Is there any difference between collagen and collagen peptides? And if we want to boost our health, should we consume bone broth or collagen peptides?
What is the difference between collagen and collagen peptides? Are they the same thing?
Collagen and collagen peptides are the same protein in different forms - peptides are essentially a broken-down form of collagen. But there are good reasons why this difference matters. And it matters a lot. Collagen peptides are also called hydrolyzed collagen. Through hydrolysis, fish and animal collagen are broken down and become bioavailable.
What do we mean by bioavailable?
When a substance such as a prescription medicine or health supplement enters your system, the proportion of that substance that has an affective response upon that individual determines how bioavailable it is. Doctors will administer a drug intravenously to a patient in a hospital because it goes directly into that person’s bloodstream and is, therefore, 100% bioavailable (sometimes but not always). If you take a pill prescribed by a doctor, its bioavailability will differ from person to person. The difference in effectiveness depends upon an individual’s metabolism, what they have eaten for dinner, and whether they consume it with or without water. Additionally, how we prepare food vastly affects its bioavailability.
Why do we care whether collagen peptides are more bioavailable?
If something is more bioavailable, it means the body is more able to absorb it. Why is this important when it comes to collagen? Well, if collagen peptides are far more bioavailable, it is easier for the body to absorb them, enabling the collagen to work its magic. This difference in the size of the collagen peptide molecules compared to the original collagen molecules is critical.
Collagen peptides of 2-4 kDa molecular weight:
- Are easily absorbed by the body
- Help produce new collagen
- Repair existing damaged cells.
Bone broth versus collagen peptides - what is the difference?
Collagen contains a significantly higher concentration of beneficial amino acids like glycine and proline than bone broth. Hydrolyzed collagen peptides are more easily absorbed and digested by the body and then directly transported into the bloodstream.
Consuming bone broth is also an arduous process, involving boiling the bones and meat for 12 hours or more. And, while there is collagen in the broth, it is much less than in one serving of collagen peptides. Clearly, adding collagen peptide powder to your morning coffee or smoothie is a more comfortable routine than preparing bone broth.
Are there any other advantages of collagen peptides over bone broth? Yes!
- The taste of collagen peptide powder is neutral. Bone broth can be quite unpleasant tasting.
- Bone broth can also be quite demanding on the digestive system for some of us, leading to bloating, which is not the case with collagen peptides.
Our health choices must fit our lifestyle!
In summary, collagen peptides are the clear winner over bone broth in terms of convenience and ease of consumption.
There are also health benefits from consuming 2-4 kDa collagen peptides.
When improving our health, be conscious of whether a new routine will fit our lifestyle. Regularly consuming bone broth is time-consuming and - let’s be honest - quite unpleasant.
Consuming a small sachet or scoop of pure hydrolyzed collagen peptides powder gives us all the health benefits we want without any stress or unpleasant changes to our lifestyle.
