, can be\u00a0consumed and\u00a0digested safely.<\/p>\n

But does it work?\u00a0A review of 19 available studies, with a combined total of\u00a0more than\u00a01,000 participants, found that\u00a0 hydrolysed collagen supplements were effective<\/a> in reducing the appearance of skin ageing if taken for at least 90 days.<\/p>\n

However, the same review cautioned that the individual studies could\u2019ve been limited by their small numbers of participants. They also pointed out that these studies\u00a0are often funded,\u00a0at least in part,\u00a0by the companies that\u00a0manufacture the\u00a0supplements. The authors conclude that claims by sellers, and their supporters,\u00a0\u201csurpass any evidence currently proven in the literature.\u201d<\/p>\n

While some have said that the temperature of your beverage could diminish the benefits of collagen supplements, the limited amount of research available suggests you\u2019d need much higher temperatures than that of your morning mocha \u2013 150\u00b0C at least \u2013 to begin breaking down collagen into something unusable by your body.<\/p>\n

Still, as celebrity wellness fads go, collagen supplements seem to be slightly more scientific than things like perineum sunning and coffee enemas<\/a>. But having the skincare of the stars doesn\u2019t come cheap; the collagen supplement Anniston promotes costs just under \u00a340 a tub, working out at \u00a31.41 for each daily dose.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n