Collagen is super abundant in humans and animals alike, and accounts for as much as 40% of the protein that your cells, tissues, and organs are made of. While collagen is formed by the linking up of just a handful of the 20 different amino acids in your body (including glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline), these amino acids can reconfigure in various ways.

What this means is that there are more than just one type of collagen—several, in fact, and they have many different roles in the body. We need all of them for optimal health. 

The Different Types & Roles of Collagen

At least 16 to 28 different types of collagen are known to exist. Of these, up to 90% of the collagen in our bodies are classified as a Type I, II, and III. 

• Type I: this kind of collagen fiber is the most abundant of the three, and has incredible tensile strength. In other words, type I collagen can be stretched quite a bit without becoming broken or damaged. This resiliency and toughness points to why it’s so important for the health of our tendons, muscles, ligaments, hair, and nails. 
• Type II: this type of collagen is a major component of cartilage, making it a key player in joint health and function. 
• Type III: this kind of collagen is a close buddy to Type I in terms of its role and abundance. It’s present in bone marrow as well as the other tissues predominantly formed by type I collagen fibers.

Other notable types of collagen include:

• Type IV: predominant in so-called “basement membranes,” which are supportive, sheet-like matrices surrounding certain cells
• Type V: predominant in the lining of your intestinal tract (note that your gut plays a major role in your immune system!)
• Type X: this type is believed to be a major marker for new growth of articular cartilage and is found in the so-called “growth-plates” of new bones; Type X may also become more active as the condition osteoarthritis progresses, which may be an attempt to compensate for cartilage loss (also, many arthritic joints have a bony overgrowth nearby)

Considerations for Choosing the Right Collagen Supplement: Which One is Right for You?

Collagen is naturally found in beef, chicken, eggs, and fish, so it’s possible to get it from just your diet alone. But the question of whether you can get enough from your diet is worth asking, especially when we consider that our bodies’ collagen stores can become depleted due to things like UV radiation, stress, and aging. (Besides, how many grilled chicken breasts and hard boiled eggs can one person eat, anyway?)

If you’d rather not take a gamble on your health by only relying on only food to boost your collagen supply, you might want to find a quality supplement! Ideally, you’re looking for one that can be absorbed readily by your body, is easy to mix into drinks, soups, and other types of beverages, and tastes good (or has no taste at all). 

It’s also best to find a supplement that contains several different types of collagen fibers. This is to ensure you’re getting the maximum benefit of this diverse protein, including:

• Reduced fine lines and wrinkles
• Improved skin hydration
• Improved gut health (which plays a major role in your immunity)
• Decreased rate of hair loss 
• Improved appearance and thickness of hair
• Improved nail bed health
• Improved joint mobility
• Reduced joint pain
• Improved lean muscle mass and fat burning thanks to stimulate production of the amino acid glycine

If the goal of your collagen supplementation is primarily to improve your joint health, then be sure to find a product containing Type II fibers. Alternatively, if you’ve been inspired to start taking collagen as a way to improve the overall health of your skin, hair, nails, tendons, muscles, and so on, then make sure your supplement contains Type I and Type III fibers. And since research indicates that Vitamin C stimulates collagen synthesis and may increase the ability of your body to absorb collagen, you may want to consider taking this vitamin along with your daily dose of collagen. 

To learn more about the types of collagen in our product, click here.