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Now that we reviewed features of EDS/HSD related to supplements, it makes sense to ask the question: “will taking supplemental collagen help me?” To answer this question let’s dig a bit further into what is collagen – the 2nd most common substance in the human body (after water).
Collagen is assembled in a triple helix design from the amino acids proline, glycine, lysine, and hydroxyproline. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Vitamin C, zinc, copper and manganese act as cofactors for the formation of collagen. Collagen makes up at least 30% of our whole-body protein content and there are currently 28 known different types of collagen that have been identified, with further diversity within each subtype. Collagen from supplements typically comes from animal-derived sources. These include:
- Type I: bovine and fish bones, ligaments, tendons, hides, and skin, eggshells
- Type II: chicken cartilage and joint
- Type III: bovine skin, blood vessels, and internal organs
- Type V and X: eggshells
Different manufacturing processes can affect the structure, composition, and property of collagen produced. The different manufacturing processes can result in the following types of collagen:
- Insoluble undenatured native collagen (maintain triple helix design): Type I and Type II
- Soluble native collagen (maintain triple helix design): Type I and type II
- Gelatin (denatured collagen – no triple helix): Type I and Type II
- Hydrolyzed collagen (peptides and amino acids – no triple helix): Type I and Type II
- Vegan collagen or Vegan collagen builder: plant extracts, amino acids, vitamins, minerals.
Different collagens consumed within the diet are broken down to peptides and then amino acids for absorption. Once absorbed, our bodies genes will decipher what proteins the individual amino acids will be reformed into and where in the body they will go. If a genetic mutation is present that alters the formation and structure of collagen, the body will continue to produce faulty collagen despite the amount of amino acids or collagen supplemented by diet. And although it seems like they may help, there is not yet enough clinical studies to support supplementation of vitamin C, zinc, copper, or manganese to enhance the collagen matrix in EDS and HSD patients.
Collagen supplementation is however being studied in individuals who experience pain or have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Native collagen Type II has been shown shown to decrease joint discomfort and increase joint mobility when 40 mg/day was consumed potentially by decreasing inflammation in non-osteoporosis individuals. Hydrolyzed collagen may also have chondroprotective effects, which means protecting your cartilage. Additional research is still needed on understanding the underlying pathophysiology of pain and research is needed in the EDS and HSD population to determine if collagen supplementation provides therapeutic symptom relief. Let us know in the comment section below if you have tried collagen supplementation, and if it has helped you.
Author: Lisa Mejia RD/N, LD/N, CDCES, IFNCP
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Hello,
I wanted to emphasize with you on the SI joint pain. I get bouts of that and have found the only thing that helps me is daily stretching. My pirifomus muscles were extremely tight, my SI joints were excruciating and in addition I had pain and tightness in my iliospoas muscles. These all seem to be connected issues and everything was just tightening up. I saw a very good physical therapist who helped me learn stretches to safely loosen this area up. I went from being almost incapable of walking to only having pain on some days. I have never stopped doing the stretches and the pain has stayed manageable. Once I addressed these issues I was able to increase my muscle mass by slowly increasing activity. This may not be possible for you and I’m not implying I know your particular situation but I was so skeptical about physical therapy. I could hardly walk so….how was increasing movement going to help pain? It hurt. But I had been suffering for two years and would have tried anything. Within a few weeks the pain began to decrease and I felt relief like nothing I’ve ever experienced. My thoughts were not consumed with constant, unrelenting and endless pain for the first time in years. If you have not already done so, I recommend asking about physical therapy. If you have already done so, ask again. Not all physical therapist are great at everything. I am still in pain but I was able to increase my body mass (I was 102lbs, I am now 115lbs) by drinking protein shakes and increasing my activity levels over the span of 5 years. I took this slowly, it was hard, it was painful, but I kept at it. Please do not think I am assuming everyone can do this. Some people have things much worse than me. I’m simply sharing how I improved my pain because perhaps there is something that might help for you. I know I appreciated every piece of advice I received as long as it wasn’t judgmental or the person wasn’t pretending they knew exactly what I was experiencing. I know very little about your situation. I simply want to offer what helped me in case that provides you with something that might help you. I hope things improve for you. Mine was so painful and it consumed every waking( and often sleeping) moment. Please keep hope and faith that there will be some relief from your pain. It wears so heavily on the spirit. Best of luck to you.
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