PHARMA OR FARMERS – ALL ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS
One of the current stars in the supplement universe is “Collagen”. Much of the hype around collagen supplements comes from its purported ability to reduce signs of skin aging, manage osteoarthritis symptoms, and improve digestive health.
What Is COLLAGEN?
Collagen is a family of proteins that are the primary structural component of connective tissues, such as cartilage, tendons, and skin. There are at least 30 types of collagen, each with a unique amino acid composition and structure, but glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline are the main three collagen amino acids. Collectively, collagen accounts for about one-third of the protein in the human body.
About 90% of collagen is type I, which is found in the skin, tendons, ligaments, organs, teeth, and bone. Type II is found in the cartilage that cushions our joints. Our bodies make collagen, but this ability starts decreasing in our 20s and is associated with visible skin aging.
Excess sun exposure, smoking, environmental pollution, alcohol abuse, and a diet low in vegetables and fruits can increase oxidative stress, which also inhibits collagen production. The collagen in supplements generally comes from cows, pigs, chickens, and fish.
The research used to ‘prove’ these claims regarding its health benefits is mostly in animals and lab dishes or sponsored by the collagen industry. “Collagen does not heal the gut issues, and it certainly doesn’t go straight to your hair, skin or nails to make them shinier—that’s not how your body works.
Some says it improves athletic performance but “If an athlete doesn’t allow enough time to rest and recover, no protein supplement can repair damaged tissues.
On that note, collagen powders often touted as a protein boost post workout— or in morning coffee or milk —may not be the best choice. “Collagen protein powder doesn’t have all of the amino acids we need, so it’s not a complete protein like soy or whey protein powders are. “I think people should also know that collagen is sourced from fish scales, cow, and pig parts like tendons, skin, and bones, and egg shell and nobody would be a fan of tendon in their milk.
“Although Collagen is probably safe to consume, but there have been some isolated issues with collagen powder and heavy metal contamination such as lead.
Collagen when eaten alone, it really doesn’t make much of a meal. You must have a good overall diet first with sufficient energy and protein before you can reap the benefits of any type of dietary add-on such as a supplement. Collagen alone can’t replace the wide variety of amino acids found in our diet, that we need to maintain our bodies.
Similarly, when we talk about antioxidant (like VIT C, E) supplements – one of the possible reasons why antioxidant supplements do not show a health benefit is because antioxidants tend to work best in combination with other nutrients or plant chemicals.
For example, a cup of fresh strawberries contains about 80 mg of Vit –C, but a supplement containing 500 mg of Vit-C does not contain the plant chemicals (polyphenols) naturally found in strawberries that also possess antioxidant activity and may team up with Vit-C to fight diseases.
A Well Balanced Diet provides a mix of nutrients that works as a team and aids in absorption of each other. This is why blindly consuming supplements with a single isolated substance may not be an effective strategy for everyone.