“Vegan Collagen” seems to be all the rage these days. But Google it, and there will be few, if any, actual vegan collagen products in your search results. If you wonder where to find it and does vegan collagen work, let me help you cut through all the mystery and confusion.
Although vegan collagen is not widely available commercially, in this article, I will show you how you can use vegan supplements that build and repair collagen in your body.
If you are anxious to get to the bottom line, then use the table of contents to scroll down to the section on “Are Vegan Collagen And Supplements Effective?” otherwise, keep on reading, and I will cover the basics of everything you need to know.
What Is Collagen?
Collagen is a type of protein that is an important building block of tissue. All protein is composed of individual units called amino acids. Collagen is essentially the main structural component of the human body. The majority of amino acids that form collagen are glycine, proline, and the derivative amino acids hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine.
Collagen comes in five types. Type one accounts for over 90 percent of the total and is found in skin, tendon, and bone. Type two is a key component of cartilage. Type five adds structural support to hair and the surface of cells. Types three and four make up the difference of everything else that collagen is used for in your body.
How Collagen Can Help You Look And Feel Better
Collagen has been used as a dietary supplement to promote good health and cure nearly every ailment. You have probably heard of or know someone that uses it.
It can be difficult to separate fact from fiction when it comes to all the ways that people have claimed they have benefitted from consuming it orally or using it in a topical application like a cream or lotion.
Here are some ways that collagen, which has classically been sourced from animal byproducts, has been used to enjoy a healthier life.
Skin, Nail, And Hair Health
Collagen is frequently used in the beauty industry to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. It can be eaten, drank, or injected into the skin by a health care professional, depending on the product. It has also been used to promote the healing of wounds and skin ulcerations and to increase the strength of hair, nails, and teeth.
Bone And Joint Health
Collagen is also beneficial in maintaining the structural integrity of cartilage. It may slow the development or decrease the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Since bones contain large amounts of collagen, collagen supplements can help keep bones strong.
Body Strength
Collagen supplements are often used in workout routines to enhance muscle mass and strength. It may also be useful in preventing sports injuries and decreasing muscle recovery time after a heavy workout.
In elderly populations, it has been found to be useful in preventing age-related muscle atrophy and weight loss.
Miscellaneous Benefits
Some people claim that collagen supplements can improve heart and digestive health and lower cholesterol. It has been used as a mood stabilizer and to reduce anxiety. The dietary industry has used collagen as a weight loss aid. There is no published objective scientific evidence to support these claims.
For more information on how to look and feel better see 5 Hot Tips On Aging Gracefully – Look 5 Years Younger Today!
The Problem With Collagen
The problem with collagen is that it is only naturally available as an animal byproduct. This means that vegan collagen would have to be artificially produced in a laboratory. One approach uses gene splicing to program cells to produce the chemical components of collagen from bacteria and yeast, which can then be assembled into a vegan collagen product.
Companies like Geltor have been attempting to synthesize non-animal components of collagen through their own proprietary technologies. These components can be added to commercially sold beauty aids such as skin moisturizers and masks, eye creams, and hair care products.
Here is a video from JLand Biotech that will help you understand the complexities and cost involved in developing “Biollagen,” a synthetically engineered vegan collagen, using the genetically re-engineered yeast Pichia Pastoris.
These days, true vegan collagen is mainly used in medical and professional cosmetic procedures. It is difficult for the average consumer to find true vegan collagen for beautification, such as skin creams. Ture vegan collagen would most likely be too costly to be generally marketable, although that is expected to change in the near future.
Benefits Of Vegan Collagen Over Animal Collagen
Most collagen is sourced from animal byproducts. As vegetarianism and veganism become a more popular lifestyle, more and more people turn to plant-based products exclusively.
The trend away from animal products is viewed as a healthier approach that spares animal cruelty. Vegan collagen, which does not depend on animal processing, is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly product. It can help to combat climate change by lowering the emission of greenhouse gases.
Vegan collagen is more likely to provide better product consistency since its quality assurance is linked to genetically engineered microorganisms like yeast and bacteria in the manufacturing process, which is an exact process.
Artificially produced vegan collagen components may be less likely to cause allergic or adverse reactions than animal-based collagen, which can contain a variety of filler materials and allergens.
Vegan Supplements That Help Build Collagen
Although vegan collagen is not generally commercially available, several types of vegan supplements can help your body rebuild collagen to maintain or restore your natural beauty.
Different product manufacturers sell supplements in a variety of preparations that come in a wide price range. There isn’t really one best vegan collagen supplement.
Many of the products labeled “vegan collagen” are actually just one or more types of vegan supplements. Here are some of the most common categories of supplements. Some manufacturers may combine these categories into a single product to offer, for example, a mixture of amino acids and collagen peptides.
Amino Acids
Vegan amino acids are available in many preparations. Vegans need to be sure they are getting all the amino acids necessary to build body protein, especially the “essential” amino acids that your body cannot synthesize. Lysine, which is a major contributor to collagen formation, is particularly important.
The essential amino acids are valine, leucine, lysine, isoleucine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, histidine, threonine, and methionine.
You can avoid taking amino acid supplements by eating vegan food rich in the amino acids lysine, proline, and glycine. These foods include tofu and soy protein, beans (especially kidney and black beans), peanuts, cashews, and pistachio nuts.
Collagen Peptides
Peptides are essentially short chains of amino acids (usually 2 to 50 amino acids). They are typically synthesized by breaking down longer chain amino acids, making them easier to be absorbed and incorporated into the protein structure of collagen.
Collagen “Builders and Boosters”
Vegan collagen “builders and boosters” can contain essentially any combination of amino acids and peptides plus vitamins, minerals, and organic plant food blends and extracts such as coconut milk, ginger root, cherry, and aloe vera. The words builder and booster are often an arbitrary designation since they are both designed to “build or boost” collagen production in your body.
It is important to carefully read the label before purchasing any of these supplements to ensure that they don’t contain ingredients that you may be allergic to.
Are Vegan Collagen And Supplements Effective?
Do an internet search, and you will find an almost endless variety of vegan supplements for general wellness and anti-aging, but how effective are they?
If you have read all the way down to this point, then you’re probably still asking yourself, “well, does vegan collagen work,” and if so, then what’s the best brand, and where’s the best place to buy it?
Unfortunately, there is no real objective research that shows that vegan collagen and vegan supplements are more effective than eating a well-balanced protein-rich diet or using any non-collagen based beauty product. Despite this, many dieticians, beauticians, and consumers continue to swear by them.
If you wonder if vegan collagen and collagen supplements can help you, then the best way to find out is to give it a try but be aware that you will not notice an immediate improvement. It can take several months to be effective since it takes time for it to be incorporated into your body’s tissue. With protein-building supplementation, patience is a virtue.
Vegan collagen has been shown to be effective for certain medical procedures that use collagen scaffolds. The scaffolds are used for wound care and dental, orthopedic, plastic, and reconstructive procedures.
Final Thoughts
Collagen and elastin are the two main substances that add structural stability to skin. Collagen is also a major component of bone and a contributing factor to bone strength.
Various mixes of amino acids, collagen peptides, collagen “builders and boosters,” and “superfood” extracts are often mislabeled as vegan collagen. Most of these products are, in fact, various types of vegan supplements that build collagen.
It’s important to look carefully at exactly what you are getting and purchase from a reputable manufacturer. The FDA does not closely regulate dietary supplements for purity and dose consistency. It’s worth paying more for something that you can have confidence in.
Vegan collagen is still very much in development as a product for general daily use. Vegan oral supplements are widely available for general health and as a bodybuilding aid. Topical supplements for preventing and treating wrinkles can produce varying results, with professional treatments typically offering the best outcomes.
Always be sure to check with your health care provider before you use these products, especially if you have a history of medical ailments or allergies.
If you would like to try a vegan supplement, then the number one amino acid supplement I recommend is BodyHealth PerfectAmino Tablets. This supplement contains essential amino acids and is optimized for building muscle mass while reducing recovery time. It works great with a weight loss regimen. BodyHealth products are efficiently absorbed within minutes.
Tell Us What You Think
Please let us know what’s on your mind by sharing your thoughts on vegan collagen in the comment section or if I can help you with anything.
- Do you have any additional tips or suggestions?
- Are you currently using a vegan collagen supplement?
- How has vegan collagen helped you?
wow, being here in Africa could have been like hell but thank God for the internet. never heard of this product before, but a series of other protein and or amino acid products and supplements sold here in Nigeria. some from the US snd some locally made. if I get it right that Collagen is a type of protein and an important building block of tissue. yes, All protein is composed of individual units called amino acids. yes, the result of my google searches are still in line with your review; Collagen is essentially the main structural component of the human body and has been used as a dietary supplement to promote good health and cure nearly every ailment. if vegan supplements can help your body rebuild collagen to maintain or restore our natural beauty, then it’s a recommendation for many. you are right when you mentioned other ways of getting amino acids from our foods, but I think that supplements work faster and in no time. thanks for sharing this life-changing product.
Hi Godspower Nathan KC,
Thank You for your comments!
I’m happy to hear that you have some protein and amino acid products available to you in Nigeria. If the products contain the specific amino acids that I mention in my article then they can help your body build and restore collagen.
Best of luck finding the vegan collagen supplements that will suit your particular needs,
Frank
Hey Frank. Very interesting article. Im trying step by step to eliminate animal products from my family’s life, but for some product there is no obvious alternative. To be fair I have not heard before about replacement for collagen, and I can’t imagine not to use it for my skin. I definitely will check your recommendations, PerfectAmino supplement seems as interesting option. Looking forward to test it in practice, hopefully it will help me to be more “green”.
Hi Cogito,
Thank You for your comments!
I’m glad you found this article useful. There are new vegan products and opportunities entering the marketplace on an almost daily basis. Vegan collagen will be an excellent product to keep an eye on as it continues to be developed to the point where it’s a practical and cost-effective alternative to animal-based collagen. In the meantime, there are some excellent collagen supplements to consider.
Frank