When it comes to collagen powder, there are a plethora of both beauty-centric and full-body benefits, some more extensively researched than others.* However, there’s one unexpected question we’’ve heard again and again of late: Does collagen make you poop? Earlier this year, a two-phase clinical study1 researched the effect of a daily collagen supplement on key aspects of digestive health. You can check out the full breakdown here for a deep dive into the study’s process and detailed results. Otherwise, keep reading for a quick summary. The beginning phase of this study showed that only about 30% of consumers knew that collagen even has gut health relevance and could potentially aid in digestion.* The second phase, however, is where the real action took place: This consisted of two weeks of baseline testing, measuring digestive health status, stool health (yes, bowel movements included), and participants’ lifestyle factors before taking collagen. After the baseline was established, participants began supplementing with collagen. Additionally, poop came into play: 94% (15 out of 16 women) increased their bowel movement frequency. More specifically, 19% (3 out of 16 women) increased from historically going No. 2 only once per week or less to once per day since starting the collagen supplement. The study notes that potential explanations for this change in bowel movement frequency could be a shift in the gut microbiome composition because of the increased protein load or simply because of an increase in water consumption (or some other exciting mechanism, so TBD!). This particular area of research is young, so more studies will help us really understand how collagen supplementation might assist with laxation (aka poops).* Given this GI-focused collagen study, it’s worth mentioning that mindbodygreen’s beauty & gut collagen+ formula includes 17.7 grams of bovine collagen peptides, which certainly falls within the ballpark of magnitude of the research above. Plus, mbg’s unique formula leverages seven other unique bioactives to bolster collagen’s actions—including L-glutamine, which is a critical nutrient for the cells in the gut, supporting a healthy intestinal lining for GI barrier function and integrity.* However, the above clinical and other collective research has shown that collagen helps improve gut health. For example, science has demonstrated that levels of certain types of collagen are lower in individuals with digestive challenges2. And one of the main amino acids in collagen peptides, glutamate (aka glutamic acid)3, functions as a critical signaling molecule in the enteric nervous system (yes, your GI tract has its own neuronal connections) and is important for gut-brain axis communications, too. Some collagen formulas (like mbg’s beauty & gut collagen+), also include other gut-centric bioactives, like amino acid L-glutamine, which supports digestive health because it’s a major fuel source4 for the cells in the intestine.* “Glutamine5 has been shown to reduce inflammatory processes in the intestinal wall and improve intestinal permeability,” thus supporting digestion, Amy Gonzalez, R.D., FNTP, CLT, of The Holistic Dietitian, tells mbg about collagen’s benefits.* Meanwhile, glycine6 (a noteworthy amino acid delivered to the body via collagen peptides) “has been shown to support the stomach lining,”* she adds. In terms of short-term side effects, you may have heard anecdotal accounts of bloating, stomach upset, and fullness. This isn’t common, and we suspect this might have more to do with the specific formula and additives on a brand-by-brand basis than collagen peptides in general. Meaning, this side effect may be triggered by another player in the specific brand’s formula, not the collagen peptides themselves—especially because collagen itself is associated with gut and digestive health benefits, as we discussed above.* While there is good preliminary science on collagen and bowel movement regularity, larger studies are needed to increase the breadth of knowledge in this digestive health area. Research on collagen supplementation is ever-growing—and you can keep up with the robust science here.
