HEALTH
Is COLLAGEN worth taking?
Not since fish oil has a supplement been as intensely marketed as collagen. But does it really reduce joint stiffness and banish wrinkles? We consult the experts
by CLAIRE COLEMAN
It’s a fair bet that if you’re of a certain age and on social media, you are being bombarded by adverts for collagen in all its many forms – powders, tablets, gummies and even drinks and bars. The number of collagen supplements on sale in the UK is dramatically on the rise – Boots now stocks at least 65, more than twice as many as two years ago. And the global market is set to more than double, to $2bn (£1.52bn), by 2032.
What is collagen and why might I want to take it?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. There are many different types, but think of them like long, thin fibres that act as a supportive scaffolding in our skin, cartilage, tendons and bones. ‘Fibrillar collagens form very strong rope-like structures,’ explains consultant rheumatologist Professor Tonia Vincent at the University of Oxford’s Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology. ‘There are three main fibrillar collagens: type I, found in skin and bone; type II, found in articular cartilage in the joint – it covers the ends of the bones and allows the surfaces of the joint to glide smoothly over one another – and type III, found in skin and blood vessels.’