The Collagen Trend: Why These Supplements Matter For Exercise and Health

Whether you're an athlete, trying to get better skin, or looking to improve your bone health, there's a supplement you need to know about: collagen.

At a beautiful outdoor breakfast in Nantucket, MA, I was introduced to collagen as a supplement for the first time, and it came in the form of pancakes, waters, and matcha lattes, with special (tasteless!) supplement powders from a brand called Vital Proteins. This was also the first time I had heard "collagen" referenced in the health world without any reference to needles or fillers — in fact, there were more stats thrown around about athletes and runners. Let's just say that I was more than intrigued.

Collagen is found naturally in the body, and it's essential to our tissue structure and elasticity — but its production declines with age ( . . . yayyyy). While collagen is found in animal proteins that you can eat naturally (like beef, for example), it's not typically in the cuts of meat you'd want to eat. Collagen comes from connective tissue — the stuff you're cutting off your meat, typically. Eating a boneless, skinless chicken breast? It's not exactly loaded with collagen. It's okay though, we don't really want to gnaw at bones and tendons, either.

There are also certain foods you can eat (turmeric is a good one) to increase your body's natural collagen production, but you won't get the same volume as you would with a supplement.

Supplements deliver the collagen or collagen peptides to your body in a way that can increase your levels directly. The benefits of collagen supplementation are pretty impressive and largely backed by science. Here are some reasons to consider loading up on this fundamental protein.