Vegan Source Of Collagen; 3 Amazing Vegan Collagen Facts

Could it be that the search for a Vegan source of collagen is over? Is it true that Vegan collagen which is completely plant-based can be found in some species of seaweed?

Come with me and we will take a deeper dive into Sea Moss and how it may play a part in supporting Vegan collagen levels.

With more and more people moving towards making diet and lifestyle choices that resonate with them based on a combination of values and health, there has been an obvious increase in the demand for products to cater to their needs.

One such need is being seen in the Vegan community, with cafes and restaurants planning their menus to serve this market more effectively. In that, the use of seaweed as a Vegan source of collagen-stimulating constituents in raw food is something that is impressing the crowds.

This is becoming more of a movement in our part of the world, where people are frequenting bulk whole foods stores and farmer’s markets to source nutritious food and ingredients. Rather than opting for products loaded with preservatives and fillers, Buyers are becoming more educated.

How do Vegans get Collagen?

The first thing we need to consider is do Vegans need collagen. Regardless of your choice in diet, collagen is necessary for maintaining good health.

If your collagen levels are not given the attention needed, you may find that deficiencies lead you to experience issues such as:

  • Dull skin 1
  • Increased premature wrinkles 2
  • Poor wound healing 3
  • Dull or brittle hair, or thinning of the scalp 4 5
  • Osteoporosis and joint pain 6
  • Muscular pain 7
  • Digestive issues such as leaky gut, and 8
  • Potential organ prolapse. 9 10

Now, that list sounds rather shocking. But we are looking at this through an extreme clinical deficiency lens. The upside is that it is not difficult to look after your collagen levels, as long as you get on to it before it’s too late.

This is pretty easy to do with a few simple steps to support Vegan sources of collagen stimulation. You may find these articles particularly helpful:

Taking Vegan collagen supplements may help with this, but you can always opt to go to the source and get what you need from nature as a part of your diet.

As you dig deeper into the science, I’ve found that one particular paper I came across, the 4th edition of Molecular Cell Biology, was particularly helpful. 11 12

How it helped me was that it detailed collagen production in a very clear way and how procollagen chains go through a modification process for a triple helix assembly within the Endoplasmic Reticulum. 13

This typically results in the propeptides being removed post-secretion with the collagen fibrils forming in the extracellular space.

Is there a Vegan Alternative to Collagen?

Vegan sources of collagen and products marketed as Vegan collagen builder options typically contain elements or constituents that stimulate collagen production and maintain health more than Vegan collagen per se.

As much as you might hear about Vegan collagen peptides these tend to be something of a unicorn unless you start to step into the GMO world.

The closest there is to date to a Vegan source of collagen here is through the genetic engineering of yeast and bacteria with a view to medical applications.

Researchers have been able to synthesise the production of fibrils which are structurally similar to human collagen. This is achieved through purified hydroxylated recombinant human collagen.

The precision of the synthesis was reported in the study to the extent that collagen fragments were able to be secreted with definitive lengths, compositions, and physiochemical properties. 14

Is there a Plant Source of Collagen?

If you consider the harnessing of bacteria and yeast to produce a synthesised version of collagen to be Vegan, then yes, there is a plant source of collagen that aligns with your values.

Some people are likely to shy away from genetically engineered solutions these days more than they would have before for various reasons – it’s a personal thing, and I respect that.

However, if you are looking to boost your Vegan source of collagen with plant-based solutions, the go-to for many is finding any wholefood source that is rich in Vitamin C. 15

Known for it’s collagen synthesis properties, this humble vitamin is much more than a cold and flu combatant.

The best options for supporting your health in this area, regardless of whether you’re looking at supplements or wholefood sources will also include reliable levels of Vitamins A, D (being D2 and D3), and E. 16

Vitamin A derivatives as antioxidants play a role largely through their photoprotective properties.

Vitamin D plays a key part in immune response, supporting calcium homeostasis, protecting the skin cells from ultraviolet-induced apoptosis and cell death, and much more.

Vitamin E as an antioxidant acts as a free-radical scavenger and is particularly effective at providing support to the body within this scope in conjunction with Vitamin C.

Any Vegan collagen powder that is lacking in Copper is likely to be an inferior product. Copper is necessary for the stimulation of dermal fibroblasts to support the proliferation and upregulation of collagen along with components of elastin fibres as produced by fibroblasts. 17

Can I Increase Collagen Production without Eating?

If you don’t consume something to help with your collagen levels and health, you’ll eventually run your tank dry. As far as a Vegan source of collagen, and collagen-stimulating compounds goes, you’ve essentially got two choices:

  • supplements, or
  • healthy wholefoods

I consider supplements to be a last-ditch effort. If I can’t get what I need from vitamin-rich and mineral dense wholefoods, then I’ll look here.

The reason is, that there’s no telling what has been used in many supplements. I firmly believe that the key is to maintain a healthy diet so that the required minerals and vitamins are right on the top of the list.

Something else to keep in mind is that your body is going to use the nutritional value of what you consume to support life-sustaining functions over beauty. You may notice beauty-based indications with time as a result of consuming the right foods. This is not likely to happen overnight, but it will happen.

Some plants can offer an amazing Vegan source of collagen stimulation. One in particular that I have found which does this extremely well is Sea Moss.

Specifically, Sea Moss. Packed with collagen-supporting elements. This abundant resource has been used in supplements, as raw food, and in topical applications such as serums. 18 19 20

As a source of collagen stimulation Sea Moss, gives us a very extensively researched option.

You don’t need to be Vegan to enjoy the benefits of Sea Moss, you can simply choose to use it in any range of ways to enjoy all that it has to offer. 

This is great news for those looking for a Vegan source of collagen stimulation, but you need to be aware of a few other factors before you rush out to buy any old Sea Moss.

Does Sea Moss Contain Collagen?

No, it does not. As a macroalgae (a seaweed), no known collagen can be derived from seaweeds that are available in sufficient quantities to make them commercially viable. 21

However, that’s not to say that there aren’t any collagen-stimulating properties.

Collagen-stimulating properties found in Sea Moss were studied to identify that the acceleration of wound healing (wound contractions) was noticeably quicker than in either control group.

Most notably, the application of ethanol-extracted Eucheuma Cottonii compared to aqueous-extracted Eucheuma Cottonii demonstrated as much as a 20% greater effect. 22

What is the Best Type of Sea Moss?

There are many different types of Sea Moss on the market, but not all of them are equally matched when you look at them side by side.

If you are after a higher grade of seaweed with a better studied collagen stimulating constituent base that you can actually use, then go for a Sea Moss that has been naturally dried and not oven-baked.

vegan source of collagen - seaweed
Natural Irish Sea Moss which has been air / sun dried and not oven dried or baked looks like this. The estimated moisture content in this specimen is >30%

When Sea Moss, or any other seaweed for that matter, has been baked, it is effectively dead when applying Kirlian methodologies. All of the nutritional value in it is pretty much destroyed. 23

To find out how you can make an Irish Sea Moss gel that is an amazing plant-based substitute for gelatin, see:

Sea Moss Superfood!. Find this image on Instagram.

A Scary Marine Collagen Fact

The broad range of collagen powders is often in the Vegan source of collagen category. What is troubling is that some claim to be from ‘marine sources’ which, largely through their marketing, simply are not animal-based. The truth is that these are more often than not made from shellfish, and the guts, gills, heads, and fins of fish. 24

What is even more troubling is that some fish can produce higher collagen content if they are malnourished. 25

That leaves me asking about the ethics of the business that knows they will get more collagen per fish if they don’t properly feed the fish. Saving money on the food expense, and making more money on the higher collagen yield per fish?

3 Amazing Facts about Vegan Sources of Collagen

There is no definitive Vegan Source of Collagen

As covered above, unless you count harnessing yeast and bacteria to create a genetically modified version of collagen, there is no Vegan source of collagen. If you don’t like the sounds of that then it’s best to go with making sure you get the right nutrients to stimulate your current collagen supply, and limit your exposure to factors that will diminish your collagen levels prematurely.

The Benefits of Vegan Collagen Support

Vegan or not, you need collagen to be healthy, and your collagen levels need support. The benefits of looking after your collagen levels and stimulating the production of new collagen include improved skin, bone, muscle, and heart health, along with joint pain relief, improved digestion, and potential links to improved mental health.

Collagen Boosting Gummies may help

Collagen-boosting gummies could be a source of support as long as they contain the required minerals and vitamins to support collagen stimulation. Check to make sure that they contain enough Vitamin A, C, D, E, Copper, Iron, Manganese, and Zinc.

Did you know that you can make your own collagen-boosting gummies with Sea Moss?

References

  1. “Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study” – E. Proksch 1, D. Segger, J. Degwert, M. Schunck, V. Zague, S. Oesser, 14 August 2013 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  2. “Skin anti-aging strategies” – R. Ganceviciene, A. I. Liakou, A. Theodoridis, E. Makrantonaki, C. C. Zouboulis, 23 April 2012 [Taylor & Francis] [Archive] ↩︎
  3. “Collagen in Wound Healing” – S. S. M. Steiner, S. Roy, C. K. Sen, 11 May 2021 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  4. “Oral supplementation with specific bioactive collagen peptides improves nail growth and reduces symptoms of brittle nails” – D. Hexsel, V. Zague, M. Schunck, C. Siega, F. O. Camozzato, S. Oesser, 8 August 2017 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  5. “The structure of people’s hair” – F. C. Yang, Y. Zhang, M. C. Rheinstädter, 14 October 2014 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  6. “Specific Collagen Peptides Improve Bone Mineral Density and Bone Markers in Postmenopausal Women—A Randomized Controlled Study” – D. König, S. Oesser, S. Scharla, D. Zdzieblik, A. Gollhofer, 10 January 2018 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  7. “24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain” – K. L. Clark, W. Sebastianelli, K. R. Flechsenhar, D. F. Aukermann, F. Meza, R. L. Millard, J. R. Deitch, P. S. Sherbondy, A. Albert, 24 May 2008 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  8. “Collagen peptides ameliorate intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction in immunostimulatory Caco-2 cell monolayers via enhancing tight junctions” – Q. Chen, O. Chen, I. M. Martins, H. Hou, X. Zhao, J. B. Blumberg, B. Li, 22 March 2017 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  9. “Collagen changes in pelvic support tissues in women with pelvic organ prolapse” – R. Gong, Z. Xia, 17 January 2019 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  10. “Expressions of homeobox, collagen and estrogen genes in women with uterine prolapse” – F. Dökmeci, F. Tekşen, Ş E. Çetinkaya, T. Özkan, F. Kaplan, K. Köse, February 2019 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  11. “Molecular Cell Biology. 4th edition – Section 22.3Collagen: The Fibrous Proteins of the Matrix” – H. Lodish, A. Berk, S. L. Zipursky, 2000 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  12. “Molecular Cell Biology. 4th edition – Section 22.3Collagen: The Fibrous Proteins of the Matrix” – H. Lodish, A. Berk, S. L. Zipursky, 2000 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  13. “Endoplasmic Reticulum (Rough)” – National Human Genome Research Institute, 10 May 2022 [NIH] [Archive] ↩︎
  14. “Recombinant microbial systems for the production of human collagen and gelatin” – J. Báez, D. Olsen, J. W. Polarek, 15 November 2005 [SpingerLink] [Archive] ↩︎
  15. “The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health” – J. M. Pullar, A. C. Carr, M. C. M. Vissers, 12 August 2017 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  16. “Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging” – S. K. Schagen, V. A. Zampeli, E. Makrantonaki, C. C. Zouboulis, 1 July 2012 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  17. “Using Copper to Improve the Well-Being of the Skin” – G. Borkow, 8 August 2014 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  18. “A dietary polysaccharide from Eucheuma cottonii downregulates proinflammatory cytokines and ameliorates osteoarthritis-associated cartilage degradation in obese rats” – S. Sudirman, H. W. Chang, C. K. Chena, Z. L. Kong, 24 June 2019 [Royal Society of Chemistry] [Archive] ↩︎
  19. “Seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii) reduced inflammation, mucin synthesis, eosinophil infiltration and MMP-9 expressions in asthma-induced rats compared to Loratadine” – N. A. A. Bakar, V. U. Anyanji, N. M. Mustapha, S. L. Lim, S. Mohamed, December 2015 [ScienceDirect] [Archive] ↩︎
  20. “Connective Tissue Stimulation In Guinea Pigs By Polysaccharides Derived From Marine Algae” – E. L. Mccandless, J. L. Mona, 27 June 2014 [ScienceDirect] [Archive] ↩︎
  21. “The algae and seaweed opportunity: An Australian prospect” A. Spencer, March 2021 [Agrifutures] [Archive] ↩︎
  22. “Wound healing properties of Eucheuma Cottonii extracts in Sprague-Dawley rats” – S. G. Fard, R. T. R. Tan, A. A. Mohammed, G. Y. Meng, S. K. S. Muhamad, K. A. AL-Jashamy, S. Mohamed, November 2011 [Academic Journals] [Archive] ↩︎
  23. “Psychophysiological techniques and energy medicine” – S. Singh, June 2019 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  24. “Marine Collagen from Alternative and Sustainable Sources: Extraction, Processing and Applications” – D. Coppola, M. Oliviero, G. A. Vitale, C. Lauritano, I. D’Ambra, S. Iannace, D. de Pascale, 15 April 2020 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎
  25. “Marine Origin Collagens and Its Potential Applications” – T. H. Silva, J. M. Silva, A. L. P. Marques, A. Domingues, Y. Bayon, R. L. Reis, 5 December 2014 [PubMed] [Archive] ↩︎

Last Updated on 7 months by D&C Editorial Team

2 thoughts on “Vegan Source Of Collagen; 3 Amazing Vegan Collagen Facts”

    • Hello Clint,

      By ‘baked’ I mean that is has been roasted in an oven. This cooks and kills the sea moss. There are some companies that sell sea moss flakes, and other seaweed flakes online and in their stores, these are lacking in nutritional value. My advice is to ask them if they can order you in a naturally sun dried, or possibly fresh product (if fresh is available in your area). Or, you can have a look at our Sea Moss and see if this meets your needs. If you have any questions, you can reach us at info@detoxandcure.com

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About the Author

Christine has long been on the path to optimal health. With a history of weight loss coaching she is driven by a passion for nutrition, health and wellness. Having grown up in Africa before migrating to New Zealand, and then Australia, she has seen very strong contrasts in quality of life and is driven to help others understand the importance of taking a holistic approach to life.

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