Why Taking Collagen with Vitamin C Can Work Wonders for Your Health

January 11, 2021 Naomi Dalton

As the most abundant protein in the human body, collagen offers various health benefits, including maintaining the skin’s elasticity (which can result in a more youthful appearance), maintaining the health of the hair and nails, and supporting joint health.

As our natural collagen production declines with age, it’s important to make sure you eat enough foods that help increase collagen levels. Taking a daily collagen supplement is also an effective way to boost collagen in your body.

Foods that help increase collagen in your body include beef, chicken, fish, bone broth and egg whites. If you’ve been thinking of taking a collagen supplement, we recommend hydrolysed collagen peptides.

We also recommend taking a vitamin C supplement because vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, plays an essential role in collagen synthesis in your body [1]. LLS hydrolysed collagen peptides already has Vitamin C added as part of our formulation.

Vitamin C helps the two enzymes prolyl hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase stabilise and strengthen the collagen molecules in our body.

The combination of collagen and vitamin C has various health benefits, some of which we’ve listed below:

Anti-ageing

As mentioned above, some studies have shown that vitamin C enhances collagen synthesis, which may have an anti-ageing effect. [2]

An in vitro study compared fibroblasts, cells found in connective tissue, from newborn babies to those from elderly participants between the ages of 80 and 95. Fibroblasts secrete collagen proteins, and these help maintain the structural framework for body tissues.

In this study, before any supplementation, the elderly cells reproduced at one fifth of the rate of the newborn cells. But when vitamin C was added to the elderly cell culture, those cells reproduced six times faster than the normal newborn fibroblasts.

Furthermore, the elderly cells also doubled their collagen production when supplemented with vitamin C in vitro.

This suggests that taking vitamin C with collagen will help the body’s cells synthesise it more quickly, which may speed up the growth of new body tissues and have an anti-ageing effect, as old cells are replaced by new cells faster. [3] [4]

Wound healing and skin health

Taking vitamin C with collagen may also maintain good skin health and speed up healing. When we are deficient in vitamin C, the collagen produced by fibroblasts is unstable, so tissue repair is less efficient and wounds take longer to heal.

There is some evidence that taking vitamin C in combination with zinc and arginine (an amino acid that is found in collagen) may help heal pressure ulcers, or even prevent them from developing at all.[5]

Bone Healing

Preclinical studies have shown evidence that taking a vitamin C supplement may help speed up bone healing following a fracture, increase collagen synthesis, and reduce oxidative stress in the body.

The studies supported using vitamin C for the healing of tendon, bone, and ligament grafts. Three out of four studies relating to fracture healing reported that groups taking vitamin C demonstrated an increase or acceleration in collagen synthesis compared with the control groups. [6]

Joint Health

joint health

Collagen helps maintain healthy cartilage, the tissue that covers the surface of your joints, protecting them from wear and tear.

As you age and the amount of collagen in your body decreases, you’re at an increased risk of developing conditions such as osteoarthritis.

One study concluded that “hydrolysed collagen has a positive therapeutic effect on osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, with a potential increase in bone mineral density, a protective effect on articular cartilage, and especially in the symptomatic relief of pain.” [7]

There are other studies that also support the finding that hydrolysed collagen may help patients with osteoarthritis. [8]

And since we already know that vitamin C increases the rate of collagen synthesis, this is another reason why taking collagen with vitamin C is a good idea.

Physical Activity

When you have good joint health, it’s easier to continue leading an active lifestyle. In one study, more than 70 athletes took a 10g daily collagen supplement for 24 weeks. Many reported that their joint pain when walking or resting decreased significantly compared to the control group. [9]

In another study, adults took a 2g collagen supplement every day for more than 2 months. They reported significantly less joint pain and being able to be more physically active than those who did not take a collagen supplement. [10]

Hair and Nail Health

There is some evidence to suggest that taking a collagen supplement helps prevent weak, brittle nails and stimulate hair and nail growth. [11]

A study showed that taking a collagen supplement may have significant benefits for hair and nails. 54 women aged 26-68 took an oral supplement containing collagen and hyaluronic acid every day for 8 weeks. The results showed significant improvement in nail and hair health, as well as a significant decrease in skin dryness, by the end of the study. [12]

If you’re considering taking a collagen supplement, consider our high-quality, highly versatile, Hydrolysed Bovine Collagen Peptides + Vitamin C.