When you are searching for the best collagen for joints, it is easy to get lost in the sea of options. You may be wondering how you can tell which type of collagen will work best for you.
But we’re here to help.
The two main types of collagen supplement on the market today are powder and liquid collagen supplements.
Between these two collagen types, it may not seem like there would be that many differences beyond the fact that one is powder and one is in the liquid form. But, if you dig a bit deeper, you may find that the differences in composition may impact whether or not your collagen supplement is the best collagen for joints.
In this article, we are going to do a deep dive into some of the primary differences between liquid collagen and powder collagen, and how you can make an informed decision when deciding on the best collagen for joints.
After all, if you are looking for the best collagen product for joint health, you will need something that is going to help you get the shoulder, hip, or knee joint pain relief you’re seeking.
Let’s take a look at powder and liquid collagen, the differences between the two, and which one of them is the best collagen for joint pain.
Choosing the best collagen for joints: powder collagen vs liquid collagen
There are several factors to consider when deciding if powder collagen or liquid collagen is the best collagen for joints, but we will help you narrow it down by comparing and contrasting each collagen type and listing their pros and cons.
Pros of powder collagen for joint health
Powder protein supplements are everywhere, and it’s no surprise that the powder form of collagen is popular too.
One of the biggest advantages of powder collagen is that it is so versatile. For instance, you can use a powder collagen in drinks, smoothies, yogurt, baked goods, and more. The versatility makes it easier for you to fit your powder collagen supplement into your daily life and diet.
In addition, some powder collagen products strictly contain collagen and do not have any other added ingredients or flavors. This may turn some people off, but for most consumers, having no added flavor makes the powder collagen supplement easier to add to their meals and snacks.
Cons of powder collagen for joint health
Other than the versatility of powder collagen, not a lot else stands out in terms of helping with your overall joint health – which is why it would be difficult for us to pinpoint a powder collagen product as the best collagen for joints.
While collagen in general is a great food for healthy joints, the collagen supplement is only as effective as its absorption rate and your body’s ability to process the collagen molecules. The ability to absorb and process collagen largely depends on that collagen brand’s dalton size.
The dalton size is a unit of mass used to measure the size of collagen molecules. While this is not a blanket statement, many powder collagen supplements use the collagen in the whole form. This sounds like it would be a good thing, but in reality, when collagen molecules are consumed in the whole form, they are very difficult for your body to digest.
Whole collagen molecules found in many powder collagen supplements are 300,000 daltons in size – which means they are far too large to digest easily. Your stomach pores are the size of 4,000 daltons, so anything larger than that won’t be fully absorbed.
Some powder collagen supplements will use a hydrolyzed collagen powder, and that has a higher likelihood of absorption because the collagen molecules have been processed by hydrolysis and broken down into a smaller size.
Hydrolysis may make a powder collagen supplement more likely to be the best collagen for joints…but there are still other concerns to factor in.
Powder collagen, like any protein powder, runs the risk of clumping together and being difficult to mix into your protein shake. It also often has a chalky flavor that is off putting to some consumers.
In addition, most collagen powders come in large or bulk-size canisters. While this is generally cost effective and minimizes packaging waste, there are two major issues with this.
First, it makes the container difficult to grab and go.
Second, when collagen powder is stored in large canisters like that, if it is left to settle and you don’t shake it up before scooping it out, the dosage can be off.
Most powders are comprised of both large and small molecules, all of somewhat varying sizes. So, when left to settle into the container, the molecules will settle accordingly, leaving mostly large collagen molecules near the top. That means you will have even MORE trouble absorbing it.
If you are looking for the best collagen for joints, the average power protein probably won’t cut it for you. You want to look for a collagen supplement that is easy to absorb and bioavailable so you can reap all the benefits of the best collagen for joints.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of liquid collagen supplements.
Pros of liquid collagen for joint health
While there are other liquid collagen supplements on the market, the primary one we will evaluate is ProT Gold. Unlike other collagen products, ProT Gold comes in a single serve container as well as a larger bottle that you have to measure servings from yourself.
If you are using liquid collagen for joint health, the larger container can be beneficial. However, most people prefer the convenience of the single serve pouches so they can bring it with them on the go. The differences in containers allow for the consumer to make that choice.
With the single serving pouches, you don’t need to worry about diluting the supplement or adding any water. You can simply massage the packet, open the top, and take the supplement as it is.
Having the liquid collagen already portioned out for you also ensures that you do not get the dosage wrong.
Next, we need to look at the absorption rate. As mentioned with the collagen powder, you should seek out a liquid collagen that is hydrolyzed.
ProT Gold goes one step further – it is a nano hydrolyzed collagen supplement. When collagen is nano hydrolyzed it means that the collagen molecules have gone through the process of hydrolysis more than once, making them even smaller and easier for your body to absorb.
When looking for the best collagen for joints, the absorption rate should be your number one concern. That’s why ProT Gold also added a pre-digested fruit enzyme to the collagen to help the supplement be digested within 15 minutes of consumption.
The easier the supplement is to absorb, the more likely it is to be the best collagen for joints, because your body is able to get the most out of the supplementation.
Cons of liquid collagen for joints health
In all honesty, there are not any major cons when it comes to liquid collagen for joint health.
Liquid collagen is convenient to grab and go, easy to take, and easily absorbed.
But, whether or not you are getting the best collagen for joints will depend on the company you are getting your liquid collagen from, just as much as it matters when buying powder collagen.
A possible disadvantage of some liquid collagen is that not all collagen products on the market contain all nine amino acids that make a complete protein.
When looking for the best collagen for joints, make sure you choose one that is a complete protein. ProT Gold is fortified to be a complete protein, making it a quality source of collagen for consumers.
What is the best collagen for joints?
When it comes to the best collagen for joints, the number one factor is going to be the absorption rate. No matter if it is powder or liquid, if it has an effective absorption rate and your body can fully process the nutrients and amino acids, then it is a good quality supplement for joint health.
The reality is, liquid collagen supplements tend to fall into the better absorption rate category more often than powder collagen supplements.
The reason our main focus is how easy it is to digest is because if your body cannot process and break down the collagen molecules into amino acids, then your collagen supplements will be ineffective for joint support and repair.
When collagen is being digested fully in your body, it is broken down into all of the amino acids that make up that molecule. If it cannot be broken down completely, then it will never make it to your small intestine to start circulation in your bloodstream.
Hydrolyzed and nano hydrolyzed collagen are going to be more likely to achieve that process fully. ProT Gold liquid collagen uses nano hydrolyzed collagen, which is 1% the size of a whole collagen molecule.
As we stated before, your stomach pores are much smaller than the standard whole collagen molecule. By using a nano hydrolyzed collagen supplement, the molecules will actually be capable of fitting through those stomach pores instead of simply passing by and going to waste.
Not all collagen is created equally, and not all collagen supplements are going to be absorbed into the body in the same fashion. This is especially true for topical collagen. Ingesting collagen versus applying it to your skin has a completely different effect.
If you are looking for the best collagen for joints, then topical collagen simply won’t cut it.
When choosing the best collagen for joints and your lifestyle, you will also want to consider the convenience and overall versatility of the collagen supplement. After all, if you prefer to add collagen to something like pancakes in the morning versus a smoothie, then perhaps a powder collagen is more suitable for your lifestyle.
No matter which one you choose, be sure that you are looking for a collagen supplement that is hydrolyzed or nano hydrolyzed and fortified to be a complete protein. That way you are getting all of the benefits of your collagen supplement and will be able to find the best collagen for joints.
