When you look at the collagen supplement sector, 9 out of 10 supplements use bovine collagen. (Bovine is a fancy word for cow). 'Why so many bovine collagen products?' was a question I asked at the start of sourcing our collagen. All the research pointed to marine collagen having the highest efficacy. Marine collagen requires the lowest dosage and wild marine collagen is the only collagen form guaranteed to be free from 'nasties' like GMOs, antibiotics and steroids. The answer was simple: bovine collagen is cheaper than marine collagen. Sometimes I see "pasture fed" headlines on bovine collagen products looking to distinguish themselves from the non-grass fed competition aka: feed lot fed. "Grass Fed" sounds more attractive, right? If you've ever visited a feed lot, you'll know they're horrible and unnatural places where cows are fed unnatural food. So does "grass fed" mean the collagen is without 'nasties'? Good question! What we know is that bovine collagen is a bi-product of the beef industry and abattoirs. The meat, bones and hides left over from the beef cull is pulverised, powderised and then hydrolysed into collagen powder. If it's in the cow, it's in the collagen. Now is there a care-giving abattoir going that extra mile to sort their grass fed meat, bones and hides from their feed-lot-fed meat, bones and hides? Maybe. My mother and step-father were cattle and sheep farmers in regional NSW. In my years between High School and joining the military I worked as a Jillaroo on their property and neighbouring properties. That time on the land, working with farmers, is why I have a high level of suspicion around claims around "grass fed" collagen and the sorting processes it's coming out of. It's important to challenge any narrative around supplement products because the promoters of products aren't always the most reliable sources of information. I advocate for asking questions, finding out answers and making informed choices when it comes to collagen.
