Does Collagen Help You Lose Weight? Yes! 4 Reasons Why

You’ve probably heard collagen peptides can help improve your skin. But did you know collagen can also help with weight loss?

If you want to lose weight and reverse the signs of aging in your skin, then collagen peptides could be the missing ingredient. Imagine feeling fuller for longer, toning up by improving lean muscle, and losing stubborn fat at the same time. Collagen peptides are an easy solution that you can quickly add to your daily routine.

Losing weight can be an uphill battle with restrictive diets and intense workout programs. It’s hard to know what works for getting results and what is a waste of your time. The last thing you want to do is waste your time and money on a promise that doesn’t even work.

The good news is that research shows how beneficial collagen is for weight loss. So keep going to discover the science behind collagen and weight loss. You’ll also discover the best time to take collagen peptides and how much to get the best weight loss results.

Why Collagen Helps You Lose Belly Fat

Collagen peptides will not only help you lose weight, but they also help make you slim by reducing visceral belly fat. Visceral belly fat is fat stored deep in your belly and is more harmful since it surrounds your organs.¹

One study found collagen peptides were effective at reducing body weight and visceral fat in animals.² Researchers found collagen peptides have this weight loss effect by improving lipid metabolism and suppressing the body’s fat buildup.

Your lipid metabolism is how well your body processes and uses fats for energy. The better your body is at using fats for energy, the more stored fat it burns off. You’ll also have better body composition (more lean muscle, less fat) with an improved lipid metabolism.³

Another study found collagen peptides helped lower body weight and deep visceral fat. The researchers discovered collagen peptides lowered leptin levels (the fat-storage hormone) and increased adiponectin (the fat-burning hormone).⁴

Now, let’s dig deeper into why it’s so effective to take collagen for weight loss…

Collagen Makes You Feel Fuller

Collagen peptides are essentially a form of protein, and protein is well known to increase the feeling of being full. It takes more time and effort for your body to digest proteins, helping to make you feel fuller for longer.⁵

The protein in collagen peptides also triggers hunger hormones like peptide YY and GLP-1.^6,7 These hunger hormones signal to your brain that you’re full, reducing hunger.

Peptide YY is a hormone your body releases after you eat protein and fiber. It sends a signal to your brain that you’re full. This helps slow digestion, reduces hunger, and makes you feel fuller for longer.⁸

Collagen peptides can increase GLP-1, which slows down stomach emptying, like the drug Ozempic does. This delayed gastric emptying helps with a longer feeling of being full. GLP-1 also improves how your body uses insulin, leading to better blood sugar control.⁹

Some collagen supplements have a high “swelling capacity.” This means the collagen peptides swell up when mixed with water. This can increase feelings of fullness and help lower ghrelin levels (the hunger hormone).¹⁰

But I have heard some people gain water weight after starting to take collagen peptides. You could need an adjustment if this does happen because your body may need time to adjust. Or certain collagen supplements you’re taking could have additives causing water weight retention.

Collagen Increases Metabolism

Collagen peptides are made up of key amino acids like glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline (amongst others). Amino acids are “the building blocks” of protein. They are needed to repair and maintain lean muscle mass.

Lean muscle mass increases your metabolism because muscle tissue is metabolically active. Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) will increase since muscle needs more energy (calories) to maintain.¹¹ This will have you burning calories even when you’re resting.

So, the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be. Your body will burn more calories throughout the day, which will help increase weight loss. Muscle can burn more than twice the amount of calories at rest than fat can.

But with age, lean muscle mass will decrease significantly (sarcopenia). Muscle loss starts as early as your 30s, and by your 50s. And muscle loss accelerates to the point where you are losing 1-2% muscle mass yearly.¹²

Women in their 50s, 60s and older would especially benefit from collagen supplements. Hormonal changes from menopause cause estrogen deficiency-induced obesity. This hormonal shift speeds up muscle loss and can contribute to weight gain in the belly.¹³

Collagen Improves Gut Health

Collagen peptides can help repair and strengthen your gut lining. Improving your gut health with collagen peptides will strengthen the lining of your digestive system.¹³ This helps big time with reducing leaky gut syndrome.

Leaky gut syndrome develops when damage occurs to the lining of the intestines. This allows harmful substances like bad bacteria, toxins, and food particles to enter the bloodstream.¹⁴ Leaky gut is a hidden factor that can make weight loss elusive even when dieting and exercising.

This triggers chronic inflammation in your body, disrupting your metabolism and making it easier to store fat. An imbalanced gut microbiome (too many harmful bacteria) can make you gain weight.¹⁵ It reduces calorie burning, increases fat storage, and increases cravings for junk foods.

Leaky gut syndrome also causes hormonal imbalances that lead to weight gain. Chronic inflammation makes your cells less responsive to insulin.¹⁶ This leads to higher blood sugar levels and increased fat storage.

Inflammation also messes with leptin (the satiety hormone). This causes you to overeat since your brain isn’t getting the signal that you’re full.¹⁷ Gut issues also stress your body and raise cortisol (the stress hormone). This makes you store more fat in your belly and love handles.¹⁸

Taking collagen supplements daily helps to repair damaged gut lining. Collagen peptides provide amino acids that strengthen the gut lining.

All this helps you lose weight by:

• Reducing inflammation
• Improving digestion
• Increasing nutrient absorption
• Enhancing water absorption
• Re-balancing the gut microbiome
• Reducing bloating

Collagen Relieves Joint Pain

Having chronic joint pain can cause you to indirectly gain weight. If you have joint pain, then it’ll likely mean you’ll have reduced physical activity, loss of muscle mass, more emotional eating, higher stress levels, and elevated inflammation.

Collagen peptide supplementation can help relieve joint pain.¹⁹ By reducing pain and improving joint mobility, you’ll have an easier time being physically active. Being more physically active helps you lose weight by burning more calories.

Collagen peptides can help reduce osteoarthritis and aid in cartilage repair.²⁰ Cartilage is the tough, flexible tissue on the ends of your bones that act like cushions against your joints. They act like a shock absorber, but “wear and tear” can damage your cartilage and cause joint pain over time.

Research has found collagen peptides build up in your cartilage and can stimulate tissues to produce more collagen.²¹ This helps protect connective tissues like ligaments and tendons.

Studies have found that collagen supplements reduce joint pain and improve joint function. One randomized trial even found that those taking collagen supplements had less joint pain and stiffness than those taking other joint pain treatments.²²

With less joint pain, you’ll be able to easier lose weight by:

• Increased exercise & physical activity
• Improved muscle mass
• Reduced sedentary behavior (less sitting)
• Higher energy levels
• Better mental health
• Improved sleep

How Much Collagen to Take Daily to Lose Weight

For weight loss best results, take 10-20g of collagen peptides daily.

It’ll probably be best to take collagen in small dosages when starting. This is best to make sure it first agrees with your stomach. This will also give your body time to adjust and adapt to taking collagen peptide protein.

One of the side effects of first taking collagen peptides could be digestive issues. Some people experience bloating, indigestion, and constipation. It’s best to take them in small dosages and not on an empty stomach.

But studies have found collagen peptides improve digestive issues. Patients taking collagen peptides daily had a reduction in bloating, stomach cramps, flatulence and acid reflux as well as normal bowel movements.²³

Collagen peptides are great to take every day for weight loss, and it’s recommended to do so.

Collagen is essentially just a form of protein so it’s safe. It’s best to take it daily since your body loses some on its own every day. This helps to replenish lost collagen so you can get better results.

It’s better to take your collagen supplements in powder form instead of pill tablets. This is because powder has higher dosages of collagen compared to pills. Collagen powders can also be easily mixed into drinks.

You’ll get the best results if your collagen supplements are hydrolyzed collagen peptides.

These are specific collagen peptides that are pre-broken down into smaller chains of amino acids. This makes the collagen way easier for your body to absorb and use, giving you better results.

The Best Time of Day to Take Collagen

The best time of day to take collagen for weight loss doesn’t really matter.

As long as you’re consistent with your intake is best. Whenever is most convenient and easiest for you to take collagen is the time you should be taking it.

I know some prefer adding hydrolyzed collagen to their morning coffee or smoothie. Just make sure your coffee isn’t scaulding hot when adding collagen, or else it could denature the collagen proteins.

Also if you’re intermittent fasting, then avoid collagen during your fasting window. This is because collagen will break your since it does contain protein and calories.

I prefer taking collagen for weight loss in the evening near bedtime.

Your body recovers and repairs most of its time during deep sleep. Providing collagen peptides before bed will give your body the building blocks it needs to repair at its maximum capacity.

Collagen also contains glycine, an amino acid known to promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep quality.²⁴ The better your sleep quality, the more recovery your body will have. Sleep is a huge part of the weight loss process.

What Collagen Is Best for Weight Loss?

You’ll maximize your weight loss results by taking a collagen supplement with all five of the main types of collagen. This is because each collagen type serves a different purpose in your body.

Most collagen supplements only contain one or two types of collagen. You’ll get much better results by getting a full-spectrum collagen supplement that contains all five types.

These are the five main types of collagen you should look for:

• Type I – Most abundant and is 90% of your body’s collagen. Found in skin, bones, connective tissues (tendons and ligaments). Improves skin elasticity and hydration, strengthens bones, and promotes healthy hair and nails.
• Type II – Primary component of cartilage. Supports joint health by improving cartilage. Reduces symptoms of arthritis and joint pain.
• Type III – Supports organs and skin. Found in the skin, blood vessels, and organs. Improves skin firmness and elasticity. Aids in the repair of organs and tissues. Strengthens blood vessels and improves gut health.
• Type V – Found in skin and hair, enhancing the strength of them both.
• Type X – Found in cartilage and plays a role in bone formation. Helps to develop new cartilage and bone. Helps to maintain and relieve joint pain.

Collagen is usually made from animal sources like fish, bovine (cow), or porcine (pork). If you have food allergies to any of these, it could cause an allergic reaction.

When choosing a collagen peptides supplement, check the source ingredients first. Many collagen supplements also contain additives and fillers.

Avoid collagen supplements that have added:

• Artificial sweeteners
• Artificial flavors
• Fillers (maltodextrin or dextrose)
• Preservatives (citric acid, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, etc.)
• Thickeners (lecithin, guar gum, xanthan gum, etc.)
• Artificial dyes
• Protein blends (whey, soy, or casein)

Pick a hydrolyzed collagen peptides supplement in powder form with minimal ingredients that has been third-party tested for quality and has at least 10g of collagen peptides per serving. It’s best if it mixes easily in liquids, has a neutral or no taste, and contains all five types of collagen.

Below is my hydrolyzed collagen peptide recommendation. It has 10g of hydrolyzed collagen peptides per serving, nothing artificial, mixes easily, no taste or odor, and uses all 5 types of collagen: