HOW COLLAGEN IS PRODUCED?

First, your body uses primarily vitamin C and protein from your diet to produce tiny molecules called procollagen. As more procollagen molecules are produced, they begin to glue themselves to one another. These clumps of glued procollagen molecules are called fibrils. When looking under a microscope, fibrils look like tiny strings. As the fibrils connect to one another and anchor themselves, they start to look like a net. This fully formed net is what we call collagen. Three fundamental aspects to producing collagen are: vitamin C, minerals, and amino acids.

Most people eat more protein in an effort to increase their collagen levels. More often than not, we have enough protein in your diet, much of which comes from vegetables and fruits that many of us love to stock-up in our fridge. Studies show that vitamin C and antioxidants are absolutely essential for the synthesis of collagen. Based on several studies, such as this one, without the centralized aspect of vitamin C within collagen production, the body is unable to produce or metabolize collagen efficiently.  

Vitamin C is an essential cofactor for two enzymes required for collagen synthesis: prolyl hydroxylase (to stabilize the collagen molecule) and lysyl hydroxylase (to give structural strength cross-linking).10 Recent research has further demonstrated that vitamin C acts directly on DNA to increase the transcription rate and to stabilize the procollagen messenger RNA, thus regulating and maintaining the intracellular amount of collagen.

Lets Get Straight To It...

VEGAN vs. ANIMAL COLLAGEN

First off, we do not need to get collagen from an animal based source to produce collagen. Collagen production is a natural process within our body and consuming nutrient dense foods high in vitamin C, protein, minerals and antioxidants, will provide more than enough of the required chemical input to increase collagen synthesis in the body. Animal protein is just one of the many avenues of helping the maintenance of collagen production.

Just like for us humans, the animals' cartilage, connective tissues, bones, ligaments, etc. are what make “collagen”, collagen. Most animal collagen is a by-product of factory farming. The vast majority of mainstream collagen products are made from a processed form of gelatin that is derived from slaugher-house by-products.  

You’ve probably heard the terms “hydrolyzed collagen,” “collagen peptides,” or “collagen powder.” These terms are different names for the same thing: hydrolyzed collagen protein powder. “Collagen peptides” in particular, refers to collagen that has undergone a process called hydrolysis, which breaks down the amino acids in collagen to make it easier to absorb. The by-products, that would otherwise be disposed of, are rendered into a “pink slime” utilizing heat and acid to break it down and convert into tablets, capsules, hydrolyzed powders, etc. The processing methods can be quite harsh. The processing methods used to do this are so harsh that the majority of the protein’s nutritional value is destroyed.  As a result, brands selling animal collagen peptides are forced to show “zero daily value” for the protein on their product labels in order to avoid lawsuits or government crackdown.

The concept behind consuming collagen powders is that by intaking animal collagen on a daily basis, you can increase the collagen levels in your body. But we go back to what we initially reviewed --  without the proper breakdown, or vitamin C rich base, the collagen itself becomes un-digestible. 

“Vegan collagen” per-se does not exist. What does exist are plants that boost and protect our own body’s collagen production. Within nature’s pharmacopeia there’s a plethora of herbs, foods, flowers, roots, and algae that have been studied to greatly help with collagen synthesis and production. Many of the medicinal herbs that naturally fall under this category have been used for centuries for many other functions other than “collagen.” They have long historical use as “anti-aging” plants that have across-the-board strengthening, mineralizing, immune protecting properties, with the added beautifying elements such as skin clearing, hair strengthening, and more. 

For example, Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and Nettle (Urtica dioica) with their powerful mineralizing capacity, are known to strengthen hair follicles, tendons, and support bone health. Mineralizing herbs like Horsetail and Nettle have been used for bone strengthening along for protein, blood mineralization and more. Other herbs such as powerful rejuvenatives like He Shou Wu (Fallopia multiflora), Shisandra (Schisandra chinensis), Gynostemma (Gynostemma pentaphyllum). Also, well known skin regeneratives like Calendula (Calendula officinalis), Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and Nettle (Urtica dioica).

As mentioned above, a crucial component to the proper assimilation of both animal-based collagen and vegan collagen boosters is Vitamin C. Vitamin C plays a central role in production and activation of collagen receptors. Particularly powerful vitamin c and high antioxidant sources are acerola cherry (Malpighia emarginata), amla fruit (Phyllanthus emblica), camu camu (Myrciaria dubia), mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), and more.