Among the many supplements on the market, collagen is one that more and more people are using.
Although growing in popularity, it seems inconclusive as to whether or not it actually works for things like joint pain or skin benefits.
However, there’s a huge market for it.
KX News met with one woman who said she’s seen some pretty good results from it.
Humans naturally produce collagen, but what is it?
Felix Lei, a third year medical school resident said, “It forms the skin, it’s in our joints, and basically puts structure into our body.”
A recent article by a university scientist explains it as ‘the body’s most abundant protein, it literally glues our bones, cartilage, skin and blood vessels together.’
Lyndee Heser, a local health and wellness coach, said incorporating a collagen peptide supplement became a part of her daily routine about four months ago.
She said, “When I heard that after 20, our body starts making less collagen, and I’m way past 20. As I’m nearing 40 I realize that I need to be proactive.”
She said she’s seen great results and so have many of her clients.
“The biggest thing is hair,” said Heser. “It has grown really fast. I notice a lot of growth down here or up here with those baby hairs.”
Heser also noticed her nails are stronger and growing a lot faster. Plus, she said her skin has improved, too.
“As someone who has lost and kept off 50 pounds over five years, I need to improve my skin elasticity because there’s just a lot of extra skin.”
Some health experts say they’re not so sure how ingesting collagen could actually have real benefits.
“At this point,” said Lei, “there’s really no recommendation for extra collagen.”
But, others say that it could be, at least minimally, effective and Heser said her results are enough to keep her on the collagen train.