Perhaps you’ve been taking collagen peptides for some time now and noticed some changes in the mirror. Your wrinkles are less obvious, your skin texture firmer, and there’s an undeniable glow to your complexion. On top of that, your joints feel less achy, your hair and nails look healthier, and you’ve even started to gain some muscles.
You know you can credit at least some of these positive changes to your collagen peptides powder. Now that you’ve achieved your health goals, you’re tempted to take a break from the supplement. But what happens when you stop taking collagen peptides?
What Happens If I Stop Taking Collagen Supplements? Will There Be Any Side Effects?
When you stop taking collagen supplements, there won’t be any side effects (thankfully). But, the most important thing to note is that any health benefits you may have experienced while taking the supplement will eventually fade away.
The reason being, your body naturally synthesizes collagen. But this ability gradually declines over time. As you get older, your body produces less and less collagen each year due to:
- Aging: Scientific evidence indicates collagen synthesis in the body starts to slow down around the late teens to early 20s. This deterioration continues at roughly 1% per year.
- Ultraviolet (UV) light exposure: Sunlight is largely responsible for collagen degradation, primarily due to free radical damage on the skin cells.
- Smoking: Research shows that smoking downplays the production of Types I and III collagens by 18% and 22%, respectively.
- Stress: The stress hormone, cortisol, reduces collagen protein levels in the human body.
Given that your body is working with less collagen than before, it’s only natural to supplement it with exogenous collagen. There's a deep body of scientific studies advocating for the benefits of collagen supplementation. To recap from our post on “How long does it take for collagen to start working?” collagen supplements are scientifically proven to:
- Improve joint health in 1 to 6 months
- Strengthen bones in 1 year or so
- Promote hair growth in 2 to 6 months
- Strengthen nails in 6 months or so
- Reduce post-workout muscle soreness in a few days
- Boost muscle growth and strength within 12 weeks
- Revitalize skin appearance in 1 to 6 months
The moment you stop taking collagen supplements, your body is deprived of the extra collagen it was used to. Predictably, any improvements you have experienced will gradually vanish, as your body has to work with a low collagen content again.
After stopping collagen supplementation for a while, you may notice physiological declines such as:
- More intense joint discomfort
- More brittle bones
- Increased hair fall
- More frequent nail breakage
- Slower muscle recovery after physical activity
- Decreased muscle mass and strength
- More visible signs of skin aging
In a nutshell, you are reverting back to your pre-supplement self when you wean off collagen supplements. As you refrain from taking collagen peptides, the above declines may deteriorate even further as your body’s collagen supply grows ever scarcer with age.
If I Stop Taking Collagen Peptides, Will It Cause My Skin’s Elasticity To Go Away?
A popular question among collagen users is, “If I stop taking collagen peptides, will it cause my skin’s elasticity to go away?” According to science, most likely.
In a small study involving 64 women aged 40-60 years old, the test group took 1000 milligrams of collagen peptides every day for 12 weeks while the placebo group did not. Collagen peptides were detected in the bloodstream of the test participants, with “peak concentrations observed 1-2 h after intake.”
The results showed that daily consumption of marine collagen peptides significantly improved skin elasticity in the test group, compared to the placebo group. By supplementing with collagen peptides, you are replenishing your body’s reduced collagen supply to synthesize more elastin fibers in the skin layers. This improves your skin’s firmness and bounciness over time.
Once you stop consuming collagen peptides, your body loses its supplemental source of elastin-producing protein. As you can imagine, your skin cells now produce lesser elastin fibers, causing a recurrent drop in skin elasticity.
Will the Body Become Dependent on Collagen Supplements, Causing It to Naturally Produce Less?
Some of you may wonder, “Does taking a collagen supplement make your body stop producing collagen on its own over time?”
From a scientific standpoint, your body is already synthesizing less collagen over the years. As we’ve mentioned, this is due to internal and external factors such as aging, sun exposure, cigarette smoke, and stress. It’s a biological process that naturally happens to everyone, with or without collagen supplements.
As such, collagen supplements do not take away your body’s ability to synthesize collagen naturally. Rather, these supplements give your body the extra collagen it needs to make up for its dwindling biological supply.
Give Collagen Peptides a Go — You Won’t Regret It
Now that you’re forewarned about what happens when you stop taking collagen, there’s really no reason to stop supplementing with this exceptional protein. If you are new to collagen supplements, it’s definitely time to give them a go.
Zen Principle offers two types of collagen peptides to help you reach your health and wellness goals:
Both collagen peptides powders are the perfect addition to your morning cuppa, post-workout protein shake, and anytime you feel you need a collagen boost. If you'd like to add collagen to your meals, our Beef Gelatin Powder would be an ideal option.
No matter which collagen supplement you choose, you should commit to it to reap the desired benefits, and maintain said improvements in the long run.
Hi S. Lockyer,
We’re sorry to hear you’ve been experiencing discomfort. While we can’t offer medical advice, we recommend consulting a healthcare professional regarding your recent stomach issues, elimination problems, and new onset of arthritis. They can provide the best guidance based on your individual health history.
In the meantime, it’s always a good practice to start with a smaller dose when introducing new supplements to assess any potential side effects. We also advise reviewing the ingredients list of your particular collagen product to see if there are any known allergens or sensitivities for you.
I hope this helps.
I have been taking collagen with peptides for about 8 months. In the past 2 months I have experienced mild stomach
aches, problems eliminating, and recently along with arthritis. What is your recommendation?
Hi Linda,
Dicalcium Phosphate is used as emulsifier, stabilizer or nutritional supplement. But taking too much Dicalcium Phosphate can trigger symptoms similar to calcium overdose, which includes kidney stones and changes in heart rate.
That is why it is important to look at the ingredients list when choosing a collagen supplement to ensure that there are no additives or artificial ingredients.
I hope this helps.
My Collagen has Dicalcium Phosphate in it, but dosent it collect in your heart and kidneys?
Thanks for these products
Hi Anne,
Our Marine Collagen Powder is manufactured from skins of wild caught cod, pollock, and haddock in the USA and Canada. It’s packaged in a USA facility, GMP-compliant (Good Manufacturing Practices) to ensure safety and consistent quality. Our fish are sourced from the deep pristine waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas.
In addition, we test our products repeatedly throughout the production process, including randomly sampling the finished product to ensure that it is safe and ensure consistent quality.
And since marine collagen is derived from fish, it would not be considered vegetarian. It would pass for a pescatarian diet which is primarily a plant-based diet that incorporates fish and other seafood.
I hope the above information helps.
Hi
I wanna know if marine collagen is vegetarian also how to order from u any direct contact n it’s pricing
Also how does u guys prove its beneficial n no harmful side effects to body
Hi Tamar,
It is recommended to take the recommended amount daily to get the best result. However, you can opt to take it in the frequency that is convenient for you but it may not yield the same result as taking the daily serving.
It would help if you include collagen rich foods in your diet when not taking the collagen supplements.
Will you get the same results if you take it every other day?
Thank you
Hi Cathy,
Collagen supplements will not make your body dependent on it. To point out a passage on the article;
“Collagen supplements do not take away your body’s ability to synthesize collagen naturally. Rather, these supplements give your body the extra collagen it needs to make up for its dwindling biological supply.”
I hope this helps.
This is a scarey article. I am a senior citizen.I am having second thoughts about taking collagen peptides after reading it. l do not want to become dependent on collagen and never be able to stop.
Wow , thanks for the excellent info .very informative
Hi Dolly,
Collagen supplementation will not make our body dependent to the collagen supplement.
Since our body’s ability to synthesize collagen decreases over time, collagen supplementation is one way of augmenting the collagen supply for our body.
One possible reason for the knee pains after not using the collagen supplement is the inadequate collagen which could be remedied by eating collagen rich foods or by taking collagen supplements.
But it would still be best to check with your doctor to ensure that there is no underlying condition that is triggering the knee pains.
I hope this helps.
After taking marine collagen for 12 weeks I stopped.Now having pain in the knees .Should I continue taking it again and for how long.Does long duration of its use makes the body get dependent on it. I am 67 years old .
Am so Happy I have used collagen powder 1 and 111 for the last 3 month, it has boosted my hair and my skin is glowing.5 of my friends have started using it too.
Hi Mitchell,
We completely understand your concern regarding the safety of food supplements.
We are very serious in making sure that our products pass all quality guidelines and tests to ensure that they are safe to use.
Please be assured that our Collagen Peptides are tested regularly for heavy metals and other contaminants.
Constipation and other gastrointestinal discomforts such as feeling bloated or passing more gas than usual are normally associated with taking too much collagen. So we always suggest to take the recommended amount or as advised by your doctor or dietician. You can check our article on the symptoms of taking too much collagen to check on more details regarding this.
I hope the above information helps.
I have lost the cartilage in my shoulder and in my ankle.I am 65 years old and I exercise.I take two medications.One for Chrohns disease.I am a little leery of adding a supplement not approved by the FDA.That’s just me.My relative takes vital proteins original collagen peptides and she swears by it.She takes it because of an autoimmune condition for her hair.But she tells me it has done miracles for her joints as she is big on exercise.I am worried about constipation and want to know if this product adds to constipation.I also would like to know if this product is safe in the long run.From leads or any other substance that can abuse my liver or my kidneys.Could you please reply to my concerns.