Collagen For Men: How To Decide If You Should Take It & Benefits

Collagen For Men: How To Decide If You Should Take It & Benefits

mbg Beauty Director- By Alexandra Engler

Expert review by Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN

September 21, 2021

This article is a repost which originally appeared on mbghealth

Edited for content.

Despite being on the market for some time now, collagen supplements still seem to garner many questions. How long does it take until you see results? (Answer: It depends!) How much should you take? (There’s no recommended dosage at this time, but we have some pretty good research to support a range of 10 to 20 grams a day.) Are collagen supplements vegan? (Hard no! You can find collagen-supporting supplements made from vegan ingredients but not collagen itself.) 

While those questions are pretty general, others come down to personal factors, such as age, sex, weight, activity level, and lifestyle habits—which brings us to the question at hand: What should men know about taking collagen supplements? Now, we bring this up because sex and hormones can influence what supplements you decide to take. For example, someone going through menopause will likely have a different routine than a 20-something cis male.

So is such the case for collagen? Here’s what we know. 

Should men take collagen supplements?

Most adults could benefit from collagen supplements—no matter their age or sex—as it’s very well tolerated, comes with minimal cautions, and boasts a host of universal benefits.* And did we mention: Hello, protein. So should men take it specifically? Well, if you’re a man and want to take it: By all means!

Really the only difference you may find for supplementation is protein dosage. Allow me to explain. Collagen is a type of protein (it’s an incomplete protein, but more on that in a second). For healthy adults, you need at least 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for muscle mass maintenance. From there, protein needs increase based on activity levels: For highly active adults, you should consume 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. And collagen supplementation can help you achieve your daily protein intake, as it can act as a complementary source of amino acids. In fact, a 2019 study found that as much as 36% of daily protein could come from collagen peptides while simultaneously achieving daily essential amino acid requirements.*

And since, on average, men weigh more than women (and typically have more connective tissues, where collagen resides)—men may need a higher collagen dose. However, this is neither definitive nor true in every case; it should be evaluated on a person-by-person basis.

As mbg’s director of scientific affairs Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, explains, “Every supplement ritual should be individualized, but some supplements get unfairly labeled as only relevant to women or men. That’s unfortunate since nutrition and bioactives are rarely binary. Saying collagen is only for women is like saying calcium is only for women. In reality, men have connective tissues—skin, bones, joints, muscles, tendons, vessels, etc.—that collagen is literally critical for, just like men have bones and require calcium.”*

5 benefits of collagen supplements for men.

Collagen benefits are systemic and universal.* When you ingest peptides, your body absorbs and distributes the amino acids where they are needed. So here are all the ways adding a supplement to your routine can help you: 

1. Skin

I think we can all move past the stereotype that men don’t care about their appearance and skin as they age. Collagen supplements can support the skin in a variety of ways, from firmness to hydration.* For example, one study found that they are able to support skin elasticity and dermal collagen density.* Another double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial found that participants’ moisture levels in the skin were seven times higher than those who did not take collagen supplements.* 

2. Hair

Hair thinning is a very common situation for most men, and one way you can help healthy hair naturally is by providing the body with all the needed building blocks for keratin, the protein that makes up hair. What are those building blocks? Amino acids, many of which are found in collagen peptides.* In fact, the main amino acid in keratin is proline—which is readily found in many collagen supplements.

3. Gut health

While this is a newer area of study for collagen supplements, research has found that levels of certain types of collagen are lower in individuals with digestive challenges.* And much of the benefits are due to collagen peptides’ specific amino acid makeup. For example, research has found that one of the main amino acids in collagen, L-glutamate, supports the intestine by neutralizing oxidative stress and acts as a major fuel source for the cells in the intestine.* The cells of our gut lining also use proline and glycine for energy, and these are two additional amino acids found in collagen.*

4. Muscle mass

Collagen is not technically a complete protein—meaning it does not contain all nine of the essential amino acids (it has eight of them)—but it still delivers plenty of amino acids that can contribute to muscle mass, when taken as part of a robust diet.* This is especially true when combined with the right fitness routines. In one small clinical study, men who took 15 grams of collagen daily while participating in an exercise program gained more muscle mass than those who only completed the exercise program.*

Ferira adds, “Men, muscles, and collagen is an emerging area of research I see gaining momentum. For example, in this compelling clinical trial, 15 grams of collagen peptides combined with resistance exercise training in young healthy men netted significant gains in lean mass (muscle) and muscle strength, more than just resistance training by itself. Not only that, but the researchers discovered that the men’s muscle protein was upregulated (i.e., those genes were cranked up), particularly the contractile fibers, which make your muscles work well and with speed.”*

5. Joints

Collagen type II is a common structural component of our joints. One randomized clinical trial found that people who took a type II collagen supplement for 180 days experienced improvements in their physical function and helped improve joint mobility and comfort.* 

Are there any side effects men should be worried about?

Anytime you start a new supplement, one of the first questions you should look into is if there are any cautions or side effects. Luckily for collagen, it’s a safe and widely tolerated protein: Collagen peptides are safe for consumption, and few side effects, complaints, or cautions are reported. They fall into the “benign” bucket. However, everyone is different, and everyone’s body reacts to products in unique ways. This is why some side effects are reported anecdotally. 

You can learn more about the common collagen side effects here, but as a brief overview:

  • Some brands can taste unpleasant due to the collagen itself or less-than-appetizing filler ingredients.  
  • Anecdotally, some individuals report bloating, stomach upset, and fullness.
  • We all have different sensitivities, so be careful to check where the ingredient is sourced and all other added ingredients in case you personally have an allergen. 
  • Vegans should avoid collagen, as collagen peptides are derived from animals (cows, fish, and chicken most often).

Conclusion

Not every supplement is right for every body or every need. But collagen tends to be a pretty safe bet for most, no matter your sex. Additionally, it has robust universal benefits!

*If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.

Olive Derivative Fights Biologic Kidney Aging

Researchers publishing in Aging Cell have discovered how and why oleuropein (OLP), a polyphenol derived from olives, improves biological kidney aging.

This article is a repost which originally appeared on ScienceDaily 
American Chemical Society - December 8, 2021 
Edited for content and readability - Images sourced from Pexels 
Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acel.13526

Our TLDR:

  • Olives contain oleuropein (OLP) (a polyphenol). Polyphenols are compounds that we get through certain plant-based foods.
  • A study was done on mice that examined the kidneys of both naturally aged mice and mice that were artificially.
  • There are two genes mentioned beneficial to mitigating aspects of aging in the kidneys (NRF2 and KLOTHO).
  • Researchers found that giving the aging mice OLP, previous markers of declining kidney function were also restored: macrophage infiltration was largely absent; levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, two markers of kidney function, became closer to those of control mice; fibrosis was significantly reduced.

Upregulation and downregulation

Like nearly everything in biology, this specific part of kidney aging results from a chain of events. Here, the researchers show that DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), which epigenetically suppress genes, are responsible for suppressing NRF2 and KLOTHO, two beneficial and antioxidant genes known to mitigate multiple aspects of aging, in the kidneys. This aspect of aging is suppressing the genes that fight other aspects of aging.

As the first step in demonstrating this, the researchers examined the kidneys of both naturally aged mice and mice that were artificially aged through the application of D-galactose (D-gal). In both sets of mice, KLOTHO and NRF2 were significantly downregulated. Fibrosis went up, macrophage infiltration went up, and the senescence marker SA-ß-gal was increased as well.

The researchers also analyzed DNMT levels in both sets of mice. Unsurprisingly, DMNTs and DNA methylation were elevated in both mouse models of aging. At 7 months in wild-type mice, DMNT1 was shown to be elevated; at 16 months, and further at 25 months, DMNT3a and DMNT3b were elevated as well. This was directly correlated with the decline in NRF2 and KLOTHO expression, whose gene sites were found to be heavily methylated.

Suppressing the suppressor

To determine a causal relationship between methylation and gene expression, and hopefully combat this aging, the researchers examined the effects of the synthetic drug SGI-1027 along with the potentially less cytotoxic OLP.

Both treatments worked as intended. Renal (kidney) DNA methylation was significantly decreased with both interventions, more so for SGI-1027 than OLP. Mice given both D-gal and OLP were shown to have only slightly higher amounts of DMNTs than control mice. The suppressor had been, itself, suppressed.

The researchers confirmed their findings by examining the downstream effects. As expected, NRF2 and KLOTHO expression were restored. The associated markers of kidney function were also restored: macrophage infiltration was largely absent; levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, two markers of kidney function, became closer to those of control mice; fibrosis was significantly reduced. As a whole, the intervention was shown to be highly effective in this model.

The researchers then broke this causal chain in multiple places to prove its existence. First, they showed that using dimethyloxallyl glycine to suppress the effects of SGI-1027 and OLP on DMNT (suppressing the suppressor of the suppressor) prevented the positive changes. They also used silencing RNA to render mice deficient in KLOTHO, and these mice did not benefit from this treatment.

Conclusion

As usual, while the results were stark and highly significant, this was a mouse study. While a human study is much more expensive and involved, the significance of these results suggests that a clinical trial of OLP’s effects on kidney function might be the first step in bringing a potentially effective treatment to market, alleviating the suffering of a great many people suffering from renal disease.