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While most people have heard of collagen protein, many people are unaware of its use as an effective beautifying dietary supplement, as the mainstream media regularly presents it alongside plastic surgery, (i.e. "lip collagen," collagen fillers, and collagen fillers). While these methods of helping to reduce your appearance of aging, people often find them invasive (who actually likes having a needle stuck in their face right?).
New internal collagen supplements are becoming available as viable options to help reduce the signs of aging, as well as work on improving your hair, skin, and nails--plus they can even help you lose weight.
But as with all health supplements, when one gains popularity, poor quality mass produced knock-offs pop out of the woodworks making the process of choosing a quality one, a much more difficult task. To make your life easier, here's five key guidelines to find a quality collagen supplement, and avoid wasting your hard earned cash, or precious time on a product that promises much, but delivers less, or at worst, nothing at all...
Key Guideline #1: Pills or Liquid Collagen?
A number of dietary collagen supplements are available in both pill and liquid forms, and that's the first choice you have to make. While most of the time it comes down to personal preference, liquid always provides a much higher concentration (dose) of collagen protein (or anything for that matter), and it's easier to take than its pill kin.
Also, with liquid collagen supplements, you have the added benefit of faster and more effective absorption by the body, which means quicker and better results.
Key Guideline #2: Viscosity and Thickness of the Liquid
Liquid collagen (both Type I Collagen and Type II Collagen, which are found in dietary supplements), at room temperature liquid collagen will appear more like a semi-thick syrup than a watery mixture. If the collagen is pure (i.e. it hasn't been cut with fillers) different batches of it (even from the same company) should vary slightly in the viscosity.
Avoid any thin or watery collagen supplements; they may say "collagen" but you'll know different now.
Key Guideline #3: Reddish Gold or a Rich Coppery Color
Liquid collagen supplements should be reddish gold, or coppery in hue. Any variation from these color families most likely indicates the presence of outside additives to artificially color the product (usually to hide a lack of collagen content).
Worst of all, if your collagen supplement is clear, you're mainly buying expensive water. Stick to the color palette above for quality, natural collagen protein.
Key Guideline #4: Bovine Sourced Collagen Protein
The collagen protein present in bovine sources has superior, high nitrogen amino acid ratios that outshine the gamut of chicken to fish as well as, pork, "porcine," sources. The ratios found in this source of collagen protein are more effectively utilized by the human bodies.
Key Guideline #5: Enzymatic Hydrolization Process
Liquid collagen supplements should be hydrolyzed prior to consumption to ensure maximum absorption by the body. Hydrolization is a process whereby protein is broken down and "pre-digested" (an action usually reserved for your body's digestive system).
There are two types of hydrolization, enzymatic (natural), and acid hydrolysis (chemical). With acid hydrolysis is used collagen protein does not break down completely, and your body has to engage in additional digestion before it can fully absorbed the supplement. When an "enzymatic" process is used, all natural enzymes, usually from fruits, break down the collagen protein so it's ready for immediate absorption.