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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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This pretty much answered my question as to whether supplementation affected the formation of collagen in the body. I also have painful osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia and wondered about pain relief from such supplements. I make bone broth as a base for my soups, but don't eat enough of them to say I've noticed any effect on my pain. Thank you for this information Lisa.
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1 ReactionHi, yes i tried a collagen supplement and didnt notice any differences. But i only tried it for one month. It may not have been enough but i took the recommended dose.
I am not sure if the collagen supplement helped. I discontinued it and eventually A few months later seem to have more pain, but I think that was due to lifestyle stressors. I Cannot attribute it to taking collagen and stopping it. I do think that it’s worth taking because anything that could even potentially reduce pain is worth it.
I've been taking 20g of collagen and additional amino acids daily for over a year after an Amino Acid test showed that I was deficient. Initially I suspected it was a dietary issue, since I didn't eat a lot of protein...it doesn't make me feel well due to my GI issues. So after supplementing, retesting, plus some trial and error, I finally improved the AA levels by increasing my choline and methylfolate supplements to address my underlying genetic variants. (See research articles on Folate-dependent EDS.) I also needed to address a genetic variant impacting my methionine levels and found that SAMe was helpful with that. So bottom line, collagen on its own did not help me until I fixed the underlying deficiencies. I'm continuing to take collagen but stopped the separate AA supplements as my levels improved. I'm continuing to work on correcting my GI issues and histamine levels to see if that will help speed along the repair of damaged tissues. Considering prolotherapy if the nutritional fixes don't give me the pain relief and improved mobility I'm hoping for.
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2 ReactionsI feel like collagen helps a small amount. especially in the winter months when I feel "creaky". For sure, I don't think it does anything for the actual underlying condition.. no decrease in laxity or increase in stability. I think it helps post injury, though.