Collagen protein supplements have been widely used due to various associated benefits. Over the past few years, it has been intensively used for skin benefits, reduced wrinkles, elasticity, and joint pain.
Everyday experts are coming with clever ways to sneak some extra collagen into diets and meals and to be honest, the consumers are more than eager for the beneficial addition.
Coffee is the energy-fix for most of us and with purported benefits such as improved stamina, focus, endurance, and weight loss, the use of coffee has become a part of everyone’s social aspect to productivity.
Have you ever wondered whether you can add this supplement to your cup of joe and make the intake process more convenient?
Short answer: Considering the benefits associated with collagen consumption, you can safely add the supplement to your coffee and overall nutritious diet.
This article will be dealing with the existing pros and cons of adding collagen to your coffee if there are any.
Continue your reading!
What are the potential benefits of collagen?
Collagens carry many potential health benefits. For one, it can improve your skin condition and relieve joint pain. It also promotes gut, bone, and heart health.
There are many types of collagen and most of the types found in your body are made of type I, type II, and type III.
Different types of collagen:
| Type | Composed of |
| type I | skin, tendons, dentin, bone, and ligaments |
| type II | cartilage, and vitreous humor of the eye |
| type III | skin, muscles, and blood vessels |
With age, your body starts to produce less amount of collagen causing wrinkles and weakening of certain joint cartilage.
This is why you need to increase the intake of collagen through foods or have collagen supplements.
Some of the potential benefits of collagen include:
- Improving skin condition– As you age, your body starts to produce less collagen, and your skin starts to lose elasticity. Studies have found that taking oral collagen supplements may aid in improving skin elasticity and hydrating your skin. Collagen protein may help in reducing the effects of aging like dryness and wrinkles.
- Relieving joint pain– Collagen can be great in supporting connective tissues and cartilage repair. They also have an anti-inflammatory effect. Studies have shown the positive impact of having collagen on athletes and sportsmen during knee pain.
- Promoting gut health– Irritable bowel disease (IBD) has a gut-healing theory about collagen. Since collagen is a part of connective tissue, bringing the levels up is beneficial for your colon and gastrointestinal tract.
- Peptides protecting bone health– Collagen help in stimulating bone formation and on the contrary, slow down the process of bone loss.
- Supporting heart health– Researchers believe collagen can fortify the blood vessels and help in reducing the risk of artery diseases in people.
How do you add collagen to coffee?
Due to the neutral taste of collagen, you can easily add the supplement into your coffee or any other food. Unflavored collagen supplements are least likely to affect the taste of your food or drink.
The steps you need to follow are simple.
- Prepare your coffee at first.
- Measure the amount of collagen you’re going to put into the drink.
- Stir the powder into the liquid and wait till it dissolves.
Does hot coffee ruin collagen powder?
The quality of collagen gets affected at a temperature of 302 degrees Celsius. Because coffee is usually brewed at the temperature of 90 to 96 degrees Celsius, you shouldn’t have to worry about it ruining the collagen.
The main concern while adding collagen powder to hot coffee is that whether the heat destroys the supplement or not. When exposed to high temperatures, protein generally becomes denatured and changes its structure. This sounds bad, doesn’t it?
So should you be concerned while adding collagen to your coffee? Well, that’s concerning if you don’t want the amino acids to get digested and absorbed in your body.
The denaturing process is what the collagen would undergo inside your body no matter how you’re taking it. The stomach acids and enzymes in your body work to turn the collagen into important nutrients for your joints, skin and in no way you are getting the supplement in its true form.
The supplement that we use generally is hydrolyzed collagen or collagen peptides that have been already denatured to make it bioavailable and thus how the heat from coffee denature your collagen powder shouldn’t bother you.
This study on Thermal denaturation studies of collagen by microthermal analysis and atomic force microscopy reveals that the quality of collagen is affected at around 302 degrees Celcius.
Coffee is usually brewed at around 90-96 degrees Celsius which is a much lower temperature than that mentioned in the former passage. As long as you’re not brewing at a temperature of 300 C or more then the heat won’t be able to destroy the stable collagen proteins.
If you buy the right supplement, then putting it in hot liquids like coffee or tea will degrade neither its nutritional value nor its structure. This is true at least for the temperature you’re brewing your coffee at your home kitchen.
Is coffee bad for collagen?
If you’re wondering whether coffee is bad for the collagen in your body then don’t worry because coffee itself isn’t necessarily bad. The concerning content is caffeine present in the coffee.
Caffeine can interfere with the production of collagen by inhibiting an enzyme called prolidase. This enzyme plays important role in collagen synthesis. So if caffeine is bad for the skin then why are we putting that in our coffee once again?
The answer is simple. The caffeine in your coffee is inhibiting the production of collagen, not destroying it. According to the nutritional therapist, sugar and refined carbs are what damages your collagen so it’s better to curb the sugary contents out of your coffee.
Also, not everyone has the same CYP1A2 enzyme ability that helps in clearing caffeine from the body. Thus the effect of caffeine on your skin has a strong contributing generic factor.
It’s better to leave the dairy contents and sugar out of your coffee diet to minimize the stress on the hormone cortisol since this might associate with certain skin issues.
What is the best time to take collagen with coffee?
It’s recommended to take collagen supplements at the same time every day. The most convenient time is in the morning.
While preparing your cup of joe in the morning, add your collagen supplement to it and enjoy the best effects from both.
There isn’t any particular wrong way to take collagen. You can take it before going to bed as well. But you can’t drink coffee around your sleep time since the stimulating effects from caffeine will keep you awake for the next 5-6 hours.
Clinical studies advise taking collagen regularly to derive the best effects so add the collagen powder with the morning coffee.
Are there benefits to collagen in coffee?
A 2016 study showed that the daily consumption of collagen mixed in hot beverages for 8 weeks resulted in a significant improvement in the skin elasticity and moisture for the participants. So there may be some benefits, however, even with the study, you’re gonna have to take the benefits of collagen in coffee with a grain of salt.
When it comes to collagen intake, the beneficial effects may vary among individuals.
It’s important to be mindful of how your body is reacting to the collagen supplements and the caffeine as well.
I will be honest at this point since many reviews have expressed doubts regarding the effectiveness of the collagen mixed in coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant and you can’t overconsume it no matter how healthy it becomes. As such, there is a limit to how much coffee and collagen you can be having.
Many have shared their doubts regarding the denaturation of collagen molecules while being added to warm coffee. To be clear, the collagen you add is already denatured and the main issue here is whether the warm coffee degrades the collagen quality or not.
No, hot coffee won’t diminish or negate the desired health benefits from collagen. But yes, more research needs to come to prove this on a concrete basis.
The brand you’re using is an important factor since that shows the quality of the added supplement. Superior quality brands offer grass-fed or pasture-raised sources of collagen that is highly recommended.
Summing apart the doubt points, there are several benefits that the collagen with your coffee may offer you. These are:
- Collagen will help in reducing your joint pain and maintain joint integrity.
- Collagen will improve your skin elasticity, tone, and moisture.
- Collagen supplementation will support increased collagen synthesis in injured joints and benefit your bone density.
- Collagen and coffee together may act as an effective appetite suppressor.
- Collagen supplementation may help in maintaining a healthy gut.
Can you add collagen to cold coffee?
Yes, you can add collagen to cold varieties of coffee.
Many of the habitual drinkers are fans of cold brews and seeming the popularity of cold varieties, it’s a common question that might be asked if you can add collagen in the cold ones as well.
If you’re new to cold brew have an old article listing my top picks for cold brew that you can read.
Certain types of collagen can be added to cold coffees. The fully hydrolyzed collagen is more bioavailable and easily absorb into your body. It dissolves readily into both hot and cold coffee beverages.
However, the partially hydrolyzed ones which are gelatin doesn’t dissolve in cold beverages. This kind of collagen is soluble only in hot ones.
Final Thoughts
In short, it’s safe to add collagen to your coffee. Some reviews may explain that collagen has no beneficial effects when added with your coffee however, there aren’t any side effects as well.
More analyzed studies have positive conclusions regarding the addition of a scoop of collagen to your morning cup of coffee. This not only benefits your body but also adds up to overall wellness.
Coffee beans are phytonutrients and packed with antioxidants. Having collagen with coffee not only helps you in supporting the tissues but also helps in fighting free radical damage.
To understand better which collagen you should incorporate in your regular diet, consult with an expert before making any changes or addition.
Any type of collagen helps provide necessary amino acids for the body but it’s always better to look for the best option for you.
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