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Blog – There’s no Collagen in Collagen Peptides

Collagen peptide supplements are everywhere. Many recognizable brands sell their own version, each touting a variety of potential health benefits. But what these companies fail to tell you is this: collagen peptide supplements do NOT actually contain any collagen.

Wait, what!?!

To explain, allow me to draw you a comparison:

Imagine a piece of lumber that it is run through a wood chipper.  Both the lumber and the wood chips are ‘wood,’ just like ‘undenatured collagen’ and ‘peptides’ are protein.  But, the potentials of lumber are destroyed when turned into wood chips, just as the potential of ‘undenatured collagen’ is lost when turned into ‘peptides.’  

 

Amino Acid, Peptide and protein structures

What is a Collagen Peptide?

Collagen peptide supplements are made up of hydrolyzed collagen (or collagen hydrolysate)—a product which more closely resembles the wood chips in our above example than lumber! Using a process called hydrolyzation, peptide collagen production begins with collagen abundant protein sources such as fish scales, cow hides, or chicken cartilage. 

Collagen hydrolysate producers drop the animal tissues into industrial tanks of hot water, acid and enzymes to break down the collagen into gelatin and, eventually, into little tiny protein bits called peptides.  This slurry of peptides is refined and spray dried to form a powder.

This form of hydrolyzed collagen is easy to stir into your drink or smoothie because the hydrolysis process allows it to dissolve in water easily. But, when you ingest collagen peptide supplements, your body simply recognizes it as “food.”

What is Undenatured (or Native) Collagen and why might it be better?

Okay, so what do you take if you want actual collagen protein…and not just a protein supplement?

Undenatured, or native collagen, contains actual collagen in its full and natural shape. This native collagen maintains its original protein structure.  Within this undenatured structure lie key bioactive ‘epitopes’ that can potentially stimulate your body’s natural collagen synthesis and production.  Sadly, those same bioactive ‘epitopes’ are destroyed in hydrolyzed collagen. 

So, when you ingest an undenatured collagen, you consume these bioactive epitopes that have the potential to trigger your body to produce more collagen. Whereas when you consume peptides, you give your body the raw material to make its own collagen, but your body IS NOT stimulated to make more collagen than it did before you took the peptides. 

When you consume an undenatured or native collagen, you not only provide your body with the raw materials to make its own collagen, it also has the potential to activate the biological processes that instruct your body to ramp up its own collagen synthesis.  This ramped up production of natural collagen has many potential health benefits for you in terms of skin, hair, nail, gut, joint, muscle mass, bone, etc. health because all of these systems in your body use collagen.

Try SBEdge® Collagen Native Type 2

So if you want to try a real collagen supplement, one that actually contains collagen in it, give an undenatured or Native Collagen a try. 

Check out SBEDGE® Supplements COLLAGEN NATIVE TYPE 2, and discover a ‘real’ collagen supplement that can potentially give you health benefits far beyond what a collagen peptide ever could!

Author:  Dane Hibma works as a Marketing Director for SBEDGE® Supplements and Plant Engineer for Sioux Biochemical Inc.  He has worked with the company since 2016 and holds bachelors degrees in Computer Science and Philosophy from Dordt University.
**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.   Collagen Native Type 2 is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease.