Collagen for Weightloss? Here’s What the Science Says – Episode

Empowering you Organically – Season 10 – Episode 86

Title: Collagen for Weightloss? Here’s What the Science Says

Hosts: Jonathan Hunsaker, TeriAnn Trevenen

Description:  You may have heard about collagen’s ability to help with skin firmness, joint and gut health, and stronger hair, nails, and teeth… but what about collagen for weight loss? Is that among its many purported benefits? Indeed, studies have shown a link between collagen supplementation and weight loss – and the mechanisms for this connection may surprise you.

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Most of Us Are Deficient in Collagen

Poor diet, stress, lack of sleep… all of these factors play a part in a little-known epidemic of low collagen in adult bodies. woman with upset stomach Approximately 60 to 70 million Americans are affected by some kind of digestive disease, resulting in close to 50 million outpatient visits each year because of GI tract-related issues [1]. At the same time, most people on the planet succumb to the “normal” loss of muscle mass loss as they age: up to 40% [2] less by the time they reach age 40!

Of course, there are many reasons for these shocking statistics. One thing they have in common, however, is that collagen plays a major role in both GI and connective tissue health.

The fact is that a person simply couldn’t survive, let alone sit up straight, without collagen. It is a protein, and one of the most abundant found in your body. It’s what makes up the interior lining of the gut as well as forms connective tissue. Collagen is a central ingredient for hair formation and its glue-like consistency forms the intricate tissues of the skin at all levels. As we age, we lose it, which is what causes our skin to wrinkle.

The Connection Between Collagen and Weight Loss

So, what does all this have to do with collagen for weight loss? Good question! Here are the three main ways that collagen can contribute to a slimmer, more toned figure:

#1 – Collagen helps the gut.

Collagen helps with the breakdown of fats and proteins in the gut. The amino acid glycine within collagen also helps maintain the proper pH in the stomach and stimulates gastric juices. Collagen types I and III are literally the raw materials for the connective tissue in the digestive system and there is increasing evidence that collagen supplementation can help repair the intestines and even heal Leaky Gut (aka intestinal permeability).

A 2003 Greek study found that people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome had lower serum collagen levels than those who did not have this connection [3]. A healthy GI tract means more nutrient absorption and less “waste around your waist” as well as less gas and bloat. That’s good news for your health in general, as well as your waistline.

#2 – Collagen helps build muscle mass.

In fact, collagen IS the “stuff” that makes up connective tissues and muscles in the body! It’s a fact that getting the right amount of collagen your body needs can turn “flabby weight” into muscle, as long as you couple your supplementation with a healthy diet and strength training.

A 2016 report [4] in the International Journal of Medical Sciences found that collagen peptide supplementation helped to curb obesity in menopausal women by preventing muscle mass loss. According to the researchers, “collagen supplementation can complete its anti-obesity activity with minor side effects in menopausal women.”

#3 – Collagen speeds metabolism.

In the same vein, collagen helps to gently give metabolism a little “kick in the pants” along the way. And here is something that you may not have known: muscle mass has a direct effect on metabolism. This change may be subtle but over time, can be significant.

For example, the University of Maryland [5] researchers analyzed a group of men age 50-65 during an 18-week strength training regime. During the time, the men gained about 2.8 pounds of fat-free mass. At the same time, their metabolic rate increased by a little over 250 calories a day.

And if all this doesn’t convince you, check this out. One study found that just 12 weeks of consistent collagen supplementation reduced fat mass in participants by up to 10 pounds [6]!

Build Muscle, Lose Fat the Natural Way

Does this mean that you can simply power down a collagen shake every day and never have to work out again? No way! The fact is that nothing replaces a quality, well-balanced diet, and a healthy lifestyle. This includes plenty of movement, stress management,7 self-care, and detoxification.

But collagen supplementation can be an easy and powerful tool to add to your health and fitness toolbox. It’s an amazing substance that every cell in your body simply cannot live without. With enough of it, your body can thrive. What’s more, getting the best collagen supplement can help you LOOK and FEEL younger, stronger, and possibly even thinner in the process!

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Jonathan Hunsaker:

Welcome to another episode of Empowering You Organically. I’m your host, Jonathan Hunsaker, joined by my cohost TeriAnn Trevenen.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Hey everyone.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Today we have an exciting topic. When do we not? We are going to talk about collagens and how it relates to weight loss. So we’ve talked a lot about collagens. We talk about how it can help you look younger, it can help your joints, tighten up your skin.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Gut.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Yeah, the gut. I mean it does all kinds of amazing things. But we’re going to talk specifically about how collagen can help with weight loss or even call it weight management. So where do we begin? First and foremost, I think most of us are deficient in collagen. I’ve talked about this stat before and if this is the first time you’re listening, you can hear it for the first time. At about age 25 we stop creating collagens about a rate of 1% per year. So I’m 41, it means I make 16% less than I did when I was 25. And how many of us out here listening are older than 25? You’re not making as much collagen as you once did.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Yep.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

And as you’re making less collagens your skin starts to sag because collagen is that elasticity that keeps it tight, your joints start hurting, they start creaking. Your hair starts thinning, starts falling out. Your nails start getting more brittle. All of these things happen because we’re not creating as much collagen as we once did when we were younger. What’s the best way to look younger, feel younger is add some collagen.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

And it’s not just part of the aging process, but there are outside factors that we bring into our lives that can impact our collagen production. Poor diet, stress, lack of sleep. Studies are showing that all of these factors play a part in a little known epidemic of low collagen and adult bodies. Approximately 60 to 70 million Americans are affected by some kind of digestive disease, resulting in close to 50 million outpatient visits each year because of GI tract related issues. 50 million outpatient visits. At the same time, the research shows most people on the planet succumb to the normal loss of muscle mass loss as they age up to 40% less by the time they reach age 40.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

So like you were talking about, we just slow down on our collagen production, but there’s also things we’re doing that are impacting that like poor diet, stress, lack of sleep. Super, super important when it comes to collagen.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Yeah. And so supplementing with collagen can really help in all of those other areas, but it can also really help in weight loss itself. And I want to talk about that specifically. Really quickly before I do, I want to be really clear as well that there’s a lot of different collagen supplements out there and they’re not all created equally. So I want to just make sure that everybody understands that you’ve got to know what you’re shopping for and what you’re looking for. One, make sure that the company that you’re buying from is a trusted company. Two, what collagen are you getting? Is it a multiple collagen product or is it a single type collagen product? Because the single types are only going to work on certain things, where a multiple collagen type will work across the entire spectrum.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

The other thing to understand is your body cannot produce nor can it absorb collagen if you are deficient in vitamin C. And so I suggest that your collagen supplement has vitamin C in it to ensure that you’re getting maximum absorption from that collagen.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

The last thing I’ll say is clean sourced collagens, right? So you can get collagens that come from fish and that come from chicken broth and from different places. And if it is a low quality, then you’re getting low quality collagen. It likely has GMOs in it, has heavy metals in it, has pesticides, things like that. So ask the company before you buy their collagen supplement for some certified results that show that it’s a clean collagen, that it doesn’t have the heavy metals, pesticides, all of that. So just a quick plug because we’re going to talk about collagen supplements specifically and you need to know what to look for.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Absolutely. So let’s get to the meat of the conversation today. Let’s talk about the connection between collagen and weight loss. So here are a few reasons why collagen is important when it comes to weight loss. Let’s talk about number one, the gut, which I talked about, I kind of put that plug a little bit earlier. Collagen a lot of times is talked about for skin, hair, nail health, but I talk about this a lot in my Facebook lives. I talk about this a lot on the podcast. Collagen is super important for gut health, which we don’t talk about enough when it comes to collagen. It helps with the breakdown of fats and proteins in the gut. The amino acid glycine within collagen also helps maintain the proper pH in the stomach and stimulate gastric juices. Collagen types one and three are literally the raw materials for the connective tissue in the digestive system. And there is increasing evidence that collagen supplementation can help repair the intestines and even heal leaky gut, which I’ve talked about a lot.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Yeah. And it’s why bone broth is so effective at helping to heal the gut. It’s the collagen that’s inside bone broth. And so you can take just a straight collagen supplement and get a lot of those same benefits.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Absolutely. Really quickly on that too, a 2003 Greek study found that people with irritable bowel syndrome had lower serum collagen levels than those who did not have this connection. A healthy GI tract means more nutrient absorption and less waste around your waist as well as less gas and bloat. So those are things to think about. This is a real issue. People are studying this. They’re looking at this and they’re showing that an unhealthy gut can lead to bloating, weight gain, all of those things. So be really, really conscious of that when it comes to your overall health. Your gut is super important in that aspect.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Well, and you said something that’s important that I think gets lost a lot of times and that’s the nutrient absorption. So we can go and we can get a fast food meal and we can eat and it’s 15,000 calories. But the amount of nutrients in that meal are so minimal. It’s why an hour later you feel hungry again because you didn’t get the nutrients that your body needs. And so then we go and we consume more food and we consume more food. Well now let’s talk about just aside from a fast food diet, let’s say you even eat a healthy meal, but your gut is out of whack and you can’t absorb the nutrients. now you’re getting all kinds of waste. You’re not feeling as full. Then you’re eating again more, which it may not contribute to actual weight loss, but it will help prevent the weight gain from overeating because your body’s constantly craving more food because you’re not absorbing all the nutrients.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Absolutely. So let’s go on to our next point, which is a super interesting point. Collagens when it comes to our body helps build muscle mass. It’s the stuff that makes up connective tissues and muscles in the body. It’s a fact that getting the right amount of collagen your body needs can turn flabby weight into muscle as long as you couple your supplementation with a healthy diet and strength training.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Yeah. I learn more about this every single day and it’s really interesting how well building muscle keeps us not only feeling young but looking young. It increases the metabolism, it increases your quality of life quite frankly. And so collagen, it’s a good protein, it’s a good protein source. And it’s got a slow release protein source so your amino acids stay elevated for a longer period of time.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

So collagens, in my opinion, are really good to take right before bed. Kind of like taking a casein protein shake because your aminos stay high. Whereas a whey, you’re going to spike and then drop really quickly. A bone broth protein of collagens keeps those amino acids higher for longer, which means you’re going to build muscle during that period of time. It’s a slow release collagen.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

And you said something really important, you have to couple it with a healthy diet and strength training. Just taking some collagens on its own is going to have you looking like Arnold, right?

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Right.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

But you do need to go out there and do resistance training and then get some proper clean proteins to build those muscles. Building those muscles will increase your metabolism and I guarantee you’ll lose weight. Now there’s no such thing as turning fat into muscle. So don’t think all a sudden my fat’s going to become muscle. What it will do though is it will burn the fat, and you’ll put on muscle. So it’s a re-composition that actually happens and collagen is a phenomenal protein for that.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Absolutely. I want to talk about a study really quick in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, done in 2016, which found that collagen peptide supplementation helps to curb obesity in menopausal women by preventing muscle mass loss. According to the researchers, collagen supplementation can complete its anti-obesity activity with minor side effects in menopausal women. So just an interesting thing to think about. I don’t think that we really look at collagens as this can help me longterm with managing my weight, but it can.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Well, the older that we get, the more protein that we need. And a lot of that is to retain the muscle that we already have and retain that lean muscle. And so if you’re deficient in protein or if you’re deficient even in quality proteins then it’s like what you said, you’re going to start losing muscle mass, which is why taking a collagen supplement will help that, especially with menopausal women.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Absolutely. So let’s talk about our next point. Collagen speeds up metabolism. Collagen helps to gently give metabolism a little kick in the pants, if you will, along the way. And here is something that you may not have known. Muscle mass has a direct effect on metabolism. This change may be subtle, but over time, can be very significant.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Yeah, and that’s what I was kind of alluding to before is as you put on more muscle, then you’re increasing your daily, it takes more energy just to maintain your body. And so it increases your metabolism and how many calories you’re using per day. It’s really interesting. I think about this often, a lot of times when I’m at the gym. But we think about when it comes to weight loss, we always think about let’s do cardio. Let’s get on the elliptical or on the treadmill and let’s do an hour of cardio. Let’s say that you spend that hour doing cardio and you burn 350 calories and there’s 3,500 calories in a pound of fat.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

So in 10 days you’re going to burn a pound. In a month you’re going to burn three pounds. And everybody thinks, okay, cardio, cardio for weight loss. But if you change the thinking and you get into resistance training, take that hour and lift weights and also take a good collagen and other protein supplement. You may only burn 250 calories during that workout. So it’s going to take you about 15 days to lose that pound of fat. You’ll only going to lose two pounds in that month. But what’s interesting is your metabolism is going to slowly increase. So in that first month of time you will burn more fat just doing cardio. But after that first month, you’ll now have increased your daily needs by 50 calories or a hundred calories. So now at month two you’re burning 250 calories while you lift. Plus your body’s burning an additional 100 calories because of the more muscle mass. Now you’re at the 350. Then in month three, now you’re burning 150 or 200 calories.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

And this is whether you go to the gym or not. So the interesting thing is, is cardio burns it while you’re doing the cardio. Resistance training and building the muscle mass will increase your metabolism long term. And so if you have a lazy day, you’ll still burn an extra a hundred to 200 calories where if you don’t get on that treadmill, you’re not burning those calories.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Yeah, so it’s interesting. I want to talk about two things around what you just shared. So there was a study out of the University of Maryland where researchers analyzed a group of men age 50 to 65 during an 18 week strength training regimen. During the time the men gained about 2.8 pounds of fat free mass. At the same time, their metabolic rate increased by a little over 250 calories a day. So, that’s what we were just talking about. So I want you to talk really quickly. You had shared with me about Joe Rogan, who has a podcast, he’s very famous and he’s been in the fighting world and whatnot. And you talked about something that he did in January that was very interesting and I am not recommending that this is the go to nutrition plan for anyone. I just think you should talk a little bit about what you shared with me about his protein intake and what he saw in his body, because it speaks to what we’re talking about here today with getting the right amino acids and protein in your diet. I just think it’s interesting.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Yeah, and it’s kind of a stretch here, but he did a carnivore diet for a month, which means all he ate was meat. He got a lot of proteins. Now I’m not saying to do a carnivore diet. I think you can get a lot of proteins from a plant based diet. I think you can get a lot of proteins from other things. But the thing that’s interesting is he lost 12 pounds during just that because he was getting so many proteins. And he’s a big guy, I mean he lifts. But he was really supporting his body in getting stronger and building more muscle and it burned off that fat so much easier because of the proteins that he was getting, the amino acids that he was getting. So I say that not to say, hey, go do a carnivore diet. But I say it to make sure you are getting adequate protein. And the other thing when it comes to protein, is it’s not just the amount of protein that you ingest, but it’s that actually the amount of protein that you can break down and digest and use. Quick plug for our enzyme supplement, having a really good proteolytic enzyme to break down your proteins can make it so that your body can actually utilize those amino acids and build your muscle even more.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Yeah. I wanted you to touch on that for a few reasons. I want to go back to this. So not just in collagens is what you’re getting with amino acids, what collagens does for your muscles and what we talked about with weight loss and all of that, but just I think there’s a lot of misconceptions around things like collagen and weight and protein and strength training. We talked about this here today coupled with a regimen. You’re not just going to take collagens or you’re not just going to up your protein intake and then all of a sudden you’ve got weight loss going on.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

I want to go back to the Joe Rogan thing for a minute because we’re talking here about putting collagen in your diets to maintain weight loss. He was in a rigorous strength training program. He is definitely someone who gets in the gym and then he increased his protein production. Not only did he lose weight, but he has a skin issue and it reversed his skin issue and there was just so many things he talked about and how it impacted his health. And I think we talked about collagen for skin and hair and nails, but when we talk about collagen and amino acids, we talk about protein.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

People should not be afraid to get a range of proteins in their diet. They should not be afraid to put collagen in their diet to really look at ways to maintain better muscle mass longterm, to maintain a better metabolic rate. But you also have to couple that with good nutrition, a variety of proteins, including putting collagens into your diet and other proteins. And then also making sure that you’re moving your body and getting strength training in. So I just wanted to make that plug. I thought his situation was very interesting, looking at the conversation around protein. And I think there’s a lot of misconceptions and I think there’s a lot of misconceptions with things like collagens as well. So I just thought it was a really interesting aspect of what he did there with protein.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Yeah, and I’m glad you brought that up. The other thing I also want to touch on too, because we talk about resistance training, we talk about lifting heavy weights. I think for a lot of women there’s a concern that I’m going to get big, I’m going to get bulky. It’s not going to happen. It absolutely will not happen unless you’re taking some sort of hormone, testosterone, things like that. You’re just not going to get big. Now you might get a little bit more ripped, you might get a little bit more lean. But you’re not going to put on bulk. So don’t be afraid of protein in that sense. And don’t be afraid of lifting heavy weights. If you’re listening to this podcast, you likely have a few pounds that you’re wanting to get off. I highly encourage you to walk past the treadmill and the elliptical and go lift some heavy weights.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Sure.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

And then increase your protein intake.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Will you talk really quickly too, so we’ve had conversations about this before. Talk about collagens on protein being taken together, because now we’re talking about proteins and what they can do for maintaining healthy weight long term, increasing your metabolic rate, collagen and can be impacted through that. Talk about collagen and protein consumption together and why it’s important when it comes to collagen.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Absolutely. So collagen on its own is not “a complete protein”. So a complete protein has nine essential amino acids. Collagen on its own only has eight. Now does that mean that you’re not going to use collagen, it’s not going to be effective? No, but it doesn’t count if you just take it by itself as your total protein intake for the day. So if you take a collagen supplement and they say it’s 10 grams of protein, if you’re taking it standalone, your body is not using it the same way because it doesn’t have all the essential acids in it. So one thing, and this is what we do with our clean source collagens, is we actually add 140 milligrams of tryptophan, which gives it all nine essential amino acids. So now it is a complete protein and you can take it on its own and you’re going to get all of the benefits.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Yeah.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

So if you’re taking another collagen supplement that is not a complete protein, switch and take clean source collagens. No, I’m just kidding. If you’re taking another one, take it with another protein, whether it’s your plant-based protein shake or your whey protein or casein or your egg white or whatever protein you’re doing. That way you can borrow some of those essential amino acids for the collagens to have a complete protein.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

I just think that was a really important point to make because we’re talking about how collagen and can help with building muscle mass, it helps the gut, it helps with metabolism. But then we’re talking about protein as well and tying this all together I think that really getting collagen in with other protein and getting that extra benefit, either taking a collagen that’s a complete protein, what we just talked about, or taking your collagen in a smoothie with your other protein powders and whatnot. I think it’s a really good point to think about if you’re trying to increase muscle mass, if you’re trying to improve your metabolic rate. Protein is so critical for that and making your collagen and a complete protein by mixing it with other things is not something that’s talked about ever and should be talked about more often. I think it’s something that people need to be educated on.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Absolutely. Listen, if you’re over 30 years old and you’re not taking a collagen supplement, you will regret it when you’re 40. And if you’re 40 and not taking it, you’re going to regret it when you’re 50 and 60 and 70. People ask me, what are the most essential supplements to take? A good, clean multivitamin. First and foremost, you’ve got to take that. Second is probably a collagen because there is nothing that’s going to impact your health as much, in my opinion, as a good collagen. Not only from your appearance and your tight skin, but what it does to your gut, how it helps your joints. I mean, I’m 41, I was 250 pounds for a decade. I went right into running five and 10 miles a day. If I was on vacation or I didn’t have my collagens with me, I felt my knees like you wouldn’t believe, from carrying all that weight and doing all that running.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Now I don’t feel my knees at all and I do a lot of heavy resistance training and I still run several miles every single morning. So like the collagen, if you’re not taking it, find your reason. Take it for muscle building. Take it for joint relief. Take it for looking younger. Take it for your gut, take it for the proteins. Just take it. You need a good collagen. It’s a no brainer. And one that you should take for the rest of your life, quite frankly. I mean it really makes that big a difference. And we have, I was counting the other day, I think 500 reviews on our website. And I think 490 are five star reviews on our clean source collagens. And a lot of the reviews, are I love it, the only thing I don’t love is I’m going to take this forever because it’s so good and it makes you feel that good. And so I don’t want to plug our all the time, but dang it if I did, and I’d be doing you a disservice.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Our clean source collagen is top of the line. It’s a complete protein. It has vitamin C in it, which means you don’t have to worry about having enough vitamin C or being deficient in vitamin C. And we had other things like zinc. It’s got the tryptophan for the complete protein and it’s clean and it’s certified. Go to our website, organixx.com and you’ll see the certifications on there that show the lack of heavy metals and no pesticides and no GMOs and all of that. And if you don’t buy ours, no problem. Go get a good clean one. And it’s a multi-type collagen as well. So anyway, I’m sorry, just the salesman and he wants to plug it because it’s so dang good and I feel such a difference on it.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Awesome.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

Cool. I think that’s it. I think you guys are ready for me to wrap it up, aren’t you? Good. Thank you for tuning in. If you liked this episode, please go to iTunes and subscribe. We no longer send emails to our podcast every single week because we’re writing so many articles and have all kinds of information we have to get to you that we just don’t have enough days in the week for the emails. So subscribe in iTunes. You won’t miss a single episode. We will continue dropping knowledge on you like we did on this episode and many more to come. Leave us a review. Give us five stars if you love it. Go to empoweringyouorganically.com for the transcripts, the show notes, links directly to clean source collagens, hint hint, and the video if you want to watch this again. And any final last words TeriAnn?

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Nope.

Jonathan Hunsaker:

I think we’re complete. Thanks everybody for listening. See you on the next show.

TeriAnn Trevenen:

Thanks everyone.

***

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[1] Digestive Diseases Statistics for the United States

[2] Strength and muscle mass loss with aging process. Age and strength loss

[3] Serum laminin and collagen IV in inflammatory bowel disease.

[4] Amelioration of estrogen deficiency-induced obesity by collagen hydrolysate

[5] Strength training increases resting metabolic rate and norepinephrine levels in healthy 50- to 65-yr-old men.

[6] Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial

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