Hammer Collagen

What types of Collagen does this formula contain?

Bovine Collagen from USA bovine hides - providing: Type I & III. Marine Collagen from USA Fish Scales and skin - providing: Type I. These are the two most important forms, which are major components of skin, hair, and nails. They improve skin's elasticity and moisture levels, strengthen nails, and thicken hair, leading to a more youthful appearance.

Is Hammer Collagen Kosher?

The formula is not currently certified kosher, but we are working on obtaining it and hope to have the certification soon.

What is the most important “Type” of collagen?

Type I is the most abundant collagen in the body, making up 90% of the body's total collagen content, and accounts for 30% of your body's protein. This supports, provides structure, boosts skin's collagen production, and helps alleviate the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. It can also play a crucial role in healing wounds by providing the building blocks for tissue repair and rebuilding, as it is the primary building block for muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues. Bovine collagen is also a great source of amino acids, containing proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline, which are also important for bone health and can potentially improve bone density. Overall health benefits of bovine collagen for: bone health, muscle/tissue health, and gut health.

What are the benefits of Type III collagen?

Type III is a fibrillar collagen protein, crucial for the structural integrity of various tissues and organs. This is a major component in areas like skin, blood vessels, arteries, intestinal walls, and lungs, often found alongside Type I. All collagen fibrils have at least one triple helix structure.

What are the primary forms of collagen? 

28 types of collagen have been identified, but the majority in the body consists of types I, II and III. [1, 2]

REFERENCES:
[1] Ricard-Blum S. The collagen family. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2011;3(1):a004978. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a004978
[2] Wang H. A review of the effects of collagen treatment in clinical studies. Polymers (Basel). 2021;13(22):3868. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13223868

Why doesn’t Hammer Collagen contain Type II collagen? 

While Type II collagen is a major component of joints and cartilage—which is why it and other joint-health nutrients are in Tissue Rejuvenator—it comprises a very small amount of the body’s total collagen. Conversely, Type I collagen is the most abundant type of collagen in the body, making up approximately 90% of all the collagen in the body, while Type III collagen is the second most abundant. 

It's important to note that while Type II collagen’s primary role is for cartilage health—as it’s found in cartilage, Type I collagen is also used to support healthy tendons, connective tissue, and ligaments (bones, skin, hair, and nails skin as well). Type III collagen also plays a role in joint health, as it helps alleviate joint aches and stiffness and supports overall cartilage and joint health.

Lastly, Type II collagen is generally a more expensive collagen, especially in a superior-quality, patented product, such as the UC-II™ brand undenatured type II collagen that we use in Tissue Rejuvenator. Adding a Type II collagen to Hammer Collagen would increase the overall cost of the product significantly. So, too, would adding Type IV and Type V collagen. The roles of these two types of collagen, while important, are suggested to play much lesser roles in the body compared to Types I, II, and III.

Can I take Hammer Collagen and Tissue Rejuvenator and/or Vegan Tissue Rejuvenator together? 

Absolutely! Taking Hammer Collagen along with Tissue Rejuvenator and/or Vegan Tissue Rejuvenator supports joint health in a complementary fashion. 

• Tissue Rejuvenator contains glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, MSM, and Type II collagen. 
• Vegan Tissue Rejuvenator contains glucosamine sulfate, MSM, horsetail leaf, and hyaluronic acid. 

All of these nutrients, along with the Type I collagen and Type III collagen in Hammer Collagen, work together in optimizing the health and function of joints, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons.

HOT TIP! Taking 2 capsules each of Tissue Rejuvenator and Vegan Tissue Rejuvenator once or twice daily supplies your body with a wider range of joint-health nutrients than either product on its own.

What are the best products to take with Hammer Collagen?

First and foremost, would be Amino Age. This is because all four amino acids in the product—especially glycine, but also taurine, NAC, and l-carnosine—all play important roles in cartilage production. 

• Glycine is required for proper collagen synthesis, and increasing glycine levels can support and enhance the production of collagen in the body. Higher concentrations of glycine can increase collagen synthesis by chondrocytes (cells that produce cartilage) and fibroblasts (cells that produce collagen in skin)
• Taurine helps with collagen production by promoting its synthesis and protecting it from breakdown.
• NAC. In specific cells like tenocytes (tendon cells) and osteoblasts (bone cells), NAC has been shown to increase the production of collagen type I. Additionally, NAC is a precursor to glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals, thus helping preserve the structural integrity of existing collagen.
• L-Carnosine protects existing collagen via its antioxidant and anti-glycation properties (see https://hammernutrition.com/blogs/endurance-news-weekly/sugars-role-in-the-sinister-action-of-glycation-and-age-ing)

Endurance C. While the evidence of vitamin C enhancing the effectiveness of collagen supplements is somewhat mixed, taking Endurance C—with its multiple sources of vitamin C and complementary nutrients—is still a wise strategy to employ. This is because vitamin C is vital in the bodily production of collagen, and without this vitamin the body can’t form collagen. Research shows that "the presence of Vitamin C directly triggers DNA to regulate and maintain the intercellular amount of collagen.” 

Whey Protein and Plant Protein contain glycine, discussed in a previous FAQ, as well as two important amino acids for collagen production, lysine and proline. 

• Lysine - 1304mg (Whey Protein), 969mg (Plant Protein) 
• Proline - 777mg (Whey Protein), 440mg (Plant Protein)