I got this question recently, and it’s a great question…

I’m all about taking collagen ever since you said it was important. But how much should I be taking?

You know the importance of collagen. Many of you take it religiously. But how much is optimal? I’ve got a number for you now.

My recommendation USED to be any amount! However, now based on current research and personal and client experience, here’s my updated recommendations up front. Below I have more detail about why this is important and how I came to these numbers.

Ideal Collagen Per Day

20 grams of collagen for every 100 pounds of ideal bodyweight. OR, for an equation you can move the decimal point in your weight 2 spots to the left or multiply by .01:

(body weight) x (.01) x 20g = grams of collagen per day:

At 150lbs body weight = 20 g x 1.5 = 30g of collagen.
At 175lbs body weight = 20 g x 1.75 = 35g of collagen.
At 200lbs body weight = 20 g x 2.0 = 40g of collagen.
and so on.

And honestly, I would say the more the better.

This is the amount that is IDEAL. And yet, with this specific supplement, MORE IS ACTUALLY BETTER. So in some ways think of this as a MINIMUM.

BTW, when I say 20 grams I literally mean grams of protein when looking on the nutrition label:

In this example below (which is the multi collagen I take), to get my 40g of collagen, I’d need to take about 4 scoops

In this example below (Biotics collagen), the scoop is way bigger, so to get my 40g of collagen, I only need 2 scoops.

In this example (Vital Proteins collagen), the scoop is also way bigger, so to get my 40g of collagen, I only need 2 scoops.

What Are Best Types of Collagen?

Collagen Types

There are 29 types of collagen that have been identified, but most supplements will contain 1 or more of the following:

Type 1 — Collagen found in skin/hide, tendon, scales and bones of cows, pigs, chicken and fish
Type 2 — Formed in cartilage and typically derived from poultry
Type 3 — Fibrous protein found in bone, tendon, cartilage and connective tissues of cows, pigs, chicken and fish

Types 1, 2 and 3 comprise 90% of the collagen found in your body. So look for a “multi” collagen that has AT LEAST these 3. More types are even better.

Hydrolyzed May Be Best

Also, the “hydrolyzed” version may be the best way to go. Hydrolyzation refers to a processing technique that breaks the molecules down into smaller fragments, thereby enhancing intestinal absorption. It’s pre-broken down and mixes easier in liquids, vs the gelatin which has to be mixed in a hot liquid. I recommend going with a hydrolyzed collagen for supplementation, and then gelatin for cooking.

Which Collagen to Buy

I love the hydrolyzed one I sell through Biotics which has types 1, 2, and 3. These are flavored (chocolate or vanilla) and are great for coffee and desserts.
This is a good unflavored hydrolyzed one off of Amazon. It contains types 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10.
Or any hydrolyzed collagen with at least types 1, 2, and 3.

Here’s HOW I do it:

10g of collagen for every cup of coffee. Throughout a day I get 30 to 40g of collagen just from drinking coffee.
10g of collagen after a workout. Because tendons and ligaments are NOT soft tissue like muscle, it takes much more effort and much more time to work collagen into joints, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. BUT if you have good blood flow to your joints and tendons (like after a workout), the collagen will make it’s way into those areas easier.
1 scoop of collagen whenever I think about it!

Here’s Why

Collagen is the most common and abundant protein in your body. It accounts for approximately 30% of the total protein in your body. One of its primary purposes is to provide structure to allow tissues to stretch and flex while maintaining tissue integrity. Because collagen is 1/3 of your body’s protein, this is how I came to the number of 20g to 30g per 100 lbs of ideal bodyweight.

Collagen is found in every part of your body, but especially your skin, connective tissues like tendons, ligaments, and cartilage, your bones, organs, blood vessels (makes them elastic), hair and nails.

Collagen helps with wrinkles. Since most of us are in the 2nd half of our lives (the best half!), collagen can be the game changer that makes a difference with our skin. Even tho personally I feel like I see more wrinkles in the mirror, I do get compliments on my skin all the time!

Collagen is crucial for those of us that workout (which should be all of us ;) Since it’s the main component of bones, ligaments, tendons, etc., supplementing with collagen regularly helps you recover from workouts better, helps with the adaptation that you’re looking for, and helps prevention and recovery from injuries.

Collagen has been proven to be healthful on other levels. It can improve sleep, reduce joint pain, improve gut health, glucose tolerance and blood pressure, reduce cardiovascular damage, lower your risk of osteoporosis, and lower inflammation and oxidative damage from all sources.

Balance your meat with collagen. Our ancestors more than likely made use of every part of the animal, consuming everything that could be consumed, and finishing with simmering the bones to get every last bit of nutrition out of the carcass as possible. Our ancestors naturallly (and probably inadvertently) got a lot more collagen than we do in this modern world. The primary amino acids in collagen — glycine, proline and hydroxyproline — make up the matrix of connective tissue. Beef contains very little of these amino acids, so eating only muscle meat will not provide enough amino acids to allow you to build strong connective tissue and maintain bone strength. Supplementing with collagen is the key.

What do you think? Feel free to send me some feedback :)