Collagen craze

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Collagen is a popular joint health ingredient, and for good reason: It’s effective. One market report estimates that U.S. collagen sales are expected to reach $316 million in 2025, growing at a rate of 7-10% per year.¹ Consumers report using collagen for a variety of different health concerns, but one health benefit has taken the collagen industry by storm: joint health.

While collagen is on the rise as a joint health supplement, emerging research shows that not all collagen ingredients are created equal. Different types of collagen have very different properties, making them suitable for different nutritional supplement applications. So which types of collagen are best for joint health? How do different collagen types affect different aspects of human joints? Here’s what you need to know.

Type I Collagen Supports Tendons and Ligaments

Type I collagen is the most prevalent type of collagen in the human body, according to Daniel Martinez-Puig, manager of R&D, human and animal health at Bioiberica (Barcelona, Spain). Martinez-Puig says that type I collagen makes up 90% of organic matter in bone, and is also the major type of collagen in skin, tendons, and ligaments, where it provides structure and tensile strength.

“Beyond its roles in the body, collagens have been used to develop oral ingredients to support joint health,” Martinez-Puig notes. “While skin, tendons, and bones are sources of type I collagen, cartilage is a source of type II.”

Type II Collagen Provides Cartilage Support

While type I collagen is highly prevalent in the ligaments and tendons, type II collagen is primarily found in cartilage. Mike Goetter, vice president and Americas regional business unit head for Lonza Capsules and Health Ingredients (Basel, Switzerland), says that type II collagen is the primary protein in cartilage, the connective tissue that protects bones and joints. Goetter notes that the degradation of cartilage is the most significant cause of joint discomfort, disease, and loss of function over time, making type II collagen an ideal type of collagen for supporting joint health. How that collagen is processed, however, can significantly impact the functionality of a type II collagen product.

“Undenatured collagen has a truly preserved structure,” Goetter explains. “Lonza’s UC-II undenatured type II collagen is produced using a proprietary manufacturing process that preserves the native structure and binding regions of type II collagen. This process maintains undenatured Type II collagen’s triple helix structure and bioactive binding regions.”

Goetter says that type II collagen can support joint health at a very low dose, as little as 40 mg per day. He explains that this low-dose functionality makes type II collagen a versatile and formulation-friendly solution that can be used in a variety of formats. Bioiberica also produces a undenatured type II collagen called Collavant that also claims to provide a low effective dose of 40 mg.

Denaturization, the unfolding or disruption of collagen’s triple-helix structure, can negatively alter the binding properties of collagen, which affects its interactions with other proteins. Thus, Goetter explains, maintaining the native structure of collagen is crucial for maximizing its potential health benefits.

Hydrolyzation Impacts Formulation Flexibility

In addition to there being different types of collagens, collagen ingredients can be hydrolyzed or unhydrolyzed. Hydrolyzed collagen has undergone hydrolysis, which breaks the collagen down into peptides. Collagen peptides are easier to absorb than standard collagen, making it ideal for use in low-concentration formulations.²

“Hydrolyzed collagen peptides and native undenatured collagen have very different pathways,” says Douglas Jones, global sales and marketing manager for BioCell Technology (Irvine, CA). “Hydrolyzation reduces the molecular size, which makes collagen more bioavailable so it can be better absorbed by the body.”

Collagen Peptides Stimulate Chondrocytes

Collagen peptides represent an alternative collagen format that delivers unique benefits. Ulrike Braun, manager of scientific affairs and communication for Gelita (Eberbach, Germany), says collagen peptides are produced by breaking collagen protein down into low molecular-weight peptide chains. These collagen peptides no longer have a special structure described by a “type,” Braun explains, but they are highly digestible.

“Collagen peptides provide the amino acids needed for collagen production,” Braun says. “The functionality of Gelita’s collagen peptide, Fortigel, lies in the peptide composition. The peptide stimulates the chondrocytes – collagen-producing cells in joints – to produce collagen.”

Does Source Matter?

Collagen supplements can come from a variety of sources, including bovine, porcine, poultry, and fish-based sources. So does the source of a collagen ingredient influence its efficacy, method of action, or absorption?

The answer, it appears, is no. Collagen can be derived from a host of animal sources, Bioiberica’s Martinez-Puig says. The more significant issue in the collagen space, evidently, is the issue of “vegan collagen” entering the market. Martinez-Puig explains that to the best of Bioiberica’s knowledge, vegan collagen doesn’t actually contain any collagen proteins. Rather, these ingredients are simply collagen boosters – a mix of different nutrients that support collagen production in the body.

“It’s important to remember that collagens are animal proteins, meaning they cannot be extracted from vegetal sources,” he says. “Bioengineering may make the availability of non-animal collagens for specific purposes possible, but scientific evidence would be required to evaluate its potential uses.”

Collagen Products Diversify

Ingredient manufacturers are continuing to release a variety of collagen ingredients for joint health, each with their own unique benefits. Processes like denaturization can impact formulation flexibility and absorption, making it important for formulators to understand which collagen ingredient is best suited for which application. With different collagen products on the market, like type I, type II, collagen peptides, and collagen boosters, it’s up to joint health finished-product formulators to find the right product to get the job done.

Reference

1. Collagen Report 2022. Nutrition Business Journal. 2022. https://store.newhope.com/products/collagen-report-2022.
2. Differences and benefits between hydrolyzed collagen and collagen. Sisneo Bioscience. https://sisneo.com/en/blog/differences-and-benefits-between-hydrolyzed-collagen-and-collagen/