Collagen Supplements
Sarah Quadri, Bachelor of Science in
Biomolecular Science
Appendix from
Prolotherapy:
Living Pain Free
Introduction
The word “collagen” is derived from kolla,
the Greek word for glue. It is the strong
fiber that weaves throughout the body for
strength and support to literally hold the
body together like glue would. Collagen is
the most abundant protein in the body with
about 14 or so known types.
As we age, the body’s ability to make
collagen protein and its different complexes
slows down. In time, a collagen deficiency
occurs in the skin, joints, and other parts
of the body, weakening the connective
tissues that holds us together. The
remaining collagen fibers may also lose
their moist texture and become rigid, mainly
due to free radical damage. The combined
lack of collagen and dehydrated collagen can
manifest itself as wrinkles; joint pain;
brittle hair, skin and nails; and other
connective tissue conditions.
To replace lost and replenish dried out
collagen, external lotions and creams have
been popular for years. Collagen injections
for wrinkles are also popular. Recently,
however, attention has shifted to the use of
collagen as an oral supplement.
Oral supplementation of collagen provides a
way in which the body can be provided vital
amino acids and proteoglycans (specialized
sugars in the body) important to maintenance
of connective tissues. Currently, two main
collagen supplements are being utilized—a
combined collagen type I & collagen type III
oral supplement and a collagen type II
supplement, as these are the most abundant
types in the body.
Collagen type I & collagen type III are the
chief collagen types in hair, skin, nails,
tendons,
ligaments, muscles, bones, teeth,
eyes, and blood vessels. Although their
presence is beneficial in joint tissues,
collagen type II is the true major component
of joint
cartilage. Collagen type II
(particularly from chicken sternal
cartilage) supplies vital amino acids,
hyaluronic acid, chondroitin, and
glucosamine for optimal articular (joint)
cartilage support.
Collagen Type I & Collagen Type III
Studies have shown that more than 90% of the
collagen found in the body is collagen type
I & collagen type III, which are naturally
found together as fibril forming or tissue
forming collagens.
The protein composition consists of nineteen
amino acids responsible for growth,
maintenance, and repair of the body, with
unusually high proportions of the amino
acids glycine and proline, as well as
hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine (two amino
acids unique to collagen) all found in
particularly high concentration in tendons
ligaments, bone, organ capsules, skin,
fibrous cartilage, blood vessels and fascia.
Collagen type I provides a great deal of
mechanical strength to structures like bones
because of its ability to resist tension,
while collagen type III is involved in the
maintenance of expansile organs, wound
healing, and tendon and ligament
attachments.
Due to the importance of the roles of
collagen type I & collagen type III, it
would be logical to provide a supplement
which is geared towards providing the
building blocks to support collagen in the
body, and this is where collagen oral
supplementation fits in.
Collagen type I & collagen type III supplements can be made from bovine (beef), porcine (pork), or fish sources. When made from these sources, the product is best utilized when it is hydrolyzed, (broken down into smaller pieces on the molecular level by the addition of enzymes for better absorption.) Bovine skin offers one of the best sources of collagen type I & collagen type III with the following breakdown of amino acids*:
Alanine 8.5%
Arginine 7.9%
Aspartic Acid 5.70%
Cystine 0.08%
Glutamic Acid 9.50%
Glycine 22.80%
Histidine 0.77%
Hydroxyproline 13.00%
Hydroxylysine 0.70%
Isoleucine 1.30%
Leucine 2.9%
Lysine 4.2%
Methionine 0.78%
Phenylalanine 2.0%
Proline 13.80%
Serine 3.30%
Threonine 1.90%
Tyrosine 0.40%
Valine 2.40%
*represent average grams amino acid per 100
grams, amounts may vary.
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