AUTHOR
DR TIM CROWE Dr Tim Crowe is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian , Nutrition Scientist and Science Communicator . Connect with him at www . thinkingnutrition . com . au or through his Thinking Nutrition podcast .
COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS
HELPFUL OR HYPE ?
Expert nutrition scientist Dr Tim Crowe weighs in on the value of this popular nutrition supplement
Collagen supplements are everywhere you look these days . This trend has been on the rise for some time and shows no signs of slowing down . But how much of this surge in interest is based on marketing , and how much is backed by solid science ? The answer may surprise you .
Understanding collagen : its role and structure
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body , making up 30 per cent of our total protein . Its primary role in the body is to serve as a major structural protein . Collagen is present in many tissues including tendons , ligaments , cartilage , blood vessels and skin .
The collagen protein is constructed by three intertwined long amino acid chains . These amino acid chains are largely composed of repeating units of glycine ( every third amino acid ), proline and hydroxyproline . That last one , hydroxyproline , is unique to collagen and is derived from proline which needs vitamin C for this to happen . Scurvy , a vitamin C deficiency disease , presents as extremely weak collagen .
8 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE