Collagen Peptide Shown to Improve Healthy Skin Structure

by | Mar 10, 2017 | 2015, Skin Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Of the participating 66 Japanese and 106 caucasion women, those who supplemented with a collagen peptide for 8 weeks, experienced a significant improvement in hydration, collagen density and collagen network fragmentation when compared to the two placebo groups of women.

skin healthIn the United States, the cosmetics industry generated $56.63 billion in 2013 1. A core marketing component of this industry is maintaining healthy-looking skin in an effort slow down the aging process with the use of creams and supplements. The hallmark of aging skin is a decrease in collagen density and overall skin thickness 2 while the fibers of collagen in the skin break down and become “increasingly fragmented” 3.

A decreased ability of the body to replace aging cells with healthier collagen and skin cells 4, including a 30% drop in collagen production in the first 4 years of menopause 5 leads to wrinkles and “sagging” skin 6. As a result, finding ways to maintain healthy collagen and adequately replace aging cells with healthier ones is a cornerstone of healthy skin.

In part one of a two-part 2015 study researchers investigated the effect of collagen peptide supplementation in 66 Japanese women aged 52-58. They supplemented for 8 weeks with either 10 grams of a porcine –derived collagen peptide drink called Peptan P (33 women) or 10 grams of a placebo containing 10 grams of sugar powder (33 women). Facial skin health was assessed before the study and at weeks 4 and 8.

In part two of the study 106 Caucasian women in France, aged 52-58, supplemented for 12 weeks with either 10 grams of a fish-derived collagen peptide drink called Peptan F (53 women) or 10 grams of a placebo sugar powder (53 women). Facial skin health assessments were taken before the study and at weeks 4 and 12.

The researchers noted significant improvements in three areas of skin health in the collagen peptide groups versus the placebo:

  • Hydration: After 8 weeks, those in the Peptan P group had a 27.4% increase in skin hydration (51 to 65 arbitrary units, p < 0.0001) compared to a 12 % increase in the Peptan F group (52 to 57 arbitrary units, p < 0.01) and a 1.9% increase in the placebo group (52 to 53 arbitrary units, p > 0.05)
  • Collagen density: In the French study, those in the Peptan F group had an 8.2% increase in collagen density (5.45 to 5.9, p < 0.001) compared to a 1.6% increase in the placebo group (5.9 to 6.0, p > 0.05). For the researchers, this increased collagen density indicates that collagen peptides strengthen the dermis by inducing collagen synthesis and might thereby reduce skin wrinkling.”
  • Collagen network fragmentation: In the French study, significant improvements were seen as early as 4 weeks in the Peptan F group (17.8% decrease in fragmentation, p = 0.036) versus the placebo group (8% increase in fragmentation, p > 0.929) Improvements were also significant at 12 weeks in the Peptan F group (31.2% decrease in fragmentation, p = 0.001) versus the placebo group (5.9% increase in fragmentation, p = 0.933).

The significance of this study was that superior nutrition was shown to improve skin health, rather than focusing on externally-applied creams. For the researchers, “To our knowledge, this is the first clinical study showing an effect of collagen peptides on dermal collagen fragmentation” and that “the oral supplementation with specific collagen peptides can improve skin structure and health from within.”

Source: Asserin J., Lati E., Shioya T.,. Eng B., Prawitt J.The effect of oral collagen peptide supplementation on skin moisture and the dermal collagen network: evidence from an ex vivo model and randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 14, 291—301

© 2015 The Authors. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License,. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Posted March 10, 2017

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. Statista. Revenue of the Cosmetic/Beauty Industry in the United States from 2002 to 2016. Total revenue of the cosmetic industry in the United States from 2002 to 2011 and a forecast until 2016. The revenue of the U.S. cosmetic industry is estimated to amount to about 2062.2046 billion U.S. dollars in 2016. . Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/243742/revenue-of-the-cosmetic-industry-in-the-us/. Accessed February 20, 2017, 2017.
  2. Shuster S, BLACK MM, Mcvitie E. The influence of age and sex on skin thickness, skin collagen and density. British Journal of Dermatology. 1975;93(6):639-643.
  3. Chung JH, Seo JY, Choi HR, et al. Modulation of skin collagen metabolism in aged and photoaged human skin in vivo. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2001;117(5):1218-1224.
  4. Calleja-Agius J, Brincat M, Borg M. Skin connective tissue and ageing. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 2013;27(5):727-740.
  5. Kohl E, Steinbauer J, Landthaler M, Szeimies RM. Skin ageing. Journal of the European academy of dermatology and venereology. 2011;25(8):873-884.
  6. Asserin J, Lati E, Shioya T, Prawitt J. The effect of oral collagen peptide supplementation on skin moisture and the dermal collagen network: evidence from an ex vivo model and randomized, placebo‐controlled clinical trials. Journal of cosmetic dermatology. 2015;14(4):291-301.