Collagen Hydrolysate Experience

I've seen better results with other stuff. The trick with collagen is the source. Beef Collagen is usually type I and III and can be sourced from aged cows who might be in worse shape than you as marbled steak is preferred and comes from older cows. It also contains alot of lysine which can harm your kidney's in the long term. There are definitely better options that will prove to be more consistent.

I take 2+ (24+ grams) tablespoons of the Great Lakes hydrolyzed gelatin a day and yes, I have noticed a difference in my skin texture as well as my apparent ability to recover and the health of my connective tissues. These are subjective considerations, though. Just my thoughts. 

With all due respect, I have a different opinion, Yolf.

Great Lakes appears to be transparent about the quality of their collagen, which is from grass-fed beef, which means that Great Lakes is aware of the inferiority of grain-fed beef products, in general. 

Also, marbled steak is grain-fed, which means that it is inferior for purposes of longevity, as consumption of grain-fed beef is associated with an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of a shorter lifespan, as per a large Harvard study.
http://www.michaelmo...Meat_Kills.html
 

My current interest in hydrolyzed collagen comes because of a couple of years of highly "painful" parasthesia in my left hand caused by spinal stenosis and degenerated discs.

I had one of UCLA's best neurosurgeons recommend that I have a triple fusion in C-5-6+7.

I will not have a fusion.

I am attempting to do the 15th "medically impossible" thing that I have documented in re-aligning the misaligned vertebrae and regenerating the discs.

A 77-year old friend that has three degenerated lumbar discs reported that his "alternative" chiropractor recommended that he take the same Great Lakes Grass-Fed hydrolyzed collagen that you are asking about (two+ tablespoons a day), take 50 mg of manganese a day and use a Saunders traction device to pull the vertebrae/discs apart.

Within a year he reported that a new scan showed an approximate 80% improvement in disc height/volume.

I've been doing the same, except that I am seeing a doctor that has a traction unit that goes up to 35 pounds.

I report that the parasthesia in my left hand is about 10-20% as "painful" as it was about three years ago, so I am making progress.

I should note that back in the '90's Knox (gelatin) paid me a consulting fee in which I advised them to make the first hydrolyzed collagen product that eventually turned into the best-selling Knox NutraJoint.

Before that old-timers will remember that one had to dissolve gelatin in hot water to solubilize it. Hydrolyzing it breaks into tiny particles that dissolve in cold water, too. So, I have a history of studying this, although it was a long time ago and much research has taken place since then.

Published data show that hydrolyzed collage (gelatin) appears to preferentially go to collagenous tissues. This has been shown using 14C-labeled gelatin hydrolysate. https://www.ncbi.nlm...pubmed/11071580

One could hypothesize that humans are genetically adapted to ingest collagen via consumption of gelatin when eating animal tissues, and that a lack of regular ingestion of this raw material building block over a long period of time results in the loss or degradation of such tissues, in bones, connective tissue and skin (wrinkling). This notion is almost like thinking that collagen is a bit like an essential nutrient. If we don't get enough of it there is unnecessary, accelerated or premature aging caused by a deficiency.

Data show improvements in function for athletes - "Collagen hydrolysate is a nutritional supplement that has been shown to exert an

https://www.ncbi.nlm...ubmed/23949208/

https://www.ncbi.nlm...ubmed/21480801/

As to type l, ll and lll, I believe that there is merit in consuming sources of all three.

Also worth noting is that vitamin C is required for collagen formation, and a lifelong deficiency of vitamin C appears to predict more wrinkling of skin and loss of bone density. Most Americans only get about 300 mg of vitamin C a day.

One study looked at what we would get from a potential hunter-gatherer diet and found that such a diet would provide something around 2,300 mg of vitamin C a day. Is this more representative of what we are genetically-programmed to consume?

https://www.ncbi.nlm...cles/PMC283405/

If that is true, it could be one explanation for why the typical American is wrinkled and experiences a significant loss bone density as healthy bone is about 30% collagen and it is mostly collagen that gives bone its "flexibility," so that it absorbs impact without fracturing.
https://www.ncbi.nlm...pubmed/11149477

Best wishes!

Mikey, the difference in our age. I'm 35, you're ~64. Collagen supplements are racemic. The "relative age" and health of the animal the gelatin comes from is important, especially as they age faster than we do, The average "relative age" of the animal is likely younger than 64, but may be older than 35. We also never know if the animal it's coming from is healthy or not, or if one bad animal spoiled the collagen supply. More research is necessary and pure specific collagens/elastins should be harvested from gmo bacterial sources and applied according to age and health condition. Otherwise, unless you're old, you're experience with collagen will be inconsistent and you could waste money on kilograms of collagen that is older than the stuff you're making.

Have used the mentioned product , have tried others too.

I'm currently in the early stages of a multisystemic undiagnosed inflamatory disease, probably RA 

I'm assuming I'm losing collagen as my nails are falling apart, have lines/pits in them and my skin is dry and has lost it's suppleness.

46/m

I haven't noticed any improvement

I also take UC-2