Real Health / Collagen Protein vs. Whey | Which Should You Choose?

Collagen Protein vs. Whey | Which Should You Choose?

August 13, 2024 Dr Livingood

Collagen protein vs. whey protein, powder scoop, and molecular illustration, with text overlay.

It’s super important because it gives us amino acids that help ensure that our body has the strength and structure that it needs.

Our arteries, skin, bones, tissue, teeth, and even organs are constructed from protein.

A good source of protein is going to provide us with the nine essential amino acids that our body can’t naturally produce, which we can use to build it back up.

Food Sources of Protein

Some good food sources of protein include:

Red meat
Seafood
Poultry
Dairy
Beans
Whole grains
Nuts
Seeds

There are also protein supplements like whey or collagen that are good sources, too.

Those supplements shouldn’t replace a balanced diet, but they can help people who are older, or who are trying to build muscle through a healthy source.

But which one should you choose?

Whey

Whey is one of the most popular types of protein powder. It’s a byproduct of milk that’s especially present in dairy products.

A good example of this is the liquid layer that sits on top of Greek yogurt.

Whey is a complete protein, which means it contains all 9 of the amino acids that our body can’t make on its own, which go with the 11 that our body can make.

Studies show that whey has the following benefits:

Effective at improving metabolism
Improves recovery from physical activity
Creates lean body mass
Reduces the damage of oxidative stress

Whey also comes with disadvantages, such as:

Contains dairy (our bodies don’t need excess dairy)
Can contain hormones & antibiotics
Turns to sugar in the body
Chemically processed

Collagen

Collagen makes up about ⅓ of the body’s protein composition, which means that it’s the most abundant protein in the body.

Collagen provides structure to our bones, skin, blood vessels, cartilage, tendons, connective tissue, teeth, hair, muscles, organs, and intestinal lining.

Collagen is mainly derived from either fish or red meat sources like beef.

The advantages of collagen include:

Strengthens the parts of the body listed above
Repairs tissue
Helps blood vessel circulation
Helps strengthen intestines and digestive system
Soothes join irritation
Keeps skin strong and free of wrinkles
Improves oral health
Strengthens nails and hair

There are very few disadvantages to collagen.

One disadvantage is that collagen supplements come from an animal source, so they’re non-vegetarian.

You can take vitamin C to help boost your body’s collagen production, but that production naturally decreases with age.

Some of the best food sources of collagen include:

Bone broth
Seafood
Eggs
Foods high in Vitamin C (strawberries, oranges, broccoli)
Foods high in copper and zinc

There are also things that decrease your body’s production of collagen that you can reduce or avoid, including:

Smoking
Excess exposure to sunlight
A diet high in carbs and sugars

Those all slow down your body’s natural production of collagen.

Which is Better?

Both collagen and whey help increase the body’s protein storage, improve muscle mass, and have very few side effects or risks.

However, when it comes to overall wellness, I pick collagen.

I used whey several years ago, and it created irritation in my gut and joints.

They became inflamed because the whey was putting excess dairy in my diet.

Whey has also been found to increase insulin more than collagen does.

There’s very little taste to collagen, so you can add it to almost anything, whereas whey had an aftertaste that I didn’t enjoy.

One study shows that collagen was up to 40 times more filling than whey, so having it in a morning smoothie can help reduce your appetite and food intake later in the day.

The collagen I use in my diet is here, and if you need a place to start to understand clean eating when it comes to meats, check out my free book here.