Ethical
Collagen Center
What are the different types and forms of collagen?
FORMS AND TYPES OF COLLAGEN
Different types of collagen have different effects
Collagen comes in many types and forms. These different versions have many different effects and uses.
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DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLLAGEN
There are at least sixteen types of collagen in the body.
We are going to focus on the major ones, types 1-5.
TYPE ONE
Type one accounts for about 90% of our bodies collagen.
Type one collagen is tightly packed and it helps to provide structure to skin, bones, tendons, some cartilage, connective tissues, and teeth.
TYPE TWO
Type two is primarily found in elastic cartilage, that cushions and supports your joints.
It is more loosely packed than type one collagen.
TYPE THREE
Type three collagen supports the structure of your organs, ateries, and muscles.
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TYPE FOUR
Type four collagen is found in the layers of your skin and helps to support filtration in the body.
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TYPE FIVE
Type five collagen is produced in small amounts in including connective tissue, endothial, and epithelial linings.
It is very important for gut health.
TYPES OF COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS
While there are various types of collagen products on the market, they largely fall into two categories, refined and unrefined or whole food.
REFINED COLLAGEN
The vast majority of collagen products are heavily refined.
Most of beneficial compounds have been stripped away.
All that remains, in most collagen products, is a white powder, containing various, isolated amino acids.
These refined collagen powders are not a complete protein.
Occasionally companies will add back in a few isolated compounds, however this can never replicate a whole food.
This refined substance is nothing like a whole food.
UNREFINED COLLAGEN
Unrefined, also known as whole food, collagen contains far more than just a few isolated amino acids.
Whole food collagen supplements, depending on the type, may also contain, in their naturally occurring forms:
Glycosaminoglycans
Proteoglycans
Chondroitin Sulfate
Hyaluronic Acid
Micronutrients
Macronutrients
Enzymes
Much More!
Each of these compounds have their own unique benefits.
Why would you want to miss out on them?
WHITE BREAD VS WHEAT BREAD
Think of refined vs unrefined collagen, as white bread vs whole wheat bread.
While there are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in white bread, we know it really does not supply any real nutrition because most of the good stuff was removed when the flour was refined.
Often white bread will have vitamins added, but that certainly does not make it any healthier or more nutritious.
Well the same thing applies to collagen.
Heavily refined collagen, consisting of just a few amino isolated amino acids, simply cannot nourish the body like unrefined collagen does.
Adding a few isolated compounds, will never turn it back into an unrefined collagen, in the same way that adding vitamins back to white bread will turn it back into whole wheat bread.
As with food, whole food supplements will always be more beneficial than heavily refined ones, which have been stripped of many of their beneficial compounds.
