Collagen for osteoporosis?

Recently the collagen industry has started emphasizing collagen as a "solution to better bone health". Is there any basis for these claims?
I have osteoporosis as a consequence of my prostate cancer treatment regimen and now have several collapsed discs.
My oncologist has started me on prolea injections & is monitoring my Vitamin D level.
Practical advice would be appreciated

Hi teb,

Fortibone collagen is bioactive, others are not. Most collagen just replaces the collagen lost, whereas bioactive collagen helps the body to produce its own. It's taken from the bones and hide of grass-fed, pasture raised bovine.

I think Dr. McCormick considers Fortibone to be a high quality product at the very least. It's the only collagen he sells in his product range on OsteoNaturals.com. It's 100% Fortibone.

Here's the direct link to the Dr. McCormick's OsteoNaturals Collagen Pep.
https://www.osteonaturals.com/product-page/copy-of-osteo-collagen-pep-unflavored-450-grams
The description of the product here sites the study funded by Gelita, and explains what makes it different.

I haven't found a cheaper source of 100% Fortibone collagen anywhere. A 90 day supply (5g per day) is only $59.75. The quality is outstanding. It has never even clumped in hot or cold liquid. I can't even taste it. Whether or not it grows bone, it's still an excellent quality product. If it does grow bone, or even reduce loss by any measure, for me, that's a bonus.

For cost comparison, a common price for only a 30-40 day supply of regular Type 1 collagen peptides is around $30.

I hope you find this helpful.
hopefullibrarian

Hi teb,

Fortibone collagen is bioactive, others are not. Most collagen just replaces the collagen lost, whereas bioactive collagen helps the body to produce its own. It's taken from the bones and hide of grass-fed, pasture raised bovine.

I think Dr. McCormick considers Fortibone to be a high quality product at the very least. It's the only collagen he sells in his product range on OsteoNaturals.com. It's 100% Fortibone.

Here's the direct link to the Dr. McCormick's OsteoNaturals Collagen Pep.
https://www.osteonaturals.com/product-page/copy-of-osteo-collagen-pep-unflavored-450-grams
The description of the product here sites the study funded by Gelita, and explains what makes it different.

I haven't found a cheaper source of 100% Fortibone collagen anywhere. A 90 day supply (5g per day) is only $59.75. The quality is outstanding. It has never even clumped in hot or cold liquid. I can't even taste it. Whether or not it grows bone, it's still an excellent quality product. If it does grow bone, or even reduce loss by any measure, for me, that's a bonus.

For cost comparison, a common price for only a 30-40 day supply of regular Type 1 collagen peptides is around $30.

I hope you find this helpful.
hopefullibrarian

Hello @tonybee, I combined your discussion on collagen for osteoporosis with a ongoing discussion of the same topic, "Collagen for osteoporosis?" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/collagen-for-osteoporosis.

While it is a lengthy discussion, I thought you would find the in-depth conversation over time useful in your research. @sc614, @bruceandruth1970, and @mayblin all recently shared their thoughts on this topic.

Thanks for your reply. I sure hope there is more research coming down the pike to clarify. The term "bioactive" just means having a biological effect. There are other products on the market like Verisol and Natural Factors that also use the phrase "bioactive peptides". A recent post I saw by Dr Mark Hyman stated that most nutrition research is company funded and the results are often skewed in favor of their product by 500-800%. Since Gelita funded the study on it's own product, I think we have to take that into consideration. I take collagen (and sure hope it's helpful with no negative impacts in later years since there is a lack of research!) but I think a healthy skepticism is valuable in evaluating cost, sourcing and claims of the products we buy and consume. Right now, I prefer to take a marine collagen vs. bovine as they are both type 1 with similar effects. Fortibone is likely a good product as well but I have to wonder whether it is really different than other products on the market that justify its higher cost. I've contacted the company and hope for a reply.

I agree wholeheartedly with you about the funding source of studies and the results consequently requiring more careful scrutiny.

Curious why you prefer the marine collagen v bovine?

I have come to respect McCormick on osteoporosis and would put some faith in his apparent preference for bovine collagen.

This topic is very interesting yet confusing. I have been taking just 1-2 tablespoonsful daily for several years now, even before diagnosis of op, for general 'antiaging' purposes. I use the most common brand 'Vital Proteins collagen peptides'. Over the years I was more convinced by one school of thoughts, that is, after ingesting these collagen peptides, they need to be broken down to single amino acids (even smaller molecules for other purposes) at molecular level in our body anyway then made into collagen by our own body! As we age, our body's natural ability to make quality collagen decrease. That's why almost everyone loses elasticity of skin, possibly bone matrices as we age.

Recently I bought simply tera's whey protein(bovine) to supplement my daily protein intake. When I put these two bottles of products ( whey protein and collagen peptides) side by side, I can see clearly both of them have all 9 essential amino acids. Whey protein has 18 amino acids while vital protein collagen has 19 amino acids. The stand out difference is Vital protein collagen peptides has hydroxylysine and hydroxyproline while whey protein doesn't. The composition or percentage of each amino acid are a bit different too. I think that is why, some medical professionals are saying that if one eats enough quality proteins including soft bones, cartilages and soft connective tissues etc, theoretically one would have enough neccessary amino acids to make collagens. Well I still take Vital protein collagen peptides for the fear of missing out that special amino acid(s) needed for building collagen.

I really respect McCormick as well but on this particular issue he admitted he did not know, just suspected. Currently, there is just not enough evidence to get a definitive answer.

I recently saw a study on the effect of collagen on muscle in particular and it stated that the collagen in bovine and marine are comparable as they both contain type 1 which is the type used in bones. It's just a preference on my part for marine vs. bovine due to the nature of the source. Marine is sourced from cod skin and scales whereas bovine is sourced from the hides of cattle. I guess I'd just rather eat scales than hide! Many sources of bovine collagen state they are from grass fed cattle which I think is super important if you are consuming that form but production of collagen supplementation is so extensive that I just wonder if there really are that many grass fed cattle being raised as the beef industry is predominantly conventional. I guess I'm just a natural born skeptic and I question and evaluate the food and products I think about consuming. Right now, I like Vital Proteins Marine Collagen. It's simple cod and they test for heavy metals which is important for either source you select.

I guess Cleveland Clinic is skeptical too...
The benefits of collagen may be more hyped in the media than the evidence behind it. More published research studies are needed to show the true health benefits of collagen supplements.