How much collagen should you consume? Can I take too much collagen? And when will the results show?
As collagen becomes a popular mainstream supplement, the question of how much collagen should I consume becomes a hot topic too. Collagen as we know is a primary component in our bones, tissues, and skin. The problem is that the amount of collagen in our body starts to deplete as we age.
Our skin cells make collagen to maintain the structure of our skin. This continuous process of collagen production will slow down typically after the age of 30 years which slowly leads to the natural skin aging process. Apart from age, lifestyle factors such as diet, water intake, and sleep also affect our natural collagen production. External factors such as exposure to UV light and pollution also damage collagen production.
The Ideal Amount of Collagen
The amount of collagen supplementation needed depends on several factors. The real issue though is that the health authorities haven’t issued or recommended guidelines on the daily dosage of collagen. Secondly, it also depends on the type and form of the collagen.
Hydrolysed collagen is among the most common forms used for collagen supplements because it is much more readily absorbed by the body than for example non hydrolysed collagen. It is made available in the form of capsules, liquid, gummies or powder. The powder format is popular as it can be added to a variety of hot and cold beverages and foods.
To answer how many grams of collagen to consume per day, a study was published in May 2019 which aimed to determine the maximum level of dietary collagen peptides that can be incorporated in the Western pattern diet while maintaining its indispensable amino acid balance. This study suggested that the effective amounts of functional collagen peptides could range between 2.5 to 15 g per day depending on the variation in deficit for each consumer.
On the other hand, a well-renowned dermatologist in New York City Dr. Whitney Bowe answered the question of how many scoops of collagen powder would be the optimal daily dosage. She recommends two scoops of collagen powder per day for the US consumer. To put this into perspective, one scoop is typically 10grams. As we don’t supply scoops, we’ve measured one scoop to be 2 teaspoons, so if you don’t have a scoop you can just use teaspoons.
Speaking in general, collagen peptides are safe and one can easily consume between 1-3 teaspoons (equals 5-15g) per day for hair, skin, nails, and joints. It can also be consumed with other protein supplements such as plant protein powder, whey, and food-based proteins to ingest a complete range of amino acids and other nutrients.
How many grams of collagen does Wellness Lab recommend? 2 teaspoons daily.
A much simpler and effective way to determine how much collagen you should consume daily is to look for any changes in your skin, hair, nails, bone health or muscles after daily supplementation. If there aren’t any noticeable changes, then one may consider increasing the intake. Collagen peptides are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and the body begins to use them to rebuild collagen within an hour from consumption.
How long does it take for collagen to show results?
Hence the next question is how much time it takes for collagen supplement to show results. It depends on the amount of collagen deficit in you and on the amount of time for which the deficit has existed in the past. Typically, people start noticing some results within 4 weeks of daily consumption. And in a couple months people will typically find noticeable improvement in skin, nail, hair, muscles and bones.
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A study on the impact of collagen supplement consumption on skin after 8 weeks was published in February 2016. After 8 weeks of daily supplementation in the study group, it found noticeable improvement in their facial skin moisture, elasticity, wrinkles and roughness. Internally, you should be able to feel a noticeable difference in joint flexibility, muscle strength, and bone density. Thus, waiting another 4-8 weeks before considering increasing the supplement dosage of collagen.
If you have a kidney disease or other kidney issues, then you should consult with a doctor to get a recommended ideal protein intake. Despite collagen peptides being easy to process, they count towards total daily intake of protein. And if you are susceptible to forming kidney stones, we recommend consulting your doctor to prescribe the correct dosage that can deliver the benefits of collagen without causing any serious potential side effects.
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