Collagen supplements - loads of ads - genuine?

[FrankieMcGrath]

I keep seeing loads of ads for collagen supplements on facebook featuring famous women (Louise Redknapp, Martine McCutcheon, Denise Welch, Emma Willis & a host of others) Are the ads genuine or AI? Is collagen something that I should be taking (as a late 40s peri-menopausal woman)?

I’m very tempted purely due to who is advertising them, then convinced they are a scam in some way, so haven’t (yet) ordered!

I use nutrition geeks ones which are very good. I’ve seen a difference in my face and on my cellulite thighs

Personally I wouldn’t bother. These “celebrities” will be getting paid to endorse these products. The so called research is carried out by the manufacturers so hardly independent.

I keep considering it for my collapsing face, but then I read another article saying it’s a giant con and humans can’t use collagen they’ve ingested at all. I’d love to hear from someone who really knows their onions, MN can be fantastic for that <hopeful>

Hello I'm a scientist! Collagen supplements are marketed as if they go directly to your skin, joints, hair, nails, but that isn't how digestion works. The collagen gets broken down in your gut into amino acids in the same way as any other protein you eat or drink. Your body then decides what do do with the amino acids based on what it needs. It can put them to use by creating different types of protein in your body (including collagen, but it could also use it for building/repairing muscle, producing enzymes, hormones and signalling molecules, and if it really needs to, your body can use it for energy)

If you eat enough protein from various sources (eg meat, fish, eggs, dairy, beans) your body has enough of the various amino acids to make sufficient collagen. Lots of people don't eat enough protein though. They might notice positive effects just because they're eating more protein. If they had 2 extra eggs a day or 15g of whey protein powder instead of collagen they might see a similar effect simply because they're increasing the amount of amino acids their body has available to maintain itself as healthy.

Collagen production naturally decreases with age. You can't change that, but aside from eating sufficient protein there are other things you can do to help your body be more able to produce the most possible collagen for your age. You can make sure you get enough vitamin C, because that's used in collagen synthesis. You can protect against UV exposure because that destroys collagen. You can do some resistance training because that signals to maintain, build, and repair muscle, joints and ligaments, don't smoke, don't do extreme low calorie diets since protein synthesis is an active process that needs energy

I think possibly different people have different effects. Apparently there isn’t high quality research on collagen affecting hair and nails. I know for sure that for me it affects my nails. They grow crazily fast and strong when I take it … to the point I keep scramming myself accidentally 🤔.

Thanks all. Are the ads from the celebrities genuine?