Do collagen supplements interact with medications?

Do collagen supplements interact with medications?

Interactions between supplements and medicinal drugs are something that people should be wary of. Herbal remedies, vitamins and minerals that are known to be excellent for your health can sometimes be dangerous for people who take certain medications. One example of this is garlic supplements interacting with anticoagulants, which are often taken by people who are at a high risk of heart attack or stroke. The interaction can increase the individual’s risk of bleeding excessively.

But do collagen supplements interact with medications? The simple answer is that, if you are taking any kind of medication, you should consult your healthcare provider before taking collagen supplements. Read on to learn more.

What is in collagen supplements?

To understand the potential for collagen supplements to interact with medications, it’s useful to know what’s in your supplement. Drug-supplement interactions generally take place on a compound-to-compound basis. Going back to the example in the introduction, the blood thinning  properties of garlic can be traced to ajoene, which is an organosulfur compound. This compound prevents the aggregation of platelets, so it amplifies the effects of anticoagulant medications like warfarin, clopidogrel and aspirin.

In the majority of cases, collagen supplements are composed of animal-derived collagen. It usually comes from fish, cows or pigs. It is a protein, so it is made up of amino acids. You would find the same things in the protein content of your steak or roast chicken. So, with that being the case, does hydrolysed collagen interact with medications?

It might seem like the obvious answer is no, but the reality is a little more complicated. Just because it’s safe to eat protein from your favourite foods, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can instantly assume collagen peptides will have no interaction with your medications.

Do collagen supplements interact with medications?

Consider the idea that it is difficult to over-consume protein through whole foods. Work your way through a tasty slab of steak and you probably felt absolutely full up by the time you reached the last few bites. On average, a steak weighing 100 grams will contain roughly 23 grams of protein.

Let’s compare that to downing a liquid collagen drink like Kollo. A single serving of Kollo provides 10 grams of protein, and most people could easily swallow two servings of this at once without feeling full. That would be 20 grams of protein and you would easily feel like you could drink more. This would go against the recommendation to not exceed the daily dose as stated in the instructions, but it is still something a person could do.

What this means is that, when you ask “Do collagen supplements interact with medications?” you are actually asking about drug interactions with high-protein diets. Now, generally speaking, high-protein diets are very safe. But, as with everything, there are always exceptions.

Are there any specific medications known to interact negatively with collagen supplements?

In this section, we will take a look at how a high-protein diet in the form of collagen supplementation might impact two very common medications.

Collagen and blood pressure medication

There is some evidence that a high protein diet could interfere with the effects of certain blood pressure medications:

• Warfarin: There have been studies that indicate a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet might decrease the effectiveness of warfarin.

• Propranolol: A study from 1986 found that the rate at which propranolol is removed from the body increases with the intake of a high-protein meal. The consequence of this was that the drug became less effective. Though there is no specific test involving collagen, it could be surmised that taking collagen supplements with propranolol could increase one’s risk of things like bradycardia and hypotension.

Collagen and thyroid medication

Thyroid disease is a very prevalent condition. A significant percentage of the population has evidence of thyroid autoantibodies.

The two main types of thyroid disease of hyperthyroidism, where your body produces an excess of thyroid hormones, and hypothyroidism, wherein too little of those hormones are produced. The former is treated with medications called thionamides and the latter requires a daily hormone replacement tablet like levothyroxine.

Currently, there is no evidence of supplement-drug interactions between thyroid medication and a high-protein diet like collagen supplementation.

What can we conclude from this?

The conclusion you should take from this is that though there is very little evidence of a high protein diet (and thus collagen supplementation) having negative interactions with medications, it can happen. There is some evidence of a negative interaction with certain blood pressure medications and the same may be true of other medicinal drugs as well. But there are many variables involved, including the amount of protein you take and the type of medication you are on.

Another thing to bear in mind is that many collagen supplements contain more than just hydrolysed collagen. Some, like Kollo, are fortified with other bioactive compounds like B vitamins, vitamin C and l-lysine. These other compounds may also interact with your medications in some cases. Unless you are an expert in pharmaceuticals with specialist knowledge of these particular compounds and the medication you take, it’s wise to assume you don’t know what the interactions might be.

The best advice is to consult your healthcare provider before you purchase any collagen supplements. The same advice would typically be given to anyone on a medication before they purchase any type of supplements. Your doctor will be able to consider your full medical history and make an informed recommendation from a position of expertise. There is no one-size-fits-all answer as to whether collagen supplements interact negatively with medications.

Is Kollo a trustworthy brand? 

Naturally, this is for you to determine, but we can tell you a few things that might help you make a decision. Firstly, we aim for maximum transparency throughout our operations. The collagen peptides we use are Naticol marine collagen, which has a fully traceable supply chain and focuses on ethical, sustainable practices aimed at preserving the purity and integrity of the product at all times.

If you explore our website, you will find that we provide full details about everything that goes into Kollo. We also give you information about the research that indicates its effectiveness in achieving the benefits associated with collagen and we have an entire section dedicated to displaying customer reviews from verified buyers. Our blog section is full of informative articles like this one where we give honest answers to common questions about collagen, its benefits and our supplement in particular.

Another important factor is that Kollo has earned Informed Sport certification. This means our product passed rigorous testing to ensure its quality and eligibility as a supplement for professional athletes who have to undergo scrutiny regarding performance enhancing substances. In short, it is a globally-recognised certification that really emphasises the extent to which we go to ensure Kollo is a trustworthy brand.

Following the science

Another thing that makes Kollo a reliable brand is our commitment to science at every stage of development. We looked at the following things to inform the creation of our collagen shots:

• Dosage: By looking at studies and reviews into the effectiveness of collagen for various effects, we found that a dosage of 10 grams per day would be optimal for experiencing the maximum range of benefits.

• Bioavailability: We discovered that marine collagen peptides, like the ones we use, are the most bioavailable. This means they are quick and easy for your body to absorb. We also found that a liquid suspension of the collagen further enhances bioavailability because your body doesn’t have to break anything down to access the collagen peptides.

• Added ingredients: We found that the most important additional nutrients to further enhance your collagen production are certain B vitamins, vitamin C and l-lysine. So we added these to the formula to ensure your body is primed to receive and utilise the collagen in Kollo.

• Other considerations: We want our customers to enjoy taking Kollo, so we added natural flavourings to the formula to give it a delicious tropical taste. We made sure to avoid any sugars being added to the mix as sugars are known to reduce the body’s uptake of other nutrients in some circumstances.

This frank and honest article advises you to seek medical advice before purchasing Kollo if you are taking any medications. We are committed to your health and safety so we would never advise you to take any risks that might compromise your health. Kollo is all about wellness and positivity and we want to impart those values to anyone who interacts with our brand or products.

Final thoughts

So going back to the question “Do collagen supplements interact with medications?”, the answer is “Possibly” so you should speak with your healthcare provider before making a decision. If you find it is definitely safe for you to take a collagen supplement, the multi-award winning Kollo should definitely be on your radar. You can learn more about us and our product by exploring our website.

If you still have any questions about Kollo, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via our ‘Contact’ page. We can be reached via email or social media and will always endeavour to answer your queries in a timely manner.