Effects of Hydrolyzed Collagen Supplementation on Skin Aging

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• The authors reviewed 19 articles featuring the results of randomized, double-blind, controlled trials to determine the effect of oral hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin hydration, elasticity, and wrinkles. A total of 1125 patients were included, with 95% being women. Although the oral supplement formulation and dosing were not uniform, hydrolyzed collagen supplementation for 90 days was associated with decreased facial wrinkles along with improved skin hydration and elasticity. No adverse effects were reported.

• Oral supplementation with hydrolyzed collagen can reduce signs of skin aging. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of the vehicle, dosing, and other co-administered substances.

–  Alex Noble, MD

Written by

 

 

Peter A. Lio MD, FAAD

Throughout its history, the never-ending quest to defy aging has taken some strange twists and turns. To my mind, the idea that simply eating more collagen could enhance the skin seems—at first blush—a bit like cargo cult science. Although collagen is clearly a critically important skin structural protein and is very much connected to the changes that are seen in aging, it seems a bit of a stretch that just supplementing it in the diet could result in improvement in skin elasticity and wrinkles. Indeed, the beautiful triple helix structure of collagen, rich in hydroxyproline, almost certainly breaks down quickly in the stomach and intestinal tract. The acids, proteases, peptidases, and of course the gut barrier, essentially ensure that only the amino acids and, at best, some small peptides are absorbed. And yet, a very compelling paper by Tan et al demonstrated that both in vitro and in a clinical setting, adding L-histidine to the diet enhanced the production of filaggrin (known to be rich in L-histidine), suggesting that, as unlikely as it may seem, increasing the dietary raw materials could potentially result in enriched production of a desired protein.1

De Miranda et al do a very nice job of reviewing the literature on oral collagen supplementation for anti-aging benefits and come to a somewhat surprising conclusion: "...[I]ngestion of hydrolyzed collagen... is effective in reducing skin aging, as it reduces wrinkles and improves skin elasticity and hydration." In fact, similar to the filaggrin paper, the supplements are generally broken-down collagen, hydrolyzed into di- and tripeptides. Importantly, in animal models at least, it has been shown that these peptides are absorbed and do make their way to the skin to end up as part of new collagen.2,3 In over 1000 pooled patients across 19 articles, they nicely lay out the findings and discuss the outcome measurements such as ultrasonography, corneometry, and use of silicon skin replicas. They use forest plots to show that the hydrolyzed collagen intervention is favored over the placebo groups across the studies in terms of skin hydration and elasticity, and also help reassure against bias by use of a funnel chart. Finally, they point out that studies using supplements with higher concentrations of Pro-Hyp and Hyp-Gly dipeptides showed visible improvements of the evaluated parameters after 4 weeks, and that these may be the ones to seek.

Given the safety and relative accessibility of hydrolyzed collagen supplements, I am happy to admit that my mind has been changed after reading this meta-analysis. Although it is always difficult to know the degree of improvement and how clinically relevant it would be for a given patient, on the whole supplementation with hydrolyzed collagen seems reasonable and evidence-based when thinking about reducing the signs of aging.

References

1. Tan SP, Brown SB, Griffiths CE, et al. Feeding filaggrin: effects of l-histidine supplementation in atopic dermatitis. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2017;10:403-411. https://www.dovepress.com/feeding-filaggrin-effects-of-l-histidine-supplementation-in-atopic-der-peer-reviewed-article-CCID
2. Liu C, Sugita K, Nihei KI, et al. Absorption of hydroxyproline-containing peptides in vascularly perfused rat small intestine in situ. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2009;73(8):1741-1747. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1271/bbb.90050
3. Kawaguchi T, Nanbu PN, Kurokawa M. Distribution of prolylhydroxyproline and its metabolites after oral administration in rats. Biol Pharm Bull. 2012;35(3):422-427. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/35/3/35_3_422/_article

Abstract 

Skin aging has become a recurring concern even for younger people, mainly owing to increased life expectancy. In this context, the use of nutricosmetics as supplements has increased in recent years. Moreover, numerous scientific studies have shown the benefits of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation in improving the signs of skin aging. The objective of this study was to summarize the evidence on the effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on human skin through a systematic review followed by a meta-analysis of clinical trials focusing on the process of skin aging. A literature search was conducted in the Medline, Embase, Cochrane, LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), and Journal of Negative Results in BioMedicine databases. Eligible studies were randomized, double-blind, and controlled trials that evaluated oral supplementation with hydrolyzed collagen as an intervention and reported at least one of the following outcomes: skin wrinkles, hydration, elasticity, and firmness. After retrieving articles from the databases, 19 studies were selected, with a total of 1,125 participants aged between 20 and 70 years (95% women). In the meta-analysis, a grouped analysis of studies showed favorable results of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation compared with placebo in terms of skin hydration, elasticity, and wrinkles. The findings of improved hydration and elasticity were also confirmed in the subgroup meta-analysis. Based on results, ingestion of hydrolyzed collagen for 90 days is effective in reducing skin aging, as it reduces wrinkles and improves skin elasticity and hydration.

International Journal of Dermatology

Effects of Hydrolyzed Collagen Supplementation on Skin Aging: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Int. J. Dermatol 2021 Mar 20;[EPub Ahead of Print], RB de Miranda, P Weimer, RC Rossi

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Benjamin Hidalgo-Matlock
Skin Care Physicians of Costa Rica

Clinica Victoria en San Pedro: 4000-1054
Momentum Escazu: 2101-9574

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