English 
We can talk all day about the benefits of collagen, but what is it?
This vital protein is the most abundant in the body and provides the structure to our skin, hair, nails and joints. Given it's important role it's easy to understand why a healthy collagen network is essential to maintaining our bodies, especially as we age. Collagen production levels are high in our teen years and in our 20s, keeping us looking young and vibrant. As we age, our body's natural ability to rejuvenate cells (and collagen) slows down. Supplements help to retain or build the collagen levels in our body that were once present in our younger years.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body, making up around one third of our total protein composition. It's a different type of protein to whey and casein due to its amino acid profile, which is predominately glycine, proline, hydroxyproline and arginine.
Collagen is made up of a combination of 19 amino acids, eight of which are 'essential', meaning sufficient amounts of the amino acids cannot be synthesized by the body naturally so they have to come from our diet. Within our body collagen provides the structure to our skin, hair, nails, bones, muscles, vital organs (including the heart) and our digestive system.
Collagen’s benefits have been understood and embraced for centuries in Eastern regions, being dubbed the 'fountain of youth'.
Today, collagen is found in a variety of cosmetics for its moisturising properties, it's used in the medical industry to treat wounds, burns and in reconstructive surgery and, most recently, as a dietary supplement.
Believe it or not, collagen is present in our bodies from almost the time of our conception (at about five weeks in utero). In the early years of life, collagen production occurs at a rapid rate due to all the growth and change in our bodies during this time. When we hit adolescence and our bodies stop growing, our need for collagen tapers and its production slows.
The collagen in our bodies, like all things, ages over time and the body needs to continue to replace it to keep your collagen network healthy. At around 30 years of age our body’s natural ability to replenish collagen begins to decline by around 1% per year.
This decline of collagen content and quality is what's responsible for many of the signs of ageing we experience such as wrinkles, the loss of and reduction in the lustre of hair, brittle nails and weak bones (though, of course, lifestyle and genetics play their part in this too).
At this point in time there are 28 known 'types' of collagen. However, this number continues to change as more variations are discovered. Although there are 28 different types, three are most commonly found in the body and of those one in particular, Type I, accounts for 90% of all collagen.
TYPE I
Type I collagen is the most dense form and common type in our body, accounting for 90% of our naturally occurring collagen. It provides structure to our skin, bones, tendons, muscle, teeth and connective tissue (which is why it's so common). Because Type I collagen makes up such a significant amount of the collagen found in our body, its decline is one of the leading causes of the signs of ageing in the skin, as well as the appearance and health of hair and nails.
TYPE II
Type II collagen is less dense than Type I. It helps to form the connective tissue which is necessary for maintaining our cartilage and healthy joints. A healthy type II collagen network gives our joints strength and helps them to be more resilient to stress.
TYPE III
Type III collagen is most often found alongside Type I in the body. It therefore plays a role in the health of your skin, hair and nails but it's more concentrated in your organs, blood vessels and your muscles. It's also important in the process of healing and repair for many different types of tissue in your body including tendons and ligaments.
The richest source of dietary collagen comes from the bones and connective tissue of animals. Animal proteins are the only true source of dietary collagen, however fruit and vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals that are needed in the collagen formation process and therefore support collagen production. Vitamin C, for example, is needed by the body to form collagen.
Ensuring your body produces enough collagen requires a diet that includes both the necessary amino acids to make collagen as well as the vitamins and minerals needed to support collagen's production.
There are a variety of collagen sources available but the two most common are bovine and marine collagen. Both are great sources of collagen but the different ratios of collagen types makes them more suited to specific applications.
BOVINE
Bovine collagen is sourced from cows and is the most common and widely available source of collagen peptides. It contains type I and type III collagen. Since it contains type III collagen which supports muscle development it's a great collagen source if you're taking it as a sports supplement.
MARINE
Marine collagen is sourced from fish and is richer in type I collagen than Bovine. Due to its higher concentrations of Type I collagen it makes an optimal choice if you are taking it for skin, hair or nail health. Marine collagen also has the added benefit of being more bioavailable - meaning it's more efficiently absorbed by your body (by up to 1.5 times). This is due to the fact that marine collagen peptides have a smaller molecular weight, so it's easier for them to be absorbed in our gut.