The Effect of a Hydrolyzed Collagen Nutraceutical on the Cosmetic Appearance of Skin:

Results of a 12 week Clinical Study

by Heidi Gilchrist, MD

Gilchrist Aesthetic and Medical Dermatology, Encinitas, CA &

Sarah EhrlichAshieda, LLC, Beverly Hills, CA

Introduction

Collagen is the protein that composes 70-80% of the dry weight of human skin. The body is capable of making at least 28 different types of collagen. The two types mainly relevant to skin health and appear-ance are collagen type I and collagen type III. These are the two types that make up most of the collagen in the second layer of skin, which is known as the dermis.

At birth, 75% of the collagen in the dermis is type III and only 25% is type I. Type III collagen is found in growing children. In adults, those percentages are reversed and there is mainly type I collagen in the dermis. The exception is in a healing skin wound, which reverts back to making type III until a scar has completely formed.1

Collagen is a structural protein. Fibers of collagen support the shape of the skin. Collagen formation and breakdown takes place in the dermis, the thick-er, firm layer of skin that lies beneath the paper-thin outer layer, or epidermis, like a mattress lies beneath a sheet. In youthful skin, collagen is firm, taut, and abundant, like a new mattress. Just as a foam mattress

over time becomes flatter in places and creased as its structure breaks down, aging skin begins to sag and wrinkle when the collagen is diminished and frag-mented. As skin ages, reactive oxygen species (which are associated with ultraviolet radiation, environmen-tal pollution, poor diet, and just normal aging) lead to increased production of the enzyme collagenase, which breaks down collagen. Then fibroblasts, the cells that make collagen, lose their normal stretched state. The fibroblasts collapse, and then more break-down enzymes are produced. People in their 80’s have four times more broken collagen than people in their 20’s.2 In the elderly, in whom the dermis has lost two-thirds or more of its youthful thickness through collagen loss, skin tears and bruises easily.

In recent years, there has been increased scientific interest2,3,4 in what can be done to slow the break-down of collagen and build new collagen, even as the skin ages chronologically. Nutraceuticals are prod-ucts, often dietary supplements, which have been demonstrated to have noticeable physiologic effects or prevent chronic disease. Other studies5,6,7 have shown that ingestion of hydrolyzed collagen protein

supplements can affect moisture content of the skin (hydration), fine lines, and smoothness by stimulating collagen production “from the inside out.”

Whole collagen proteins are not easily absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. In order to be useful (bio-available) to the body, the collagen has to be hydro-lyzed, or broken down into smaller strings of amino acids that can be digested by enzymes and incorpo-rated into the body.8 The resulting fragments of col-lagen protein, called peptides, are easily absorbed and almost completely absorbed.9

Once in the skin, these collagen peptides may trigger the body to make more of its own natural collagen by activating cells called fibroblasts.10 The peptides also cause the existing collagen to become more or-ganized, making it stronger and more resilient at the molecular level11,12 which may mean increased skin smoothness and suppleness clinically. Finally, colla-gen is a hygroscopic molecule, which tends to attract and hold moisture, leading to increased skin hydra-tion clinically.13

The available research suggests that there is a strong role for oral supplementation with hydrolyzed colla-gen in an approach to anti-aging using nutraceuticals.

Methods

Ten otherwise healthy female volunteers aged 29-60 years, mean age 42 years, consumed a drink (Beauty Nectar™, Ashieda®, Beverly Hills, Cali-fornia) containing 3023 mg of hydrolyzed bovine collagen combined with proprietary amounts of antioxidants (including vitamin C, resveratrol, kiwi seed extract, and grape seed extract) and a food grade ceramide (Oryza Ceramide®-PT, Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical Co, Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). Subjects consumed one 50 ml serving three times daily and were followed over 12 weeks. Clinical photographs were taken at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks with a dermatoscope (ProScope Mobile™, Bodelin Technologies, Lake Oswego, Oregon). Subjects were asked to rate eleven specific criteria (Table 1) about their skin on a scale of 1 to 10 at baseline and 6-week and 12-week intervals. The same crite-ria were also subjectively recorded by a board-cer-tified dermatologist at the same intervals.

Subjective Criteria

Brightness

Deep lines

Elasticity

Fine lines

Firmness

Nourished

Plumpness

Pore size

Skin hydration

Skin smoothness

Suppleness

Collagen Cell

ResultsFigure 1. Average percent improvement from baseline at 6 weeks and 12 weeks of the subjective criteria as evaluated by the subject and a dermatologist.

Figure 2. Average improvement on self-assessment (subjective rating 1 to 10) from baseline to 12 weeks of select criteria.

Figure 3. Before and 12 weeks after consuming Beauty Nectar™ 3 times daily for 12 weeks. Dermatoscopic photographs of the skin of glabella of subject # 1.

Discussion

Anti-aging medicine can include dietary supplemen-tation, lifestyle changes, herbal products, hormonal therapies, caloric restriction, and other modalities. Over the last thirty years, there has been increased scientific interest in the effects on skin of ingestion of hydrolyzed collagen peptides. The peptides trig-ger increased collagen production in the skin, thicker collagen fibrils, and stronger organization of the col-lagen.

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a cofactor in several enzymatic reactions in the body, including collagen synthesis. It also serves as an antioxidant to protect the body by neutralizing free radicals produced by exposure to ultraviolet radiation, environmental pol-lutants, and consumption of some processed foods. Vitamin C has been shown to decrease sunburn cell formation, thymine dimer formation and p53 pro-tein expression (both of which signify DNA dam-age), and expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (an enzyme that breaks down collagen).14

Resveratrol is an antioxidant and nutritional supple-ment. Found in the skin of red grapes as well as in other fruit, resveratrol has been shown to be anti-in-flammatory15 and to have anti-cancer activity.16

Grape seed extract contains polyphenols, vitamin E, and linoleic acid. Polyphenols include flavonoids, which are potent antioxidants found in red wine. Vi-tamin E is an antioxidant, and linoleic acid is an ome-ga-3 fatty acid essential to the body.

Kiwi seed extract contains alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, which is essential to the body.Ceramides are lipid-based compounds normally found in human skin and decreased in dry skin with eczema. Ceramides may help to repair the skin and replenish the skin barrier.17

Beauty Nectar™ is a hydrolyzed collagen supplement that also contains vitamin C, resveratrol, grape seed extract, kiwi seed extract, and ceramides. Our clinical study found subjective increases in skin hydration, firmness, smoothness, and suppleness, and decreases in the appearance of fine lines and pores. Subjects also reported that their skin looked more nourished, plump, and bright with improved skin tone. Beauty Nectar™ is a nutraceutical with a potent role in an anti-aging regimen.

before after

References

1 Bolognia J, Jorrizo JL, Schaffer JV. Dermatology. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2012. Print.2 Fisher GJ, Varani J, Voorhees JJ. Looking older: fibroblast collapse and ther-apeutic implications. Arch Dermatol 2008;144(5):666-672.3 Rittié L, Kang S, Voorhees JJ, et al. Induction of collagen by estradiol: dif-ference between sun-protected and photodamaged human skin in vivo. Arch Dermatol 2008;144(9):1129-1140.4 Orringer JS, Kang S, Johnson TM, et al. Connective tissue remodeling in-duced by carbon dioxide laser resurfacing of photodamaged human skin. Arch Dermatol 2004;140(11):1326-1332.5 Matsumoto H, Ohara H, Ito K, et al. Clinical effects of fish type I col-lagen hydrolysate on skin properties. ITE Lett Batt New Technol Med 2006;7(3/4):386-390.6 Morganti P, Randazzo SD, Bruno C. Oral treatment of skin dryness. Cosmet Toilet 1998;103:77-80.7 Cosgrove MC, Franco OH, Granger SP, et al. Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged women. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;36:1225-1231.8 Asghar A, Henrickson RL. Chemical, biochemical, and functional character-istics of collagen in the food system. Adv Food Res 1982;28:231-372.9 Oesser S, Adam M, Babel W, et al. Oral administration of 14C labeled colla-gen hydrosylates leads to an accumulation of radioactivity in cartilage of mice. J Nutr 1999;129:1891-1895.10 Postlethwaite AE, Seymour JM, Kang AH. Chemotactic attraction of hu-man fibroblasts to type I, II, and III collagens and collage-derived peptides. Proc Acad Sci USA 1978;75:871-875.11 Minaguchi J, Koyama Y, Hosaka Y, et al. Effects of collagen peptide on collagen fibrils and glycosaminoglycans in the Achilles tendon. J Nutr Sci Vi-taminol 2005;51:169-174.12 Matsuda N, Koyama Y, Hosaka Y, et al. Effects of collagen peptide on collagen fibrils and glycosaminoglycans in the dermis. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol 2006;52:211-215.13 Sumida E. The effect of oral ingestion of collagen peptide on skin hydra-tion and biochemical data in blood. Jour Nutr Food 2004;7(3):45-52.14 Oresajo C, Stephens T, Hino PD, et al. Protective effects of a topical anti-oxidant mixture containing vitamin C, ferulic acid, and phloretin against ultra-violet-induced photodamage in human skin. Jour Cos Dermatol 2008;(7):290-297.15 Gentilli M, Mazoit JX, Bouaziz H, et al. Resveratrol decreases hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan in the rat hind paw. Life Sci 2008; 68 (11):1317–21.16 Jang M, Cai L, Udeani GO, Slowing KV, et al. Cancer chemopreventive activity of resveratrol, a natural product derived from grapes. Science 1997;275 (5297):218–20.17 Coderch L, Lopez O, de la Maza A, et al. Ceramides and skin function. Am J Clin Dermatol 2003;4(2):107-29.

Conflict of Interest. Dr. Heidi Gilchrist is a consultant for Ashieda, LLC.