Collagen has long been listed as an ingredient in face creams and now is ever increasingly in supplement forms but, did you know that there are 28 types of collagen within the body? So, what are the different types of collagen and which is best to take as a supplement?
These collagens include types 1.2.3.5 and 10 with the vast majority being 1, 2 and 3. Over 90% of collagen found in the human body is collagen type 1. Here is a summary of the different types of collagen and how they help our body.
Type 1 Collagen
This is the most abundant collagen within our body and is the strongest; gram for gram, collagen type 1 is stronger than stainless steel. Type 1 collagen is made up of eosinophilic fibres giving skin it is elasticity and forming parts of the body including tendons, skin (dermis) ligaments and organs. It helps with the formation of bones and our digestive system. It is also plays an important part in would healing.
How does collagen help in the formation of scar tissue?
Type 2 Collagen
This collagen is predominantly responsible in helping to build cartilage and is found in connective tissues.
Type 3 Collagen
Type 3 collagen is formed with reticular fibres which crosslink to form a fine meshwork and help to give skin it is elasticity. It is typically found with collagen type 1 and is a major component of the extracellular matrix that makes up our skin and organs. It forms blood vessels and tissue within the heart. A deficiency in this type of collagen can cause ruptured blood vessels and vascular problems.
Type 4 collagen
This collagen helps to form basal lamina are found in endothelial cells that form the tissues around organs and muscles. Basal Lamina are needed for certain nerve and muscle functions, they line the majority of our digestive organs and respiratory surfaces and fill the spaces between the top layer and deepest layer of skin, providing fluid to cushion the tissue above it.
Type 5 collagen
Plays a role in cell walls, hair strands and a woman’s placenta during pregnancy. It provides oxygen and nutrients to the foetus and removes waste.
Type 10 collagen
Supports new bone formation and helps to repair fractures and synovial joints.
How the body determines which collagen is made.
If enough collagen is provided as amino acid proteins, the bodies receptors will take it up and engineer it into being the exact collagen that is needed. Importantly, it’s impossible to determine in advance where collagen peptides will be used in the body; as our bodies have a way of prioritising, be it in the dermal fibroblasts of our skin as well as the articular cartilage or for wound healing. The body’s needs will determine priority in terms of where it’s going to allocate amino acids and build type 1,2 or 3 collagen.
It’s worth noting that type 1 collagen is abundant in the amino acid protein hydroxyproline which is specifically beneficial for the skin.
Sources of collagen
Collagen can only be found from animal sources including marine, chicken, porcine and bovine. No single source of plant can be considered a vegan collagen. The collagen booster in Skin Perfecting complex, Botani-col® is made from a combination of plant sources; see below.
Hydrolysed marine collagen
Marine collagen is highly absorbable and is comprised mostly of collagen type 1 with some collagen type 3. It is rich in the amino acids’ proline, glycine, hydroxyproline all key in the formation of collagen.
As collagen type 1 is found throughout the whole body it is believed that consuming more fish collagen can help to promote healthy skin, joints, organs, blood vessels, digestion, bones, nails and hair. This was our choice for Collagen Shots as it is the most bioavailable to the body. It has the highest content of hydroxyproline which is the key amino acid in collagen production. We consider the source to be the most effective.
Vitamin C is required for effective absorption of all collagen and a supplement should have include vitamin C for best results. Collagen Shots® is rich in vitamin C and contains açai berry which has a high content of the vitamin.
Egg membrane collagen
Egg membrane collagen contains predominantly type 1 but has some type 5 and 10. It has 100 times more type 1 than any of the other types of collagen. It helps to support connective tissue, wound healing and building muscle. Veggiecol® also contains elastin, glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate which hep skin and joints.
Bovine collagen
This collagen comes from cows, their skin, bones and muscles. It has a high content of glycine and proline which are key in production of creatine and building muscle.
Chicken collagen
Provides type 2 collagen which supports the building of cartilage making it beneficial for healthy joints.
Botani-col®
Botani-col is a plant collagen booster, as mentioned before there isn’t a single plant that contains collagen, but certain plants do contain amino acid proteins Botani-col has been put together from a combination of plants to offer amino acids in the same combined ratio of those in animal collagens. It mirrors the formation of marine collagen.
Can you combine collagen 1,2 and 3?
Type 1 and 3 can be taken together, but it is best to take type 2 separately; taking them together can diminish their effects. If you are using all three, space them out by several hours.
However, taking Collagen Shots will increase your levels of type 2 naturally.
Which is best, powder or pre-mixed?
Collagen Shots is in freeze dried powder form as this is the best way to maintain potency. Just mix with water and you have it exactly as potent as the day it was made. It can also be produced with minimum packaging.
When pre-mixed for convenience the product must be heat treated to pasteurise it, this process causes denaturing of the collagen and vitamin C, hence less potency.
Some of these formulas also have sucralose in, a sugar which causes hardening of the collagen strands.
What is the difference between collagen and gelatine?
Gelatine is simply cooked collagen; it releases the amino acids. Hydrolysed collagen however is intensely broken down into smaller components to be more bio available to the body and is more effective in helping the body to form collagen.