Collagen Peptides: Should You Take Them?

Collagen peptides!! Can they make you look younger and be healthier? It feels like everyone wants to be bursting with collagen, and apparently the way to do it is by scooping up that white powder of collagen peptides and guzzling it down. Do that, and — according to the wellfluencers — not only will your skin be as bouncy as a baby's bottom, but you'll also be stronger and you'll heal from injuries faster. But of course, not everyone is on the collagen train. There are the collagen haters, who say that eating collagen is a load of baloney. So who's right? To find out, we talk to dietetics Professor Clare Collins, dermatologist Dr. Natalia Spierings, exercise physiologists Professor Luc van Loon and Professor Keith Baar, neutromuscular physiologist Dr. Robert Erskine, as well as sports performance consultant Dr. Dana Lis. 

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsCollagen

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Collagen peptides are EVERYWHERE

(02:52) Why is collagen important?

(05:25) What are collagen "peptides"?

(05:54) Do collagen peptides in creams or injections work?

(06:40) Can eating collagen improve your skin?

(12:35) What happens to collagen after you eat it?

(18:45) How to build more collagen

(24:56) Can eating collagen improve sports performance?

(28:31) Should you take collagen supplements?(31:47) What are the risks of collagen peptides?

This episode was produced by Wendy Zukerman, with help from Rose Rimler, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, Meryl Horn and Michelle Dang. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Marlowe Starling. Additional research from Isabel Gil. Video editing and sound mix by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Peter Leonard, Emma Munger and Bobby Lord. Thanks to Humdinger Studios in Melbourne and Wolff Island Studios in New York City. Thanks to the researchers we spoke to for this episode, plus a big thanks to Joseph Lavelle Wilson and the Zukerman family.

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

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