Why and How to Use Collagen Protein Powder

What is Hydrolysed Collagen?

Hydrolysed Collagen sounds sexy, however many people don’t know its origin. Basically, it is made from using all the parts of an animal (whether cows, pigs or fish) so the amino acid spectrum is a little different to what you get from meat – which comes from the muscle of an animal.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and is the main component in producing connective tissue.

The body uses collagen in the formation and maintenance of bones, teeth, ligaments, hair, nails and the skin (Lodish et al., 2020).

Our collagen comes from cows, which our extensive research concluded is the best form.

How does Collagen Protein compare to Whey Protein?

While both are high protein nutritional supplements, the benefits of hydrolysed collagen differ slightly when compared to whey protein (which is renowned for being the gold standard protein for building muscle).

Our Collagen Protein is much lower in Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) and Essential Amino Acids (EAAs), yet far higher in Glycine, Methionine and Alanine while containing Hydroxyproline and Hydroxylysine which aren’t part of other protein sources.

Collagen Protein has some excellent benefits, but muscle building is not its main function.

This blog illustrates Collagen Protein's strengths and helps you decide how to best use Collagen Protein, depending on your goals.

Collagen Protein can help revitalise your skin

Collagen is commonly associated with improving skin health and is often added to skin care products like creams and lotions for its “anti-aging” and “anti-wrinkle” qualities.

However, studies have shown that the benefits are greater when consumed orally, as external skincare products can’t always reach the deeper layers of skin. (Bolke, Schlippe, Gerß and Voss, 2019).

The scientific evidence behind oral collagen supplements is hard to argue, with more than 60 studies finding skincare benefits from continual use (Sibilla et al., 2015).

Continuous use of collagen supplementation has been shown to help internal and external layers of the skin. Externally, collagen hydrates skin cells, improving the elasticity and density of the skin (Kim et al., 2018). Internally, collagen improves the function of the dermis, which is the living tissue under the surface of the skin (Asserin, Lati, Shioya and Prawitt, 2015).

The combination of overall skin health and its high level of safety makes collagen one of the best products in the fight against skin ageing (Sibilla et al., 2015).

I have no issues with dairy, but still want the benefits of Collagen…

This is where we feel most people would fit in.

You’ve heard about the benefits of Collagen Protein for joints, bones, skin and hair, but building muscle and recovery is still very important for you.

If this is you, we would recommend Protein Matrix+, Whey Protein Isolate or Whey Protein Concentrate as your first protein, best taken after training. These are all pure proteins.

All have over 23g of protein per serve, with less than 2g of fats and carbohydrates per serve.

If any of these scenarios are you, we recommend having one shake a day of any of the proteins above when training, then using Collagen Protein on your off days or as the second shake.

I want to avoid dairy but want to build muscle and strength…

This is easy enough, if you’re in this situation we’d suggest a few options as your primary protein.

Both of these options are high in BCAAs and EAAs, while Collagen Protein in comparison contains approximately half the BCAAs and only a quarter of the EAAs.

The key here is that BCAAs and EAAs are overwhelmingly supported by evidence as being the key amino acids for muscle growth and recovery. Basically, three or four doses of Collagen Protein are required to get similar levels of these key amino acids, so it really isn’t a good choice as a sole protein for building muscle and enhancing recovery.

If your goal is to build muscle without dairy we suggest Future Whey or Earth Protein once a day, first – ideally around training time, with Collagen Protein used as a secondary protein later in the day, where it supports bones, joints, skin and hair.

Whether you choose Future Whey or Earth would depend on whether you want the purest product: Future Whey or whether you want an all-natural product, Earth Protein.

I am vegan but want the benefits of Collagen Powder…

Well, this is a tricky one as Collagen is a pure animal product. Believe it or not, we’ve seen one company advertising their Collagen as “vegan”, but we can assure you no such product exists.

There are some things you can do though, you see, Collagen Protein is 21% Glycine, and at Bulk Nutrients, we provide Glycine separately. Made using fermentation, Glycine is 100% plant-based.

Taking a 5-gram dose of Glycine would be the next best thing,

A 5g dose once a day will cost you as little as 20 cents when buying a kg.

If you are vegan/vegetarian and want the benefits of collagen, this is a very economical and effective way to achieve that goal.

What happens if I don’t want another protein, I just want Collagen?

Look, here at Bulk Nutrients we’re not in the business of telling you what to do, but we are big on results so love to suggest what works.

If you’re destined to be as beautiful as Kim K or Fabio, and building muscle isn’t your thing, by all means just take Collagen Protein to keep your skin, nails and hair looking beautiful and to keep your joints healthy.

If you are hitting the gym at all, we’d still suggest a dose of our BCAA Recovery during or after training. It helps recovery and reduces soreness; with many people finding it helps them train longer.

13 grams serving of BCAA Recovery offers a healthy 10 grams of BCAAs at approximately $1.65 per serve (and even less if you buy more than 1 bag), which you can either mix in with your raw collagen to add a nice flavour, or it can be taken separately – like at the gym while training.