6 Collagen Myths Busted + Collagen Bites Recipe

By Andrea Sarjeant, Education and Communications Manager Genuine Health

Collagen is HOT these days!

Fitness & health influencers are all jumping on the collagen train these days—giving it credit for their plump, youthful skin, and strong, supple joints. But even with its soaring popularity, collagen is a relatively new player in the supplement field—and people have questions.

When a hot, new health product emerges it often comes with some confusion, myths, and a learning curve. Fear not—we are here to help! Here’s our roundup of some of the most frequent misconceptions about collagen:

Myth 1: Collagen is only good for skin and joint health.

Collagen’s role in skin and joint health is just the tip of the iceberg. Studies have not only shown that collagen is safe and effective, but that it can also provide support for many different health concerns.

• Collagen can help you recover from injuries more quickly1 and can help improve your physical performance2.
• Collagen can improve bone mineral density and reduce
• bone degradation3. Plus, there’s some new evidence to suggest that collagen can help to increase calcium absorption within the gut.
• Collagen supports cardiovascular health by reducing arterial stiffness, which is a marker of cardiovascular disease in the elderly4. In other studies, collagen has been shown to prevent elevated blood pressure.
• Collagen can provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
• Collagen improves overall wellbeing and energy5.

Myth 2: Collagen has been studied for gut health.

Many people think that collagen can improve gut health because of its associations with bone broth, which is known to be healing to the gut. There isn’t much research on collagen and gut health yet, although collagen has been shown in some preliminary animal studies to act as a prebiotic and prevent dysbiosis. Additionally, there is some research on certain amino acids and gut health:

• Glutamate and arginine play an important signaling role in the microbiome by interacting with glutamine receptors along the gut-brain axis.
• Glutamine plays a critical role in tight junction regulation, and glutamine supplementation could protect against leaky gut among compromised individuals.
• Leucine along with Nitric Oxide encourages intestinal cell migration, thereby helping to fortify the gut barrier.

We’re hopeful that there will be more clinical data in the future to support direct effects of collagen on gut health!

Myth 3: Marine collagen is better for anti-aging than bovine collagen.

There is no research showing bovine is better absorbed than marine or vice versa. There is also no research showing one is better than the other in clinical outcomes. What it boils down to is personal preference for a bovine or marine source of collagen.

Myth 4: Polypeptides are better absorbed than Peptides.

Don’t be fooled – “polypeptides” simply means “many” peptides. All hydrolyzed collagen contains polypeptides. The act of breaking up collagen through “water lysis” (hydrolysis) produces many peptides, thus commercial hydrolyzed collagen formulas contain small units of amino acid chains. So when you’re shopping for a collagen supplement, “polypeptides” doesn’t mean that you’re getting more collagen peptides.Goodness M Look for hydrolyzed collagen or collagen peptides, which will mean that the collagen is broken down into a form that is well absorbed by your body!

Myth 5: Collagen doesn’t get absorbed by the body.

Untrue! Researchers have shown that the key peptides within collagen are absorbed intact from the GI tract and are delivered to target tissue such as the skin. Studies in animals have radio-labeled the peptides and found them in the skin, remaining elevated for 14 days, and studies in humans have found that the peptides in collagen peak in the blood after 2 hours, but remain significantly elevated even after 4 hours. 

Myth 6: All collagen supplements are the same.

That would make things simple – but it’s simply not true. There are different sources of collagen, different forms that influence absorption and companies with varying standards of quality.

Like all their products, Genuine Health, wanted to make the best collagen supplement they could. They are committed to making products that make a difference for you and for our planet, so they formulated collagen supplements that:

1. Are sustainable and consciously sourced, from clean collagen sources that were by-products of other industries that would otherwise be unused:

• Clean collagen is sourced from pasture raised, grass-fed USDA cattle and is non-GMO, hormone-free and antibiotic free.
• Marine clean collagen is sourced from wild-caught cold-water fish in the North Atlantic and is non-GMO.

2. Provide a therapeutic dose of easily absorbed collagen in each serving. Enzymes break down the collagen into absorbable peptides (meaning it’s “hydrolyzed”) for better absorption! Each serving of clean collagen gives you 10 grams of easily absorbed collagen peptides (many of the studies on collagen are between 5 and 10 grams).

3. Makes it easy for you to take. We created two collagen source options: marine and bovine. So, whether you choose to take collagen from a marine or bovine source (again, a personal preference) you can choose between versatile unflavoured or lightly flavoured water enhancers.

Make these Collagen Chocolate Chip Bites

Chocolate chip cookies are amazing and all, but if you find that they don’t make you feel so awesome, you’ll want to try these easy cookie bites—which are made from healthy ingredients that combine to give you a chocolate cookie feel, but without the sugar blast.

Best of all, these bites are boosted with 20 grams of easily-absorbed collagen peptides from two scoops of clean collagen by Genuine Health. Say hello to hydrated skin, healthy joints and so much more!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 2 scoops clean collagen, marine or bovine (unflavoured)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 3 tbsp cup mini dairy free chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine the shredded coconut, almond flour, and collagen in a medium bowl and mix.
2. Stir in the maple syrup and coconut oil and stir until well combined.
3.  Mix in the mini chocolate chips.
4. Roll the mixture into balls around one tablespoon in size.
5. Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until desired texture.