Key Takeaway
Oral collagen supplementation significantly improves skin hydration and elasticity, with doses of 5-10 g/day and durations over 8 weeks showing the strongest effects.
Summary
This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the anti-aging effects of oral collagen supplementation on skin. The authors included 26 randomized controlled trials encompassing over 1,700 participants, making it one of the larger meta-analyses on this topic.
Results showed that oral collagen supplementation significantly improved skin hydration and elasticity compared to placebo. Subgroup analysis revealed that hydrolyzed collagen peptides at doses between 5 and 10 g per day, taken for more than 8 weeks, produced the most consistent improvements. Both fish-derived and bovine-derived collagen showed positive effects on skin parameters.
The meta-analysis also examined skin wrinkle outcomes and found favorable trends, though with greater variability across studies. The authors noted that the quality of evidence was moderate overall, with some risk of bias from industry funding in several included trials. They concluded that oral collagen supplementation is a viable strategy for improving age-related skin changes, particularly hydration and elasticity.
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