How to Choose a Collagen
Why is Collagen Important?
It is the most abundant protein in the body and is a major component of your skin. Collagen makes up 70% of your connective tissues like those in your bones, muscles, tendons, organs, and ligaments. Your body’s ability to make collagen starts to decrease around the age of 25 and continues to decrease due to aging and other environmental factors. Lack of sleep and sun damage can also contribute to collagen loss. Adding collagen to your diet can help boost internal production. If you are anything like me you may have tried a lot of clean lines of collagen hoping to see positive changes. There are a lot of good brands on the market but I recently learned something that changed the collagen game for me forever.
Essential Amino Acids
Essential amino acids are organic compounds your body can not make on it’s own. You have to get them from your diet. A complete protein source contains all 9 essential amino acids. Examples of complete protein sources are animal proteins such as meat, eggs, and chicken and some plant sources from soy. Your body uses amino acids for building muscle and supporting immune function. Amino acids also can help prevent muscle loss, support healing, and improve mood, sleep, and athletic performance. You can read more about essential amino acids here.
Finding a collagen that included all 9 essential amino acids made all the difference for me! Collagen-9 is the ONLY one I have found on the market with all 9 amino acids AND they’ve also added vitamin c and biotin so that the collagen is more bio available and your body can use it more efficiently. I have taken high end collagen recommended by most functional medicine practitioners for years but never really saw a difference. With this collagen I am seeing new hair growth (my hair stylist even noticed it), stronger nails, brighter skin, and for me the most life changing difference-an improvement in my hypermobility. I have generalized hypermobility. That means the ligaments that hold my joints together stretch easily making it hard for my ball and joint sockets to stay stable. As a result I have had 4 shoulder surgeries and a jaw surgery. I go to physical therapy twice a week to help strengthen the muscles surrounding my hypermobile ligaments. My sacroiliac joint is unstable as a result of the hypermobility as well but with the addition of this new collagen it has been more stable than it has been in 10 years. Hypermobility contributes to chronic pain and I have felt so much better incorporating this collagen daily into my Life Shake which also contains a branch chain amino acid called leucine that helps build lean muscle. Another option is the Up and Glowing product. It is a latte product that also contains hyaluronic acid to support your skin and a boost of green tea extract to get you going in the morning!
Collagen 9 contains;
10 grams of collagen per serving derived from collagen types 1 and 3
All 9 essential amino acids required by the body to support protein synthesis
100% DV of biotin to support healthy hair, skin, and nails
100% DV of Vitamin C to protect against damage caused by free radicals and aid in collagen synthesis
100% hydrolyzed collagen derived from grass-fed, pasture raised bovine source
Non-GMO, dairy free, and gluten free
No artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors, or preservatives added
Made in the USA
The Good Stuff!
How to Choose a Clean Collagen
There are a lot of collagen brands on the market but many are high in heavy metals and contaminants. The first thing you need to look for when checking your protein or collagen is to see if it has a Prop 65 warning on the label. If it does, choose something else. A Prop 65 warning means it contains levels of chemicals and contaminants known to be harmful to your health. Shaklee has put over $400 million into testing their products for contaminants. You can find their commitment quality and testing here.
"Our quality standards surpass US Pharmacopeia and meet US FDA, California Prop. 65, Health Canada, China FDA, Taiwan FDA, Japan Ministry of Health, Singapore Food Agency and Health Sciences Authority, and Malaysia National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency requirements." and "In addition to using US Pharmacopeia and Association of Official Analytical Chemists standards, we created over 40 of our own validation methods that are NOW being adopted by the industry and improving standards overall."
Each product undergoes extensive testing for trusted quality. Here is Shaklee’s process:
Testing for raw ingredients. Each ingredient is stringently tested before it enters the product. It has to be pure, potent, and free of harmful microorganisms. On average the raw materials go through 19 quality checks.
Finished products are tested for quality and experience. They undergo micro testing to make sure they are free microorganisms like bacteria or mold. They test the finish product to make sure the composition matches what is on the label so the product contains exactly what it says it contains. Then it undergoes physical testing to make sure the finished product does not have any defects that change the usability or functionality.
We test product stability throughout development. It evaluates how a finished product holds up over time in various conditions like temperature and humidity. This ensures that our products are potent all the way to the end of their shelf life.
This letter from Dr. McManus, a board certified physician, sums it up well, "All ingredients must be acceptable from the standpoint of the Shaklee philosophy, as well as detailed scrutiny as to their safety. We do not simply accept the Certificate of Analysis that many other companies accept but rather retest for contaminants—including lead and heavy metals, pesticides, and more—to confirm that the Certificate of Analysis is accurate*. Shaklee has an unwavering commitment to avoid the use of artificial flavors, sweeteners, and added preservatives. We use only non-GMO ingredients in all our Shaklee food products."
Liquid vs Powder Collagen-which is better?
I have tried liquid and powder collagen. When collagen is consumed, regardless of its form, it is broken down into individual amino acids or short chains of amino acids so that it can be absorbed. When collagen is already hydrolyzed (broken down like Collagen 9), it is digested and absorbed more quickly. While liquid collagen products might claim that liquid collagen is digested and absorbed more quickly than solid or powder collagen, powder collagen will ultimately be digested and absorbed to the same extent; it might just take a little bit longer. The benefits of collagen are not immediate; you see results with consistent use over time so the timing of collagen absorption doesn’t matter. You want to see tangible results over time.
The other consideration is the shipping process. Liquid collagen is much heavier to ship which often factors into the cost and overall environmental impact. I have tried multiple liquid collagen formats and gave it a solid 6 weeks but didn’t notice a difference. I noticed a difference in Collagen 9 within 4 weeks, likely due to the complete amino acid profile, and I love that I only need to take it once a day!
This is the brand I have chosen and trust for our family. I am so impressed by the results. I can’t wait to hear how you respond!