Why Drink Your Collagen?
The ingestible collagen craze started, as many beauty trends often do, in Asia, where brands like Shiseido and Amore Pacific have been selling collagen powders, drinks, and supplements for years. In the U.S., the bone-broth phenomenon warmed us up to the idea of drinking our collagen, and more recently, Western brands have started to roll out beautifying supplements featuring the power protein—more on that in a minute.
"Collagen protein is unique in that it has high amounts of the amino acids glycine, proline, and lysine, which are essential for the formation and repair of connective tissues, repair of bone matrix and joint surfaces, support of healthy skin and hair, and more," raves Dave Asprey, the mad scientist behind the Bulletproof Coffee craze, that can be stirred into coffee, tea, soups, stews, smoothies, or plain old water.
Sipping collagen, rather than applying it topically or injecting it, provides the entire body with the building blocks it needs to support the creation and repair of the body's connective tissues—a process that starts to break down once you hit your mid-20s, Asprey says. Providing your entire system with collagen can help kickstart it again.
To find out how drinking collagen helps your own skin make more collagen.
