Collagen hydrolysate

Collagen accounts for about 30% of your body's total protein and is essential for the healthy growth and development of muscles, tendons and bones.

From the age of 25 your collagen levels reduce at about 1.5% every year as part of the ageing process.

This reduction in collagen contributes to an increase in general aches and pains in your joints and muscles and a lengthening of recovery times from injuries.

Rather alarmingly, by the age of 45 the collagen levels in your body will have reduced by up to 30%.

Studies have shown that Collagen hydrolysate effectively replaces the collagen that your body is no longer producing.

Not only is this beneficial to your muscles and joints - it can also help your skin, hair and nails.

Who should consider taking collagen hydrolysate?

Collagen hydrolysate is of significant scientific interest for the prevention and treatment of degenerative joint disease. Its high degree of safety makes it especially suitable for long-term treatment.

Although collagen hydrolysate is found in a mixed diet which includes meat and other animal produce, vegan diets do not contain any collagen hydrolysate. Even with meat eaters, insufficient intake of collagen hydrolysate in the diet is relatively common, and is insufficient to prevent cartilage damage and gradual loss of collagen in the body.

Practical experience and biochemical findings suggest that collagen hydrolysate promotes cartilage formation in joints.

Collagen hydrolysate may benefit patients whose families have a history of joint disease, who are obese, who place severe strain on their joints in their jobs or hobbies or who have a dislocation of their joints. It may also be recommended for cases of secondary osteoarthritis, in periods of growth and during rehabilitation.

It may serve as an adjunct therapy in cases of coxarthritis, gonarthritis, knee problems, osteoarthritis of the finger joints, degenerative disease of the spinal column, diseases such as Scheuermann's disease, trauma or pain resulting from overstrain of the joints.

The pain relief and functional improvements brought about by treatment were more apparent in patients with less severe osteoarthritis; consequently, prevention and early treatment may be its critical role.

Collagen hydrolysate should be considered in cases of chronic nutritional disturbances or extreme diets (no meat, no dairy products) to avoid amino acid deficiency.

Are risks involved in taking collagen hydrolysate?

The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assessed gelatine and hydrolyzed collagen products as non-hazardous to health and has granted them GRAS status ("Generally Recognized As Safe").

As early as 1982 toxicity studies in rats and mice confirmed that no toxic adverse effects occurred (Takeda et al).

In a multi-centre study of 389 patients taking collagen hydrolysate over a period of 24 weeks, (USA, UK and Germany) none of the participants experienced any side effects which could be attributed to the increased consumption of collagen hydrolysate.

Collagen hydrolysate is neither mutagenic nor teratogenic.

Collagen hydrolysate is hypoallergenic and can even be used as a plasma expander. In cases of oral administration, no contrasting findings have been established in Europe or North America. The risk is thus negligible.

Interaction with other food / food ingredients or medication are not known.

Concerns about collagen hydrolysate, as a by-product of animal raw materials, transmitting animal diseases is unfounded because of stringent raw material control, the manufacturing technology employed and the controls carried out by the authorities.

In particular, the process used to produce collagen hydrolysate ensures a high degree of safety, as was demonstrated in several international studies, dating from as far back as the early 1990s.

The German Institute for Drugs and Medicinal Products, the Consumer Protection Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) have all confirmed the safety of collagen hydrolysate.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified Healthcare Professional.