Side Effects of Collagen
Taking collagen is becoming increasingly popular because of the many beauty and health benefits, but is it really such a miracle cure for your problems? How about the side effects? Are there even side effects? What can you do to prevent these? We discuss it all in this blog.
Are there any side effects you should know about before taking collagen?
Collagen is a glue-forming protein that provides your body with firmness and elasticity, for example in your skin. As we age, the amount of collagen in our bodies (and therefore in our skin) decreases naturally. Fine lines and wrinkles emerge and to counter this, many people nowadays take collagen supplements. Of course, it is of importance to know what you purchase and what you put in your body. For this reason, we elaborate more on the matter of collagen and side effects in this blog.
Generally, collagen has no side effects (1, 2). It is a protein we produce ourselves, so our bodies should respond without any negative side effects to this substance. There are, however, some things you should take into consideration when it comes to taking a collagen supplement.
The collagen you find in supplements namely has an animal source, making it not exactly the same as our own collagen.
It is always wise to check the other ingredients in the supplement. Anything you’re allergic to?
Additionally, it is nice to know that the company you are purchasing your supplement from clearly indicates that the product has been tested on any side effects and the occurrence of certain substances.
Allergic reaction
Do you have any allergies? In that case, of course, you always need to check the ingredients of any product. This is also important when it comes to collagen supplements. Not because many people are allergic to collagen itself, but because it comes from an animal source. This might be a source you’re allergic to with a bad reaction as a possible result. Usually it contains bovine or fish collagen, but is not always indicated clearly. It could also be pig or chicken collagen. Just always make sure to check the ingredients, especially if you have any allergies or respond badly to some substances.
Marine collagen is also from fish, but specifically from wild fish living in the ocean. CelioGenix contains 10 grams of marine collagen from wild fish at the Atlantic: sustainably sourced and not exposed to any hormones or antibiotics.
Bad aftertaste (1)
Although this isn’t a side effect that damages your health, it can be quite annoying. Especially since collagen is something one should use long-term for long-term results. A bad aftertaste in your mouth could be demotivating to keep taking a product every day. The protein’s taste, by itself, is quite bitter which causes the bad aftertaste. When you want to start with taking a collagen supplement, it can therefore be good to first purchase a smaller amount of the product so you can find out if you like the taste or can get used to it.
In the case of CelioGenix, it has been made into a drink with a nice peachy taste. This drink also contains many other useful ingredients, making it a complete all-in-1 supplement for beauty and health.
Rare or minimal side effects
Even though collagen has no real side effects that negatively affect your health, there are some minimal side effects that could occur (1, 2). These rare and minimal effects are:
- A bloated feeling (or a feeling of being full, reducing hunger with the possibility of some weight loss as a result)
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Hypercalcemia (this is very rare, it’s a dangerous rise in calcium levels in your blood with signs such as throwing up, palpitations, and nausea. If you have these symptoms, figure out if there’s anything else that could be causing this, stop taking the supplement, and immediately consult a doctor) (1, 2).
Side effects caused by other ingredients
There are certain ingredients that work nicely together with collagen peptides in a supplement. For this reason, you often find them in collagen powders, pills, and drinks. The most common one is vitamin C, so we’ll briefly discuss this ingredient as well.
Vitamin C
It is very common for a collagen supplement to have vitamin c in it as well. This has, amongst other things, to do with the fact that vitamin C stimulates the body’s own collagen production (3). Besides, it contributes to normal energy levels and it is an important antioxidant (3). CelioGenix contains vitamin C for these reasons as well.
But are there any negative side effects to vitamin C?
Your body needs this vitamin, but what if you take too much of it? Actually, normally nothing really happens, and the surplus just leaves your body through urination. There isn’t even an upper limit of the daily intake. It is said, however, that when you take more than 2 grams per day you could get some mild intestinal complaints. CelioGenix contains the recommended daily amount of 75 milligrams; so it would require quite some dedication to take over 2 grams per day.
Children and pregnant women
Whether collagen is completely safe for children, pregnant women, and nursing women has not been subject of research enough. This is why the advice is to not take collagen supplements if you’re in this group but to always consult a doctor if you’re in doubt, pregnant, nursing, have medical complaints, or if you’re on any type of medication.
Please consider all the information above when purchasing a collagen supplement!
Summary of the benefits and side effects of collagen
Beauty benefits of collagen supplements
- Skin rejuvenation
- Reduction of fine lines and wrinkles
- Skin hydration
- Skin elasticity
- Reduction of cellulite
- Glowing hair
- Strong nails
- In combination with certain vitamins and minerals a there can be many health benefits as well
Possible (rare) side effects of collagen supplements
- Allergic reaction
- Bad aftertaste
- Bloated feeling
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Hypercalcemia
CelioGenix has been tested extensively and the results show that this beauty drink has no side effects. The CelioGenix Collagen Beauty Drink is also gluten free and suitable for diabetics.
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Literature
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11071580/
- https://benthamopen.com/contents/pdf/TONUTRAJ/TONUTRAJ-8-29.pdf
- https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1226
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