From tablets to gummies, we test easy ways to get more collagen to help skin and joints
COLLAGEN is a protein, made up of amino acids, found in connective tissue such as cartilage, bones, tendons, ligaments and skin.
As you age, collagen breaks down and it gets harder to produce more.
Most experts recommend consuming between 15 and 30g a day.
There are different types – marine collagen, from fish, is great for skin and bone, while bovine collagen from cows is for joint health.
Here Jane Atkinson looks at ways to get collagen . . .
MEAL-REPLACEMENT SHAKE
COLLASLIM from So Body Co is a great idea.
READ MORE ON collagen
It is a meal-replacement shake powder that contains 5g of peptan marine collagen (high-quality produced from sustainable, wild-caught fish).
It also contains whey protein, skimmed milk powder, oat flour and a lot of ingredients with long names that are amino acids and vitamins.
I tried the vanilla flavour.
A 40g serving has 146 calories, 23.8g of protein with about a third of your recommended daily intake of vitamins A, D3, E, K1 and C, plus minerals including selenium, copper and zinc.
Most read in Health
A great multitasking idea. The only downside for me is the sweetness – it is sickly.
It says to add 400ml of almond milk, but I used water as I don’t have a sweet tooth.
From £29.91 for 800g, £1.50 per meal. .
EFFERVESCENT TABLET
THIS is a great new product from trusted vitamin company Vitl – Collagen & Vitamin C Effervescent tablets.
These peach-flavoured pills are sugar-free and can be taken daily by simply dissolving two in a glass of water.
That only gives 1g of hydrolysed, or easily digested, marine collagen, but it is mixed with a big 80mg of vitamin C.
They work together brilliantly because vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis and acts as an antioxidant to improve skin, hair and nails.
It also promotes joint health and immunity.
The peachy taste is delicious – think bellini without the alcohol – and each tablet has just 9 calories.
Quite expensive for not the biggest dose of collagen, but convenient to use.
£9.95 for a one-off purchase of 20 tablets or subscribe to get £1 off, .
SUGAR-FREE GUMMIES
NO marine or bovine in this one.
Novomins Vegan Collagen Gummies are part of its new sugar-free range.
These contain BCAAs, which are a crucial component of collagen, but are not the completed form.
But you have to sacrifice something for it to be vegan.
They do contain L-tryptophan, L-histidine and L-phenylalanine amino acids, as well as vitamins C, D2 and E, which all promote collagen formation.
I love that they contain hyaluronic acid, which retains moisture in the skin leading to a plumper appearance.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
These fab vegan, teddy-bear gummies taste great and are super cute, too.
From £15.29 for a month’s supply, .