How much collagen should I be taking daily?
Taking collagen can be one of the best ways to bring life back to your skin – but how much should you be consuming every day?
Collagen is a structural protein, with the primary function of helping tissues in the body withstand stretching. It is found in skin, bones, ligaments and tendons – so it forms a pretty fundamental part of our body’s composition. Unfortunately, as we age our bodies make less collagen than we were once able to (yes, we can’t stay young forever). This has an impact on all these areas that collagen has a crucial role, and most visibly, in our skin.
As we age our skin can appear dull, lifeless, we might develop wrinkles, and it feels generally less plump. However, this is where supplementing with collagen can help. In fact, 75% of the dry weight of your skin is made up of collagen. This means it comes to really no surprise that taking high quality collagen can make your skin feel rejuvenated and youthful again. Clinical studies have even been conducted to test collagen’s improvement to the skin’s hydration, elasticity, and dermal collagen network, and many of these have produced positive results testifying to its efficacy. Aside from bringing radiance and brightness back to your skin, tackling wrinkles, and improving skin tone, collagen can reduce joint pain (remember what we said about collagen being a structural protein found all over the body!), so the results certainly aren’t just skin deep.
Let’s talk dosage
Collagen can be taken in the form of tablets, capsules, and powders. Studies testing the effects of collagen supplements have mainly evaluated within the 2g per day to 10 g per day range. Dosage recommendations will depend on the guidelines of your supplement brand, however, Kollo is designed to be taken once a day. Consume one sachet (containing 10g of collagen) daily in approximately 120ml of water. Each box contains 14 sachets, so you should take one a day for 14 days. As Kollo sachets also have added B1, B5, B6 and B12, Vitamin C (needed to store collagen) and l-lysine (which are essential to collagen formation for cell renewal in skin, bones and cartilage), this dosage recommendation is also made with the quantities of these vitamins in mind.
Many companies even promote that you take up to 30g of collagen a day, however, this is not necessarily going to have a better effect than taking less collagen. Most studies have been testing dosages under this amount, with significant skin enhancing results still being produced. It is good to be wary of sources promoting high intakes of collagen, so always check where this information is coming from. If these statements have been published by a company that is selling collagen in doses of this quantity, then this may be a way for them to market their brand to you, and get you to spend more money on collagen than you need to in order to see fantastic results. Taking 30g of collagen will not have three times the effect of taking 10g, but it may be three times the cost.
Get into a routine
Whether you take your collagen every day could have a big impact on the results that you see. If you’re struggling to remember to take your supplements, try getting into a good routine. Take them at the same time every day such as at breakfast, with your morning snack, or in your lunch break. The only thing is, it’s best to choose a time where you’re unlikely to be busy doing different things every day, or sleeping (for example, don’t pick 11pm – you might choose to have some early nights!).
