Do Collagen Drinks Really Work?

No matter whether it is tight skin, healthy nails, strong hair and no more cellulite – ampoules, powders and pills promise beauty from within. No wonder that the demand is growing. But how effective does the hyaluronic acid and collagen drink actually work?

Tightening with an ampoule – is it that easy? Collagen hydrolyzate etc. can really do that?

Remember “Merz Special Dragees”? The commercial for tablets that are supposed to do good for skin, hair and nails used to be shown constantly on television. The pills are still there, but the industry for beauty from within has changed a lot.

Many of the pills, drinks and powders (such as Fulminan or Elasten) have become much more glamorous and expensive, which is not only evident from the design of the packaging. Instead of dietary supplements, people prefer to talk about Nutri-Cosmetics, a word mix of nutrition and cosmetics, and instead of health food stores, the goods are also available in chic concept stores.

Beauty drinks: Does care from the inside also arrive at the right place (for example at certain dents)?

It is true that skin, nails and hair are quite far back in the queue when it comes to being supplied with minerals and vitamins. But if you eat well, you are also doing something for your appearance. What does that mean in terms of Nutri-Cosmetics? “Skin, hair and nails can benefit. I would just not recommend permanent and ill-considered nutritional supplements for this,” says Dr. Anne Fleck.

Beautician from the inside

The Hamburg internist is the author of books such as “Slim! And healthy with the Doc Fleck method” and one of the “Nutrition Docs” of the NDR. “It can be useful if, for example, someone cannot tolerate fruit. Basically, however, I am in favor of eating simple foods that are as untreated as possible.

Flecks top beautifier from the inside:

• Vitamin E (in wheat germ oil) and
• Omega-3 fatty acids (in nuts), they protect the skin and help to form new cells, just like
• Vitamin A (in carrots and sweet potatoes).
• Vitamin C (in citrus fruits) is important for collagen production,
• Zinc (in beer yeast flakes) strengthens like biotin (in oat flakes) and
• Selenium (in Brazil nuts) Nails and hair.

Who needs food supplements or beauty drinks?

According to the consumer center only very few humans in the USA have real lack symptoms, but in stressful times it can be meaningful to supplement the nutrition. Dr. Anne stain for instance pays special attention then to zinc, selenium and Biotin and strengthens so also their immune system.

Skin cream from the inside

In addition, she takes two to three tablespoons daily of particularly gently pressed, so-called omega-safe linseed oil, mixed with wheat germ oil, which is enriched with long-chain DHA omega-3 fatty acids extracted from algae.

It’s like skin cream from the inside,” says the internist. “Combined with each other, the two oils accelerate their effect. It is important for the fatty acids that they are filled with light, heat and oxygen and of course not rancid – omega-3-rich oils such as linseed oil must never taste bitter.

Also recommended: Bitter substances without additives, for example as alcohol-free spray for spraying into the mouth (e.g. “Enna Care Bitter Spray pure”). “Their effect is really underestimated”, says the nutrition expert. “They also inhibit ravenous appetite for sweets. They also improve the intestinal environment by stimulating the formation of good bacteria, which in turn is good for skin and hair.

What should hyaluronic acid and collagen drinks do?

The fact is that collagen and hyaluronic acid are extremely important endogenous substances that are responsible, among other things, for making the skin firm and plump. It is therefore hardly surprising that both are increasingly found in beauty drinks. “You have to have a bit of patience before any changes become noticeable. We therefore recommend daily use for at least three months”, says Dr. Jan-Christoph Kattenstroth, who heads the Medical Affairs department at Quiris Healthcare. The company developed “Elasten”, the collagen drinking ampoules that are only available in pharmacies, and was thus a pioneer in beauty drinks.

Proven: Hyaluronic acid and elastin improve the skin structure

Research has also been done on collagen peptides to support impaired cartilage in the joints, said Kattenstroth. The scientists noticed that peptides of smaller size and thus also of different composition stimulate certain skin cells, the so-called fibroblasts.

These in turn produce collagen in the skin and connective tissue, but also hyaluronic acid or elastin – thus improving the skin’s structure and moisture. We therefore use a specific [HC]-collagen complex for our drinking ampoules and combine it with vitamin C, for example, which is the decisive co-factor in the body’s own collagen production.

How well this works is now to be proven by large scientific studies. So far, several smaller studies indicate that Nutri-Cosmetics can improve skin density and moisture and reduce wrinkles. “It is simply very difficult to prove where something you eat or drink ends up in your body, and how and when it works there,” explains medical expert Dr. Anne Fleck.

Beauty drink or pill: what difference does it make?

Drinks are currently in vogue. One reason for this is that they are usually sweet, which many people like. And that is important, if only because most dietary supplements have to be taken consistently and over several weeks.

Bioavailability as measuring device for collagen drink etc.

The second reason is the so-called bioavailability. A measurand that indicates how quickly and in what quantity a drug is absorbed and is then available at the point of use. It depends on where and how the body best metabolizes the active ingredients.

While some are packaged in capsules that only dissolve in the intestine, collagen peptides, for example, are supposed to be reduced in size in the stomach. “So that they can be taken up in the small intestine, it needs this natural digesting step”, explains “Elasten” expert Dr. Jan-Christoph Kattenstroth. “Otherwise the bioavailability would be much worse.”

Collagen drink: How do I recognize good quality?

Unfortunately, this is not so easy: food supplements are legally considered food and are therefore not subject to any approval requirements. Whether they are safe and effective is only checked by the authorities on a random basis – when the products are on the market. More detailed information can be obtained from the consumer advice center.

Ultimately, you have to have great trust in the manufacturers,” says Dr. Anne Fleck, physician and nutritional expert from Hamburg. “A good sign is, if the products do not contain too many additives such as glucose, thus sugar or sugar substitutes. And I would buy them always rather in the pharmacy, where I can be advised.

According to Fleck, this also makes sense because some vitamins, such as vitamin A, are overdosed and interactions can also occur: “The most beautiful iron supplement is of no use to me if I take it together with my latte.

Can detox juice cures really prolong life?

Oh, that would be nice. But: Detox in the original sense of a detoxification of waste products does not help, because there are simply no waste products – what the organism cannot utilize, it excretes through the intestines and kidneys. Apart from that, juice cures are generally only recommended to a limited extent. Not least because the juices usually contain no protein whatsoever. “This potentially leads to huge muscle loss,” explains Dr. Anne Fleck. “Good are against it in the spring soup chamfering cures with protein addition like something fish.

The nutritionist recommends skipping dinner every now and then. “A caloric restriction now and then is very healthy. There are studies that show that the telomeres, i.e. the ends of the chromosomes, then lengthen, which in turn should have an influence on the aging process.” However, if you already get in a bad mood at the thought of canceled dinner: Twelve hours without food are, according to Dr. Anne Fleck is a good start.

Dr. Anne Flecks Beauty-Drink

• A large handful of cashews (provide high-quality protein and fat)
• A dried fig (contains minerals and fiber for a healthy gut)
• 1⁄4 Avocado (rich in omega-3 fatty acids)
• 200 ml water
• Finely puree everything in the mixer, drink – and your skin will be happy.