Can collagen supplements improve your skin? Here's what the research shows

""I'm in my 40s and if I shave, I look like I'm in my mid-20s," a Tiktok creator who goes by Shop By Jake claims in one paid promotion. "People ask me all the time, what do you do for your skin? I take collagen," he says."

"Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It's found in skin, hair, nails, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bones. It helps maintain our skin's elasticity and volume. It's a structural protein, so it gives strength and integrity to our tissues and keeps joints strong, among other things. But starting in our 20s the amount and quality of the collagen our bodies produce declines. Factors like UV radiation, smoking, and exposure to environmental pollutants can speed up that decline. But it's going to happen with age regardless."

""The theory is that if you ingest [a collagen supplement,] it goes through the GI tract and gets absorbed and then it theoretically goes to places to support or increase collagen production," says Dr. Lauren Taglia, a board-certified dermatologist with Northwestern Medicine in Naperville, Ill."

Influencers frequently promote collagen supplements as a route to more youthful skin and stronger joints. Collagen is the most abundant protein and provides structure to skin, hair, nails, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bones. Natural collagen quantity and quality begin declining in the 20s, with UV radiation, smoking, and pollutants accelerating the loss. Supplements commonly use hydrolyzed collagen peptides derived from animal sources such as fish, cattle, pigs, or chicken to improve skin, hair, and joint health. The stated theory is that ingested collagen peptides are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and may support or increase collagen production in tissues.

Read at www.npr.org