PNG Echo

health
Collagen
IS IT THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?
It’s the next best thing to sliced bread, according
to the hype – or at least the next big thing after
the discovery of the benefits of omega 3 fatty
acids.
We’re talking hydrolysed, ingestible collagen
that is essentially a beauty treatment (but not only)
that works from the inside out, effectively slowing
(and repairing) the effects of aging.
Collagen is a protein made of amino acids that
naturally occur in our bodies. It makes up 30-40% of
all our bodily proteins and is responsible, in the main,
for the production of connective tissue: Skin, nails,
hair, gut health, joints, tendons, ligaments and muscle
are all dependent on bodily supplies of collagen.
At around the age of 25, our body’s production of
collagen dwindles by around 1% per year. It explains
the visible signs of aging like wrinkles, thinning hair,
brittle nails and also the not so visible signs like joint
pain and lack of joint flexibility.
For many years, the beauty industry has produced
topical skin creams in their skin-care ranges that
contain collagen, although scientific studies concluded
that the molecules in the creams were too large to
penetrate to the desired level of the skin to be truly
effective and suggested that the perceived efficacy
of topical collagen likely came from the other
ingredients in the cream.
Enter ingestible collagen.
COLLAGEN AND ME
Firstly let me be clear: I am not a bio-anything.
Neither am I trained in any science, including
medicine. What’s more, I have inherited fine Celtic
skin (that I largely take for granted).
A saleslady at a beauty bar once grabbed my hand
on which to demonstrate one of her creams:
“Your hands are so soft,” she exclaimed incredulously,
unnecessarily adding
“I guess you don’t spend too much time in the
kitchen.”
What’s more, I have more hair on my head per
square inch than most, albeit fine.
Nevertheless, I have self-prescribed between 10-20
grams of hydrolysed marine collagen per day and
here’s why.
It seems that however genetically blessed we are,
age will always catch us up eventually. Me, I had been
noticing red blotches appearing under the skin on my
forearms. They seemed to appear when I had been
carrying heavy bags – so they’re bruises – but they
aren’t blue - they look like raspberries.
They did not bother me too much until, one day,
I accidentally scratched the surface of one of these
‘raspberries ‘ (the skin on top of these bruises is very
fragile) and it bled as if I nicked my jugular vein. It
was alarming.
And so, as is my wont, Google was consulted. And
so it was that ‘Wiki’ came to the rescue:
Solar purpura …is a skin condition characterized by
large, sharply outlined, 1- to 5-cm, dark purplish-red
ecchymoses appearing on the dorsa of the forearms
and less often the hands. [The accompanying picture
was convincing – they looked like mine]
The condition is most common in elderly people of
European descent. [Oh thanks for that!] It is caused
by sun-induced damage to the connective tissue of the
skin… The lesions typically fade over a period of up to
3 weeks.
It fit perfectly, for although not a sun lover, my
forearms are the part of me most often exposed to
incidental sunshine. I was relieved it wasn’t terminal.
The next Google task was what to do about it.
And so I happened on the link between collagen and
connective tissue and the consumption of hydrolysed
collagen to boost flagging bodily supplies of the
protein to the benefit of skin, nails, hair and all other
functions relying on collagen. The theory is that it will
strengthen the skin on my arms made fragile by sun
damage and depleted collagen supplies.
On the minus side, there have not been extensive
studies – so the jury is out amongst the sceptical.
However, the one study that was quoted many times on
Google sites had had positive results with the sample
finding a 20% improvement in skin tone. What’s more,
the science, from a non-scientists viewpoint, sounded
credible and logical. If lack of collagen was the cause –
boosting collagen was the answer.
The burning questions:
• What form did it take?
• What dosage?
• Where could I buy it?
• Were there any side effects?
Collagen supplements come from two sources –
marine and bovine. It seems that marine collagen is
more bioavailable – meaning easier for the body to
absorb but is more likely to cause allergies (not to the
collagen but to the marine sources) and marine collagen
can also cause hypercalcemia or too much calcium. Once
again this is not the collagen itself but from the source,
especially if the supplement comes from shellfish or
shark’s cartilage – that are both high in calcium.
I chose marine collagen because I have no allergies
to fish and I figured that the calcium would be a bonus
as I also have a vitamin D deficiency (the vitamin you
get from the sun) that contributes to the reduction of
bone density and the onset of osteoporosis. (I find it
ironic that I get enough sun to damage the connective
tissues in my arms but not enough to fulfil my vitamin
D requirements.)
The collagen supplement, in various forms, liquids,
powder and pills, was not hard to find – on the
Internet. It proved more difficult to find in the small
town where I was staying at the time.
But I did find it, in pill form, in a pharmacy. The
chemist assistant kept asking me if I wanted it for
“articulation,” or joints. She looked puzzled when I
told her my reason. Nevertheless, I bought them.
That was a mistake.
The recommended dose, if there are no issues (like
bleeding solar purpura) was 5-10 grams per day
and up to 30 grams if you were aiming to combat a
problem. These HUGE pills contained only 750 mgs.
I’d need a bucketful of them to get the daily dose.
However, I have since found sources of supply at
large chemist outlets in Australia in boxes of 5 gm
powdered sachets and also 100 ml bottles of liquid
collagen that contain 10gms of collagen per bottle.
So, before you buy, check on the amount of collagen
per serve. Some manufacturers simply deal in ‘daily
doses’ not explaining what those doses contain. I’m
led to believe that any amount under 5 grams a day is
not likely to have much effect.
Apart from the side effects already mentioned – that
are, at best, low-risk possibilities and easily avoided if
you’re aware of your allergies, there doesn’t seem to
be any.
With all of this newly-found knowledge, I thought
“why not’?
THE RESULTS:
They told me that it would take at least six weeks
until I noticed any effect – it has now been 10 weeks.
In that time I have only had one raspberry bruise on
my forearm and it faded a lot quicker than the others.
Before I was taking the collagen my arms were never
completely free of them. Hopefully the collagen is
repairing the connective tissue and thickening the
skin on my arms.
My hair is shining – and that’s not easy when your
hair is blond. My nails are also noticeably stronger.
As for my wrinkles – I have noticed that the wrinkles
under my eyes, while having not disappeared, are
noticeable shallower. The skin on my hands, is still
soft – but that’s clearly due to the fact I spend so little
time in the kitchen – just ask that sales assistant!
I intend to persevere with taking the collagen
supplements because it has, so far, improved my
problem of raspberry bruises – any incidental benefits
are pure serendipity. •
18 PNG ECHO