While it is undeniable that whey protein contains a complete profile of essential and non-essential amino acids, making it an excellent source of protein for muscle building and overall health, we decided to make a collagen protein powder instead, here's why.
1. It’s hard to get enough collagen in the diet.
Collagen is primarily found in connective tissues and bones of animals. While some traditional cuisines utilise collagen-rich parts like skin, tendons, and bones in dishes such as bone broth, these are not as commonly consumed in modern Western diets. Most of the meat consumed in the Western diet comes from muscle tissue, which is relatively low in collagen compared to other animal parts. Modern food processing methods remove collagen-rich parts from meat and animal products, further reducing the collagen content in the diet.
Moreover, the collagen in connective tissues and bones is tough and requires prolonged cooking to break down into a more digestible form. In today's fast-paced lifestyle, many people opt for quick cooking methods that may not extract collagen effectively. For example, to cook bone broth, you need to simmer the bones for 24-48 hours to get a partially hydrolysed collagen (gelatine) with about 60% digestibility, while collagen peptide powder does not require cooking and has 90% digestibility.
2. Collagen has proven health benefits and might help prevent sarcopenia.
As we age, we produce less collagen and break down more, so we experience skin wrinkling, joint niggles, and gut issues. For a detailed rundown on the benefits of collagen supplementation, read our blog post What is Collagen?
Sarcopenia, a muscle loss associated with aging, immobility, and lack of exercise, involves degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass, quality, and strength and increased fat-to-muscle ratio. This phenomenon is linked to falls, osteoporosis, fractures, and metabolic diseases.
While whey and casein protein supplementation does not increase postexercise intramuscular collagen protein synthesis, evidence suggests that collagen-derived protein sources may support connective tissue protein remodelling, thus helping prevent sarcopenia in older adults.
A study from 2016 indicated that the mixture of amino acids in collagen protein is superior compared to whey protein in maintaining nitrogen balance and body weight during a low-protein diet. Furthermore, collagen contains relatively high amounts of arginine and glycine, which are essential substrates for synthesising creatine in the human body. If you want to learn more, read our blog on sarcopenia.
3. Whey protein is easy to cover in the diet and replaceable by beef protein.
Getting whey protein from the diet is relatively easy for individuals who consume dairy products. Whey protein is a by-product of cheese-making, and it is found in the liquid portion of milk. Therefore, any dairy product that contains whey will be a good source of this protein.
Both whey and beef proteins have a complete amino-acid profile, which makes them ideal for supporting muscle growth and repair after exercise. They can both be used as a convenient way to increase protein intake, especially for individuals with higher protein needs, which is why our beef bars and biltong make the best post-training snacks that won’t give you stomach cramps.
4. Whey protein might irritate the gut, while collagen protein can help to heal the gut.
While whey protein can cause digestive issues, especially to those with lactose intolerance or allergy, collagen and beef protein are gentler on the stomach and collagen peptides can even help to heal the gut lining. Most gut health protocols use collagen peptides and bone broths for this reason.
5. Reducing food wastage by using the animal nose to tail.
We care about the environment, so we source our meat and collagen from regenerative farms and use the cattle nose to tail. This year, we will save over 70,000kg of cow hides going to landfill by creating demand for upcycling those hides into collagen powder.
Literature
Collagen peptide supplementation, in combination with resistance training, improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men.
Randomised controlled trial,2015
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4594048/
A collagen hydrolysate/milk protein-blend stimulates muscle anabolism equivalently to an isoenergetic milk protein-blend containing a greater quantity of essential amino acids in older men, 2021
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8251659/
Effect of collagen peptides on skeletal muscle mass in the elderly: An interventional study examining oral nutrition support for patients in a recovery-phase rehabilitation ward
2020
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32893211/
A Collagen Hydrolysate Containing Tripeptides Ameliorates Sarcopenia in Middle-Aged Mice, 2022
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9104253/
The effects of collagen peptide supplementation on body composition, collagen synthesis, and recovery from joint injury and exercise: a systematic review, 2021
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8521576/
Exceptional body composition changes attributed to collagen peptide supplementation and resistance training in older sarcopenic men, 2016
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27267663/
The impact of collagen protein ingestion on musculoskeletal connective tissue remodelling: a narrative review, 2022
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/80/6/1497/6380930
Paddon-Jones and Rasmussen 2009 Paddon-Jones D and Rasmussen BB (2009) Dietary protein recommendations and the prevention of sarcopenia. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 12(1): 86-90.
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