Adding supplements???

So after trying the collagen supplement for about a month, I can't say that I really see or feel a difference. The most noticeable changes were supposed to be to hair and nails. I really didn't have problems with my nails and I don't have enough hair to notice a difference there. My hope was to see a difference in my skin, but if there is any, it's really subtle and will likely take more than a month to see it.

It does seem logical to take a collagen supplement as we get older and will probably continue to do so, but just wanted to note that if anyone is looking to take this and expecting any noticeable short term change, I did not see one. YMMV.

Thanks GGMM. Hearing about the biotin, I am now leaning towards a product by Microingredients that has the common 5 types of collagen plus the other things mentioned. It can be found on Amazon and if done as a subscription, it's only $25 for a 2 lb bag that has 82 servings that deliver about 11 g of hydrolyzed collagen peptides per 2 scoops.

I really think the key to getting past the taste is to split the scoops across at least 2 separate drinks/food items, which should be fairly easy for me to do. I could do a scoop in my iced coffee in the afternoon with lunch and it wouldn't hurt to get into a habit of having a little Greek yogurt with dark (blue/black) berries after dinner, assuming that tastes OK. Will try that later today, but it was one of the recommended food items to hide this in.

I take biotin supplements which I find effective for skin and hair, plus never noticed any improvement with collagen, but I'm having joint repair issues after an injury and am now moved to try marine collagen. It has less protein, but still 12g per serving (which I will halve, for a still respectable 6g). Plus, since it's not derived from cows, is less likely to cause me more issues than it addresses. I'll let you know how it goes in terms of taste.

Post prior to last had "There are some that contain collagen type 1-5....."

That should have been 1,2,3,5 and 10.

FWIW - We had some chicken bone broth and that did a good job of masking the taste of 1 scoop of the collagen I'm using. A serving is 1.5 - 2 scoops. I'm going to try mixing it in some Greek yogurt and mixed berries later and see how that does.

Masking the taste of 1 scoop of it instead of trying to do the full dose all at once seems to be the way to go. I may do the yogurt/berries after dinner because another claim of collagen is that it supposedly helps you sleep better -

"According to Jenn Randazzo, MS, RD, CLT, collagen is exceptionally rich in a protein called glycine, which has been linked to improvements in sleep.."

ww w.wellandgood. com/collagen-for-sleep/

I'm continuing to look into collagen use and seeing that Type 2 is the one that is supposed to be primarily for joints. Initially it sounded like Type 1 and 3, which is a more common product, was the way to go. I will continue to use that and if it works, I should possibly see some difference in my skin, which was one of the main reasons I was taking it.

When the stuff I'm using is gone, I'll switch to one with at least Type 1, 2 and 3 collagen. There are some that contain collagen type 1-5, but those also contain Biotin, Hyaluronic Acid, and Vitamin C.

The vitamin C sounds like a good thing but I'm not sure of the other 2 things. The biotin sounds like a good thing, but is at a dose of 10 mg, which is 33K+ percent of the recommended daily allowance. It seems that 10K mg is a standard sized dose, but that amount seems like a lot to me relative to the % Daily Value. If I Google it, it says it's generally safe up to 300 mg/day, so confused as to why 10 mg is considered so much higher than the Daily Allowance %.

There is no recommended daily value for Hyaluronic Acid. The claim for that is -

"Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance found in the fluids in the eyes and joints. It acts as a cushion and lubricant in the joints and other tissues. Different forms of hyaluronic acid are used for cosmetic purposes. Hyaluronic acid might also affect the way the body responds to injury and help to decrease swelling."

There is of course the question of whether taking something translates to your body being able to use it. For example, if I wanted more hair, eating hair wouldn't help me grow more hair.

Someonescoming, thank you. Yes I remember it from back then. As I have gotten older I i have found I needed something for joint pain when working out hard. lately we have added a low dose of Nandrolone to help, and it has done wonders.

I went back and looked, and there were a lot of reviews for the produuct I got and others that claimed it was tasteless and odorless. It is not. It didn't have a strong smell, but it did have a very noticeable and distinct taste.

I drink tea with only Stevia extract and it definitely did not mask the flavor. Someone claimed leaving it exposed to the air for 10 mins would help, but I suspect I will still taste it.

The coffee hid the flavor a bit more but partly because I have that with sweet cream and coffee has a stronger flavor, but it is still very noticable. As mentioned, I intend to try it with bone broth, but I think my best bet may be the Greek yougurt with berries.

Someonescoming, wife has been taking a collagen gummy for a while now and it has helped, we may have to look into the powder. I have seen several studies and posts in the bodybuilding forums about people adding a collagen supplement to help with recovery, as well as keeping skin tight when losing weight.

LOVE you all for the comments and information.. this has been very informative so far.

Coffee hides the flavor a bit better than the tea, as expected, but I can still tell it's there. Next time I take it I'll try it with the Greek yogurt and berries. I suspect that no matter what I do I will get an aftertaste from this stuff. I may need to split it up over 2 or 3 drinks/food items in the afternoon so it's not as pronounced.

Tomorrow is my full fast day. I will probably try a scoop of this in a large cup of bone broth to break my fast on Thursday. That is supposedly one of the better times to consume it to get the most benefit.

I do intermittant fasting and there are enough calories in it to break a fast, so limited to lunch time and beyond. As mentioned, the recommended dose for what I'm taking is 2 scoops and that equate to 15 g of hydrolyzed collagen peptides. They do the serving size by weight (15g), but a scoop looks to be about 3 teaspoons. The container is 45 servings/doses and it weighs 1.5 lbs (680g).

I'm not really a big smoothie fan but will try mixing it in coffee and/or broth. We already make our own bone broth. Another possibility is mixing it with Greek yogurt and berries.

While the stuff is unflavored, it does have a taste to it that I can definitely tell is there when I added it to my tea. Cost was $23/container on Amazon. If I do the planned 1/.5 scoops, it makes it about $0.40/dose.

I'm trying some powdered collagen by a company called Zen Products that just arrived. It seemed to be about the best quality and quantity for the price. It didn't really have a strong smell, but I can taste the difference in my tea. Coffee has a stronger flavor so perhaps I'll try it in that tomorrow, but I drink iced coffee and it needs to be mixed in warm liquid, so may have to heat some of my cold brewed coffee to get it to dissolve.

I'm thinking it may be better in broth, in which case I can use less of it as bone broth will already have collagen in it. We make bone broth weekly from rotisserie chicken carcasses that the Mrs either makes or buys.

Other options might be to try it in a dish that has some sort of sauce, but I can definitely taste it in my tea. I can tolerate it if the effects are noticeably positive. It's concerning that GGMM says that taking it frequently made her joints ache, which seems as though the opposite should be the case considering the supposed benefits.

A serving size is supposed to be 2 scoops, but that is giving me 15 g of collagen peptides where the recommended norm seems to be 11 g, so I used about 1.6 scoops in my tea FWIW. I'm not sure how this would work in smoothies, but may be fine since they are blended. I'm not really a smoothy fan, but the Mrs is.

If I drink bone broth, I'm fine, but if I try taking collagen more then every once in a while - which means I've overcome my brain's certainty that I'm downing hooves (collagen stinks) - my joints hurt.

Someone - My post said to AVOID products with flavorings and soy, but apparently that wasn't clear as written.

As for noticing a difference in hair, I don't really have much and what I do have I buzz cut. Hopefully it doesn't make my ear and nose hair grow faster, or perhaps I can show off my luxurious underarm hair. At any rate, the Mrs will likely be a better gauge on it's effect on hair ;-)

In a different thread, Someonescoming recommended collagen supplements. Did some poking around and it seems reasonable and the poster claims that he and his wife are seeing benefits from taking it, particularly with delaying some of the effects of aging (i.e. skin/hair). It's also supposed to help with joint pain and building muscle.

Just wondering if anyone else has had noticeably good results from taking it. From what I read, it's recommended to take at least 11 g of collagen peptides a day and avoid ones with flavorings (natural or otherwise) and soy. Apparently there are 3 types of collagen and Type 1 & 3 are recommended.

I'm guessing many of these sorts of things are subtle, so not expecting any earth shattering results.

One of the other supplements I'm already taking is tumeric, which is a natural anti-inflammatory.

Try looking at L Glutamine pills.. before and after a workout as suggested by some to us on SLS.. seems we do not ache as much after our workouts both of us!

Great post keep us informed we are always looking for anything to keep us healthy and for better performance levels. !

I use creatine, 5mg 2 times a day. I also take a multi vitamin, fish oil, magnesium, and letting (eye health). I use a quality protein powder, stay away from Walmart protein powder. I've found top quL. Protein powders such as things from axe and sledge, bpn supplements, or even mutant supplements are good quality. It costs more but if it gives you the suits, there's too much filler and byproduct. Bcaas are ok, not a necessary expense. I do like a stimulant free pre workout drink before lifting for a good muscle pump

As far as BCAA’s I’ve heard of mixed results, many of which claim no benefit. My experience with BCAA’s has been and is currently intraworkout. I believe in the science that when you are lifting weights you breakdown muscle fiber so logically speaking using BCAA’s during your workouts would accelerate muscle fiber synthesis. I’ve used BCAA’s intraworkout for the better part of 5 years and I will say that it has helped increase muscle mass as well as decrease muscle soreness and I find that I can hold off on eating a meal several hours after working out and still be in the “metabolic window”.

I’ve used creatine for over 20 years off and on and my results have been increased strength, muscle endurance as well as increased fullness of the muscle. There are many pre-workouts containing creatine about 3-5 grams per scoop, which has been more than enough for me. But if you want to take creatine correctly it’s 15 grams per day for one week, and subsequent doses of 5 grams per day afterward.

The male here takes Centrum Silver 50+, Vitamin D. Zinc and DHEA 100mg once a day, that is all. Eats well balanced meals, watches how much he drinks and has never smoked. Works out five days a week with weights. So far is lucky to maintain health

Oh Yes.. we too take 12-14 Vitamins a day, split up throughout the day.... with Green Vibrance green drinks daily ! Now thanks to YOU will be adding Glutamine to our regimen.. LOL

We are bad for big Pharma.. they cant make there money off "us"!

Well said SOC.. we use Dr Axe 5 types Collagen in our coffee every morning along with many other good stuff we take daily.. YES it does keep you healthy!

We have been working out regularly now for a few months and seeing some improvement, but curious as to IF we should be adding any supplements. We have been looking into things such as Creatine to help build muscle volume, and BCAA amino acids to help with recovery. We had a few people we know that are competitive bodybuilders suggest the use of Anavar, to help us reach our goals faster, but not sure we want to go that route. We are both currently on a Dr. supervised testosterone treatment, and our Dr approved using Creatine and BCAA's just curious if anyone else has used them and how effective they really are.