Dr. Daniel Fabricant, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA) appeared on the TODAY show alongside Vicky Nguyen on June 23 to discuss the benefits of collagen supplements, one of the hottest new trends in the nutritional supplement industry. Fabricant recommended that consumers avoid products that sound “too good to be true” but to also “follow the science” on collagen benefits, citing over 2,000 scientific studies. Fabricant noted that collagen does have a “clear function” when it comes to hydrating the skin.
Collagen can “help to build muscle mass, which can lead to a super-charged metabolism and healthy weight management,” help “plump the skin” and “manage osteoarthritis,” according to the report.
Dermatologist Dr. Ellen Marmur said that she has seen evidence that collagen can improve skin conditions in some of her patients. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, and as the human body ages it produces less of it.
The human body contains many different proteins, of which collagen is the most abundant at 30 percent. Collagen is found everywhere in the body, and is the main component of connective tissues, notably in the skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones and joints—to name a few. Collagen helps to give the body structure and it transfers muscle forces, but less known is that it also has a high metabolic activity.
The full interview can be viewed here. For more information, visit www.npanational.org.
