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With age comes wisdom. But it also comes with wrinkles and joint pain. Some wellness influencers say collagen supplements can help with that. NPR’s Maria Godoy checked out the evidence behind the hype.

MARIA GODOY, BYLINE: Ponce de Leon famously went to Florida in search of the Fountain of Youth. But if you listen to social media influencers, he probably should have headed to the supplement aisle to pick up some collagen. Here’s a TikTok creator who goes by ShopByJake.

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SHOPBYJAKE: I’m in my mid-40s, and if I shave, like, I really look like I’m in my mid-20s. People ask me all the time, what do you do for your skin? I take collagen.

GODOY: That’s a paid promotion that touts collagen supplements for healthier skin, hair and nails and stronger joints, too. Dermatologist Lauren Taglia with Northwestern Medicine says these claims are everywhere.

LAUREN TAGLIA: It’s a very popular thing. I’m sure we’ve all been kind of inundated with, like, what it can do.

GODOY: Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It’s found in skin, muscles, ligaments, cartilage, hair and nails.

TAGLIA: And it’s a structural protein. So it gives strength and integrity to the skin.

GODOY: In other words, it helps keep skin firm and elastic. Our bodies produce collagen, but Taglia says that starting in our 20s, the amount and quality of that collagen starts to decline.

TAGLIA: It’s depressing. It is depressing. It definitely slows down.

GODOY: Factors like UV radiation, smoking and exposure to environmental pollutants can speed up that decline, but it’s going to happen regardless with age, which is why lots of people turn to collagen supplements.

TAGLIA: And the thought – or the theory – is that if you ingest it, it goes through the GI tract and gets absorbed, and then it theoretically goes to places to support or increase college and production.

GODOY: But what does the science show? Dr. Maryanne Makredes Senna is an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard. She says, when it comes to skin, there is some evidence that collagen supplements work.

MARYANNE MAKREDES SENNA: There have been randomized controlled trials that have shown that after eight to 12 weeks of collagen supplementation, things like depth of wrinkles – right? – skin elasticity, dermal thickness seems to be improved.

GODOY: But there’s a big caveat. She says a recent meta-analysis looked at more than 20 randomized controlled trials with more than 1,400 patients who took collagen supplements for skin issues. It found that the studies that showed significant improvements were funded by the industry.

MAKREDES SENNA: High-quality studies and studies not funded by industry did not show a significant association.

GODOY: And it’s a similar story when it comes to collagen supplements for joint pain and health. Dr. David Felson is an osteoarthritis researcher at Boston University. He says studies have shown benefits, but many are industry funded, so it can be hard to disentangle potential bias.

DAVID FELSON: With respect to collagen, I don’t know what the right answer is.

GODOY: He says it could potentially help, but…

FELSON: There’s no large-scale studies here, and there need to be.

GODOY: Now, if it’s healthier skin you’re after, Dr. Makredes Senna of Harvard says collagen supplements may help, but your best bet is to focus on things that do have robust evidence behind them, like using vitamin A-based products like retinol at night and keeping your skin moisturized.

MAKREDES SENNA: All of these things, you know, your sun avoidance, your sun protection, these are things that we know for sure – right? – without a doubt, help your skin.

GODOY: And get plenty of sleep and exercise. That’s not just good for skin but overall health, too. Maria Godoy, NPR News.

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