Bovine Collagen: Benefits & Why You Should Only Use Grass-Fed

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body—found in our tendons, ligaments, skin, muscles, bones, and blood vessels—and plays a vital role in maintaining its structural integrity.

Unfortunately, collagen production declines as we age, and we're consuming far less of it from natural sources than we used to. One remedy for that is to consume grass-fed bovine collagen.

Bovine collagen is a naturally occurring protein1 present in the connective tissue, bones, cartilage, and hides of cows. Typically the collagen supplements you see in stores are derived from cowhides.

There are several types of collagen, each composed of different amino acids. The collagen from cows happens to be similar to the collagen we have in our own bodies.

Type I and Type III collagen are found together in the body and serve similar functions. They both help maintain the health and structure of skin, bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and organs.*

Both types are found in the intestines as well, suggesting that they play an important role in gut health.* (Type II collagen, on the other hand, is often found in cartilage and only promotes joint health. It's found in marine collagen, along with Type I, but marine collagen lacks the essential Type III present in bovine collagen.)

What is it about Types I and III that are so special? It's all about the amino acids. While there are 18 amino acids in bovine collagen, it's the presence of a few key amino acids that lends the majority of the perks: glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline3.

These three amino acids are crucial building blocks of collagen, tendons, and ligaments and have been shown to support health in a number of other ways, such as promoting normal inflammatory processes and supporting immune function4.*

Hydrolyzed collagen is simply collagen that's been broken down into smaller units of protein (or collagen peptides) through a process called hydrolysis. These smaller bits of protein make it so hydrolyzed collagen can easily dissolve in hot or cold liquids, which makes it ultra-convenient for adding to your morning coffee, smoothie, or oatmeal.

A reduction in collagen (specifically Type I and Type III) happens naturally with age, thus encouraging the appearance of wrinkles, drying out the skin and eliminating that youthful, dewy glow you once took for granted. On the bright side, collagen supplements may help manage the aging process.*

A crappy diet, high levels of stress, unidentified food sensitivities—all of these things can damage the tissues lining your intestines, leading to "leaky gut."

When you have a leaky gut, foreign particles like undigested food are able to enter your bloodstream and wreak havoc on your body, encouraging inflammation and upping your risk for autoimmune diseases. Since collagen is a component of the gut's connective tissue and lining, taking collagen may help manage a leaky gut.*

All protein is important for building muscle, and bovine collagen is no exception. In one study of men with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), those taking a hydrolyzed collagen supplementation combined with resistance training bettered their muscle strength8 and lost more fat than a placebo group.*

"The men who supplemented their workouts saw more fat-free mass, muscle strength, and fat loss.* Given their age, this is quite remarkable! Consistently supplementing with collagen can make your workouts stronger at any age," Pedre said of the study.*

Collagen is a concentrated source of the amino acid glycine, which helps your body produce creatine.* In turn, creatine has been shown to help support muscle mass9 and better exercise performance10.*

The most abundant amino acid in bovine collagen, glycine, has promising sleep perks.* One review of research revealed that ingestion of glycine before bed bettered self-perceived sleep quality among people prone to poor sleep.* It also suggested that glycine may help manage core body temperature, which is associated with better sleep.*

Anecdotal evidence abounds of collagen’s ability to support hair growth and strengthen nails.* In one small study, participants who took 2.4 grams of collagen peptides every day for 24 weeks experienced a 12% rise in nail growth rate11 and a 42% drop in the frequency of broken nails, suggesting collagen promotes growth and strengthens nails.*

Good news: There really aren't many side effects of bovine collagen, and it's received a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) designation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. As mentioned in the section about hydrolyzed collagen versus gelatin, the main complaint has been bloating and stomach upset among some people who take gelatin, due to the larger size of its proteins.

While safe to consume, you still need to be mindful of where your bovine collagen supplement is coming from. A good strategy is to seek out a product that has been third-party verified to contain what the label says it contains and to be free of contaminants (reputable groups that test supplement ingredients include NSF International, USP, and UL).

Because bovine collagen is typically derived from cowhides, you should also consider how those cows were raised and what they were fed—both for your health and the health of the environment.

Always seek out a bovine collagen supplement from an established company that sources their product from humanely raised, grass-fed, or pasture-raised cows (if they don't call this out on their label, that's typically a red flag).

Collagen supplements provide your body with essential amino acids to support your hair, skin, nails, gut, joints, and more.* By taking a grass-fed bovine collagen supplement, you will be getting the essential Type I and Type III collagens, which offer more robust full-body benefits.*