Why all Marine Collagen isn’t Equal

How to know if the Marine Collagen you are buying is Superior quality
Marine Collagen is known as the superior choice when it comes to skin benefits. This is thought partly due to its bioavailability, which can be attributed to its molecular size and that marine collagen peptides mimic the fibroblast growth factor to message the fibroblast cell to produce type 1 and type 3 collagen (the main collagen types found in the skin), hyaluronic acid and elastin. In clinical trials marine collagen shows superior resulting particularly when it comes to increased elasticity and hydration of the skin. However, it’s important to understand that not all Marine Collagen is equal. This article will explain the importance of taking care when choosing your Marine Collagen.
The raw materials that transform into Marine Collagen derive from either wild-caught fish or fish farms, sometimes a blend of the two. It’s fair to assume, where you source your fish will directly impact the quality of Collagen produced. Whilst farmed fish may not be deemed dangerous to consume it is always good to know where and how the ingredients that you consume are sourced.
Farmed Fish:
It’s important to acknowledge that farmed fish can offer an environmentally friendly and sustainable option for companies to produce Collagen. However, unfortunately in a lot of cases, farmed fish are usually raised on an unnatural diet of dried pellets made from plant and animal trimmings.
Additionally, they often live in confined spaces and are given antibiotics to fight disease. This all severely affects the quality of the Marine Collagen that is produced.
The most common form of farmed Marine Collagen is Tilapia fish, more commonly known as an aquarium fish. In recent years, there have been many reports expressing concern over the practises involved in farming Tilapia fish. These concerns often revolve around over-farming, poor diets and unhygienic practices. Some collagen will use a blend of different species of fish such as Tilapia, jelly fish and may even use a combination of farmed and wild caught so that the term wild caught can be put on the label which distracts from the fact there may be mainly tilapia fish in the finished product. The mixed fish blend may result in a differing quality of product.
All these concerns impact the quality of your Collagen product. Whilst farmed Marine Collagen may be cheaper to manufacture, this is not always reflective in the retail price.
Wild-Caught Fish:
Wild-caught fish offer opportunities to employ sustainable fishing practices whilst also maintaining superior Collagen quality.
Sustainable fishing means the oceans’ fish population are maintained at healthy and productive levels, the environmental impact of fishing is minimised, the surrounding ecosystems are respected, and the people who depend on fishing can sustain their livelihoods. When looking for collagen peptides made from marine fish, you can certainly apply these same standards.
Wild-caught fish are caught by fishermen in their natural environments, such as oceans, rivers and lakes. At Vita-Sol, we catch our fish from the pristine clear oceans of the North Atlantic. The nutritional value in wild-caught Atlantic fish is higher than that of farm-raised fish.
This is because wild-caught fish have a diverse diet that creates a natural and varied blend of nutrients.
Vita-Sol’s Marine Collagen uses single species deep sea cod fish. This does not require harsh chemical solvents for processing like some other fish species. Our collagen contains just pure Marine Collagen peptides and because we ensure our fish source is of the highest quality there is no chemical residue aftertaste that is noticeable after consumption of inferior quality products.
So next time you’re weighing up between farmed Marine Collagen or Wild Caught, we highly recommend making the wild-caught choice. This will ensure the superior quality of your product and results you can trust in.
Take 2tsps of our pure marine collagen peptides daily in tea, coffee or liquid of choice. For more mature skin or those needing an additional skin boost such as post-surgery or collagen induction therapy/skin needling we recommend doubling the dose for the first month (2 tsps AM & PM) and then maintaining the dose at 2 tsps per day.