All the Reasons Why Marine Collagen is Amazing for Anti-Aging.

A while back, I gave my mom a jar of collagen peptides from the stockpile I have laying around.  My mom isn't really consistent in taking her supplements so I was really sure if she'd even use it.  Months later, she asked me if I had any more collagen powder because she noticed that her joint pain lessened when she took it every day.  Not only were her joints happy, but her nail growth was out of control.  She's always had good nails but collagen took them to the next level.  She's in her 70's so seeing how much she's benefiting from collagen warmed my heart.  It also made me even more of a collagen super-fan.  

Collagen isn't cheap so I've looked for ways to get the most from every scoop.  Like for instance, making sure you increase your collagen intake (i.e collagen loading) if you're really interested in experiencing the external beauty effects.  I've posted IG stories about taking collagen in the past and received some responses from folks who haven't noticed external benefits from taking it.  If you're under the age of 40, chances are that your signs of aging aren't as visible as of yet. Because of this, the benefits of collagen intake might not be as evident. My mom notices a huge difference because she has age related collagen deficiencies.  I take collagen to minimize deficiencies as I age, but if I wanted to boost hair and nail growth, I'd increase my serving size.  

Another way to boost the effectiveness of our collagen is to switch things up and transition from bovine to marine collagen.  Marine collagen is sourced from fish. If you're a pescatarian, marine collagen is an obvious choice.   The biggest difference between marine and bovine (cow) is that marine is primarily type I collagen.  Bovine contains both type I & II.  Type I collagen is primarily responsible for the health of hair, skin and nails.  It's also said to improve the skin's elasticity and hydration.  Whereas type II collagen really helps support our joints and cartilage.  

Another advantage that marine collagen has over bovine is that it's more absorbable.  In fact, it's 1.5x more absorbable than traditional collagen.  Fish derived collagen seems to be more bioavailable than bovine.  One theory is because fish has a greater permeability than bovine because fish protein is more water soluble.  This allows our cells to take in more type I collagen into the cell membrane than traditional bovine. 

When I checked out the reviews of marine collagen on Amazon, I noticed a pattern of people sharing stories of how much it helped impact their hair and skin.  Collagen, in general, is a wonderful body and beauty supplement, but it seems that marine collagen might be able to give your skin a slight edge.  This doesn't mean that we give up on bovine collagen altogether, especially if you want to support healthy joints and cartilage. But if younger looking skin is your primary concern, try adding marine collagen to the mix and see what transpires.