Eating collagen to delay ageing

For a long time, I used to take Fancl's HTC Collagen on and off, with hopes to keep my skin supple and delay the signs of ageing on my skin. This comes in the form of pills, which makes eating it really easy. HTC Collagen is made from gelatin. There is no details of what that is made from but I suspect, it is from pork.

Recently, however, I've found out about alternative sources for collagen supplement.

One is Amino Collagen by Meiji, which is apparently a best seller skin supplement (at Watsons and Guardian, where Fancl is not being sold, so actually, is hard to tell which one is more popular). This one comes in a milk powder lookalike can. You mix it into your juices, soup, tea and whatever you like, it seems. The Meiji website lists some recipes where Amino Collagen is being added into. This collagen is derived from fish.

The other source of collagen supplement is Vitagen Collagen. Of the 3, this is the most convenient, since it is just a drink and there is no need to pop pills or mix it into other food/ drink. The only drawback? It contains 500mg of collagen vs 5000mg daily intake that Meiji suggests we consume.

I tried both and am currently using Amino Collagen, because the idea of collagen from fish sounds better than collagen from pig to me since I don't even like pork very much.

Collagen is a type of protein that connects and supports bodily tissues, such as skin, bone and tendons. It is widely used in cosmetic sugeries, as health supplements and even in cosmetics. Collagen molecules are large and hence most supplements, including the 3 above, sell the concept of collagen peptide (smaller molecules). And apparently, to improve the effectiveness, it should be taken with Vitamin C or other types of amino acids.

With regards to collagen supplements, there are doctors who will tell you not to waste money taking it and doctors who will advise you to take it regularly after some cosmetic procedures such as chemical peeling or laser treatments. So, it is really hard to say for sure if it really works.

For me, I have been taking it on and off for a few years now. I probably will never know whether it really works since I have no basis for comparison.

But for the sake of delaying ageing, I suppose having to mix some powder to drink.. or popping some pills every now and then, is not that difficult to do.

Interesting articles to read
1. What is collagen?
2. Foods containing collagen
3. How to choose collagen supplements