Marine collagen and skin: what the science really says

Studies suggest that collagen peptides can support the skin in two ways: by supplying building materials and by signaling fibroblasts to produce more of the body's own collagen. For marine (fish) collagen this is documented by work on tilapia and by cell models. Part of the evidence, however, is so far from the lab and from animals, or from application onto the skin, not from large human studies of drinking fish collagen. Below we distinguish what is supported by what.

Collagen makes up approximately 70 % of the dry weight of the dermis, the middle layer of the skin. Together with elastin and hyaluronic acid it keeps the skin firm, dense and supple. Collagen in the dermis is produced by cells called fibroblasts. When their activity drops, the collagen network thins out and the skin loses its support. The question for supplementation, then, is whether drinkable collagen can get the fibroblasts moving again.

The work by Chai and colleagues (Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, 2010) worked with peptides from tilapia scales. In a test on 62 women, relative skin elasticity rose by 24 to 35 % over four weeks and skin moisture increased in a dose-dependent way. In cell tests, the tilapia peptides drove skin fibroblasts to proliferate and increased the production of type I procollagen to roughly 250 % of the control.

An important context: the human part of this study was topical, the peptides were applied to the skin, not drunk, and it was not placebo-controlled. The cell results are from the lab. So treat them as a strong signal of mechanism, not as proof that drinking fish collagen does the same thing.

The study by Tanaka and colleagues (Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2009) gave fish (tilapia) collagen orally to hairless mice exposed to UV-B radiation. Collagen in the feed eased the drop in skin hydration, the thickening of the epidermis and the loss of dermal collagen that UV-B causes. This was an animal model, not humans.

That drinking collagen changes the very structure of the dermis is also supported by the experiment of Matsuda and colleagues (Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 2006). After administration of a collagen peptide, the density of fibroblasts and the density and thickness of collagen fibres in the dermis increased, and this was specific to collagen: the same amount of another protein had no such effect. This study, however, used porcine collagen and was conducted on pigs.

The strongest marine-specific data are for elasticity and moisture (tilapia) and for protection against UV-B (tilapia in animals). The mechanism "peptides wake up fibroblasts" is documented repeatedly. What is still missing is a large human randomized study directly on drinking marine collagen for a clinical skin endpoint. That is why at collalloc.com we write "studies suggest", not "guaranteed to rejuvenate".

• Skin is addressed from within and from outside. A cream works on the surface, supplementation targets the dermis via fibroblasts.
• Time and regularity. This is a gradual process, not a single sachet; measurable changes in skin studies come after weeks.
• Collagen's allies. Vitamin C as a cofactor in collagen production, water, protection from UV.
• collalloc collagen. Type I marine collagen, fraction below 500 Da, for a cold drink.

Sources

• Chai H. J. et al. Effects of sizes and conformations of fish-scale collagen peptides on facial skin qualities and transdermal penetration efficiency. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, 2010. doi.org/10.1155/2010/757301
• Tanaka M. et al. Effects of collagen peptide ingestion on UV-B-induced skin damage. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 2009. doi.org/10.1271/bbb.80649
• Matsuda N. et al. Effects of ingestion of collagen peptide on collagen fibrils and glycosaminoglycans in the dermis. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 2006. doi.org/10.3177/jnsv.52.211