Collagen Head to Toe

By Published November 23, 2021

Last updated for accuracy March 31, 2022

The big buzz word in the supplement industry is collagen. Our total body protein is comprised of about 30% collagen. It’s pretty important--instrumental in joint support, bone stability ,muscle development, hair and nail growth and the appearance of smooth skin. Serving as a structural protein, collagen can provide benefits throughout the body, and many people believe that collagen is the “powder of youth.”

As we age, our bodies intrinsically produce less collagen, and the dip usually occurs in our thirties and forties. The effects of a reduction of collagen might be felt and seen throughout the body, from digestive issues to a reduction in skin elasticity to joint pain and a waning of muscle development. Of course, we all want to look and feel young forever!

Different forms of collagen might impact different areas of the body. Collagen is made of long chains of thousands of amino acids which are tightly twisted into a helix. It’s the tautness of this helix that is instrumental in its function.

The issue with many collagen supplements, however, is that the tightly twisted helix makes it nearly impossible to digest. A hydrolyzed form is more apt to cross the intestinal wall and be utilized more readily by the body.

Another way to say hydrolyzed collagen is simply to call them collagen peptides. These terms are interchangeable. Collagen peptides are broken down collagen molecules, which allow the body to utilize the amino acids more effectively for energy and repair.

Since 1 in 4 people experience joint issues caused by aging and stressed joints, natural products to help support joint function and healthy aging have grown popular. Since aching joints frequently affect quality of life and make it difficult to be active, recent research has been focused on collagen supplementation to help support the body’s connective tissues.

A 2017 twelve week study published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism demonstrated that athletes taking 5 g of collagen peptides a day reported less exercise-induced joint pain than the placebo group. Collagen supplementation may help assist the body’s intrinsic ability to repair soft tissue, which can ease stressed joints.

A specific patented collagen peptide created by GELITA, contains an innovative form of collagen that targets joint cartilage to help promote regeneration. Since 70% of cartilage is composed of collagen, FORTIGEL has shown benefits to new cartilage growth which may then help promote better joint mobility and reduce discomfort.

In a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study of 147 athletes with exercise-related joint pain, participants were divided into two groups, where one group was given FORTIGEL, and the control group, a placebo. The length of the study was 24 weeks. Both a participant reported and physician led visual analogue scale was used to assess symptoms. Statistically significant improvement of joint pain was noted in the FORTIGEL group compared to placebo.

Long term effects of FORTIGEL supplementation were examined in a 2011 study focused on cartilage composition in thirty participants with early knee osteoarthritis. This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study, conducted by Tufts Medical Center in cooperation with Harvard University utilized magnetic resonance imaging (dGEMRIC) to evaluate participants’ cartilage structural changes over 48 weeks, comparing randomized participants in two groups, one receiving 10 g of FORTIGEL daily to the control group receiving a placebo. Each participant received 3 knee MRI scans--one at baseline, another at 24 weeks and a final at 48 weeks. Statistically significant increases in proteoglycan density were seen in the FORTIGEL group compared to the placebo arm, demonstrating that FORTIGEL supplementation directly impacts human cartilage. The specific collagen peptides in FORTIGEL can help support the body’s ability to generate cartilage tissue.

But it’s not just joints that are comprised of collagen. It’s your bones, too. Bones are mostly made of collagen, and as levels decline with age, so does bone mass, and this reduction in bone density has been linked with increased risk of fractures and osteoporosis. Collagen supplementation has been shown to help your body slow the progression of osteoporosis.

With osteoporosis being a concern for approximately 44 million Americans, particularly women facing menopause, research regarding optimal supplementation to help promote bone health has been in the forefront.

Studies have shown that taking collagen supplements may have certain effects in the body that help inhibit the bone breakdown that leads to osteoporosis. In a 12 month study of women taking 5 grams of collagen daily, those in the collagen supplementation arm demonstrated up to a 7% increase in bone mineral density compared to the placebo group.

GELITA’s FORTIBONE contains specifically targeted collagen to help stimulate bone matrix synthesis, bone stability and bone density. This is why FORTIBONE has gained momentum, particularly with helping to address degradation processes common with aging as well as helping to maintain active lifestyles and optimal health.

FORTIBONE’s long term research includes a 12 month single center, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study of 180 women, focusing on changes in bone mass density in the spine and neck evidenced via DXA scans. 180 women with reduced bone mass were provided either 5 g of FORTIBONE or placebo. The women who received FORTIBONE showed significant improvement in bone density with an increase in Bone Mineral Density compared to the placebo arm.

The newest supplement in our line is TriActive Collagen +, which has been carefully formulated to provide collagen support in all the places--head to toe. It contains FORTIGEL and FORTIBONE to help support your body’s joints, bones and structure and maintain your active lifestyle. It also contains a patented collagen peptide, Verisol, which backed by clinical research that is specifically designed for skin, hair and nails.

In addition to three forms of collagen peptides, TriActive Collagen + contains ingredients that work alongside collagen peptides to increase absorption.

MOBILEE: A patented hyaluronic acid complex with collagens and polysaccharides, Mobilee, provides joint lubrication and mobility.

NUTRA-C: A patented vitamin C chelated with calcium and magnesium known as Nutra-C, provides optimal bioavailability to further support bone health and collagen integration.