5 Amazing Health Benefits of Marine Collagen

Does the idea of collagen supplements make your head spin? There are so many to choose from - powders, capsules, shots and shakes; bovine, porcine, marine or other sources. No wonder there’s so much confusion. This article takes a deep dive into marine collagen and answers some common questions. What’s a collagen peptide and why does size matter? Which collagen is best for the environment? What are some of the amazing health benefits to expect from a marine collagen supplement?

Table of contents

1. What is collagen?
2. The different types of collagen
3. Taking collagen supplements
4. 5 amazing health benefits of marine collagen

What is collagen?

Before you dive into the 5 amazing benefits of taking a marine collagen, let’s take a quick look at what exactly collagen is. You probably already know that it’s a protein. In fact it’s the most abundant protein in the human body. If you measured all the protein inside you, around a third of it would be collagen.

The different types of collagen

There are 28 different types of collagen, all with a slightly different composition and shape. Type 1 is the most abundant in the body, in fact 80-90% of your collagen is type 1. Collagen is composed from specific amino acids - glycine, proline, hydroxyproline and arginine. These are the building blocks of all collagen fibres. There are other essential nutrients needed, like vitamin C. That’s why your diet can have such a huge impact on your collagen production and health.

Taking collagen supplements

The collagen-production machine is not immune to the effects of time and from the age of about 30 collagen synthesis slows down. Each year 1-1.5% less is made and as more is broken down than created, over time this loss becomes more apparent. The desire to support and maintain the production and activity of collagen in the body is one of the reasons why collagen supplements are now such a popular choice.

5 amazing health benefits of marine collagen

With a clearer idea of what collagen is, let’s take a look at 5 of the ways it can benefit your health.

Marine collagen for beauty… 

With its inherent strength collagen is often thought of as scaffolding for the body. In the world of beauty, collagen is used to enhance and maintain the integrity and structure of the skin. Supplementing collagen has been shown to improve the skin’s appearance - reducing wrinkles and fine lines, as well as improving elasticity. Marine collagen is a great choice if beauty and appearance is your goal as it is naturally rich in both type 1 and type 3 collagen. Of the 28 types, type 1 collagen has the strongest affinity for the skin.

One important factor which influences how well your marine collagen works is the size of the collagen peptides. Basically has your marine collagen been broken down into big, chunky peptides or finer, smaller peptides and free amino acids? Why does this matter? Well, as Liz de Clerq at Bare Biology explains: “The molecular weight of collagen powders is important. The lower the molecular weight, the less work the body has to do to be able to access and use the amino acids to make new collagen.”

She continues with how collagen is processed: “Hydrolysed collagen powders have been broken down, using enzymes and high pressure steam, to make the collagen molecules much smaller and more ready to use. Amongst all collagen powders, there is a rating system for how small the molecular weight is- this is called Daltons. A great rating of 3,000 Daltons is one of the best/lowest weights you can get. To give you an idea of scale, some other collagen powders were rated as large as 50,000 Dalton’s.” So size is important when it comes to collagen.

Marine collagen for you and the planet…

Whether it’s due to religious practices or lifestyle choices, there are many people who want collagen from marine sources. When better animal husbandry and minimal environmental impact are important values to you, what should you look out for when choosing a marine collagen? You definitely want to examine the label and not shop based on price and whether the packaging is appealing. (Honestly, the number of times I’ve picked something up and been tempted to buy it, just because it ‘looks good’. ) Check the labels. More clued up brands will tell you where the fish were sourced, it might be MSC certified, hopefully no sharks will have been harmed. You can even see whether it does or doesn’t contain shellfish - pretty useful if your keeping Kosher or have a shellfish allergy.

Marine collagen for better sleep…

If you often think of getting some shut eye as ‘getting your beauty sleep’ then marine collagen will definitely tickle your fancy. Not only is it beneficial for outer radiance but it also helps you nod off at night. Remember the 3 amino acids which make up collagen? One of them is glycine.
As Meliza Beqiri at Revive Active remarks “the amino acid, glycine, which is found in marine collagen has been linked to having a positive impact on sleep”. But that’s not all, she continues “hydrolysed marine collagen peptides promote bone and joint health because the fish collagen assists the absorption of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. These minerals are known to stimulate osteoblasts, a type of cell that synthesises bone”. Strong bones and a good night’s sleep certainly can’t be beat.

Marine collagen for healing your intestines…

Marine collagen for after your workout…

A lot of the time collagen is taken for it’s long-term effects but what about in the short-term? As Oana Caldararu at Higher Nature observes, “This also makes a fabulous post work-out drink for both men and women - the hydrolysed collagen, with its high amino acid content and enhanced absorption, helps replenish protein loss in muscles during exercise, making it ideal for muscle repair and recovery.” So it’s definitely worth stashing a few sachets of collagen in your gym bag!

A marine collagen supplement could be packed full of health benefits and contribute to improved skin health, stronger muscles, better digestion and sound sleep. A considered choice could also have less impact on the environment. Now, the only decision left to make is whether you want to take a marine collagen powder, shot or pill.

Want to try a marine collagen? Check out these three products from Revital’s expansive collagen stock:
• Birch & Wilde Marine Collagen,120 Capsules

• Vital Proteins Marine Collagen, 221gr

• Planet Paleo Marine Collagen, 450gr

Nina Sabat is a health and wellness advisor at Revital and a Registered Nutritional Therapist. She is passionate about encouraging small steps to great big changes in health.