Collagen Peptides Reduce Cellulite in Women?

Photo © iStockphoto.com/PredragVuckovic. Edited by Quinn Williams.

Verisol, a collagen peptide ingredient from Gelita (Sergeant Bluff, IA), may be able to reduce the skin puckering and dimpling known as cellulite, according to a new study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.

Researchers found that a daily dose of ingestible Verisol collagen peptides significantly reduced cellulite scores in women aged 24–50 after three months of treatment compared to a placebo. After six months of treatment, researchers observed a mean cellulite reduction of approximately 9% in participants with a normal body mass index (BMI), and a 4% mean cellulite reduction in participants with a BMI higher than 25.

Researchers also observed significant benefits to skin waviness, dermal density, and the length of subcutaneous borderline in subjects consuming collagen peptides, compared to a placebo group.

Cellulite affects approximately 85% of adult women, according to Gelita. Stephan Hausmanns, PhD, vice president of BU Health & Nutrition, Gelita, says that while popular methods to reduce cellulite include massage, weight loss, and topical agents, “scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of these treatments is scarce.”

“Detary supplementation with specific collagen peptides takes a different approach: by aiming to restore the normal structure of the dermal and subcutaneous tissue, it fights the cause of the condition rather than the symptoms,” Hausmanns explains. “We are very pleased with the outcome of the study because it clearly outlines the potential of our bioactive collagen peptides to improve the skin morphology of cellulite-affected areas.”

Verisol is highly soluble, nearly neutral in taste, and easy to incorporate in liquid and solid functional foods, as well as tablets, capsules, and flavored powder mixes, says Gelita.

Study Details

The double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 105 women aged 24–50 with moderate cellulite who were randomized to consume either 2.5g of collagen peptides or a placebo daily for six months. Participants were evaluated for cellulite score, skin waviness, dermal density, and length of subcutaneous borderline at baseline, three months, and six months.

In addition to the significant cellulite reduction in the experimental group, researchers also observed an average 8% statistically significant reduction of skin surface profile measurement after six months of treatment-a measure of skin waviness. The benefit to skin waviness was even more pronounced in the normal-BMI sub-group, with an observed mean decrease in thigh skin waviness of 11.1%,

Dermal density was also significantly improved in the collagen peptide group compared to placebo, and the borderline length between dermis and subcutis “showed a significant shortening” in the treatment group at six months compared to baseline.

“Based on the current data, it can be concluded that a long-term therapy with orally administered [bioactive collagen peptides] leads to an improvement of cellulite and has a positive impact on skin health,” researchers concluded.

Read more:

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Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com

References:

Schunck M et al., “Dietary supplementation with specific collagen peptides has a body mass index-dependent beneficial effect on cellulite morphology,” Journal of Medicinal Food, vol. 18, no. 12 (December 2015): 1340–1348