You don’t need us to tout the wonders of supplementing for collagen. There are enough people out there doing that. Instead, you want to know whether taking collagen is going to increase your weight.
This question is not as easy to answer as you may think, but we aim to give you a complete answer on this page.
Fast Facts: Collagen does contain calories and in-theory causes weight gain, but it is highly unlikely. Instead, focus on removing processed foods, refined sugars, and extra carbs for better weight management. And of course, consult with your doctor for your specific medical history.
What are the benefits of collagen and collagen supplements?
Collagen is a protein that is found in our skin, bones, and connective tissues. It plays a vital role in health and well-being, providing structure and strength to our bodies.
As we age, our bodies produce less collagen, leading to wrinkles, joint pain, and other health problems.
Collagen supplements can help to offset this decline by providing our bodies with the raw materials they need to produce collagen.
In addition to increasing collagen production, collagen supplements also have a number of other health benefits.
They can help to improve gut health, reduce inflammation, and promote weight loss.
As more people become aware of the benefits of collagen, it is becoming an increasingly popular health supplement.
Does Collagen Cause Weight Gain?
This depends. It can vary from person to person, and it will be dependent on why you are taking collagen supplements. We can give you a general overview of what you can expect here.
Collagen, of course, contains calories. Calories lead to weight gain if you are not burning them off.
This part you already knew. If you were taking collagen supplements, but spending your entire day sitting around doing nothing then, yes. You would gain weight by taking collagen supplements.
However, this isn’t because of the collagen. It’s just how weight gain works. The same would happen no matter what you are consuming.
If you were more active when taking collagen supplements, which hopefully you will be, then you shouldn’t see an increase in fat levels.
This is assuming that everything else in your exercise regime and diet is fine.
This is not to say that you won’t gain weight, though. A lot of those who take collagen supplements do so in order to speed up the growth of their muscles.
Muscle is much denser than fat. This means that as your muscles grow, you will end up gaining weight. It may not be a whole lot, but you will gain weight.
So, don’t be surprised when you look at those scales. However, this is 100% natural. Again, this is something that would happen even if you were not taking collagen.
Does Collagen Help To Reduce Weight?
Not directly, no.
Collagen is a protein. It is not a weight loss product. If you are planning on losing weight, overloading on protein probably isn’t the way to do it.
Overloading on protein is how you get to see those rapid muscle gains.
That being said, there is some evidence that the consumption of collagen will reduce your hunger.
This means that you are going to have less of a desire to eat an overwhelming number of calories.
Obviously, the less food that you are consuming, the less weight you will gain. If you are burning off more calories than you consume, then you will end up losing weight.
Another study did indicate that some types of collagen may help to burn off fat a little bit quicker.
However, the research into that is still at a very preliminary stage and, from what we know so far, the gains are only going to be small.
It certainly wouldn’t be enough to consider adding more collagen to your diet purely for weight loss purposes.
Obviously, this doesn’t mean that you should avoid taking collagen supplements if you are overweight.
Collagen will benefit you in a whole host of different ways. It isn’t going to cause you to gain weight, but it also isn’t going to be the method to help you to lose weight, but it can help you to increase your muscle mass.
Final Thoughts
Collagen supplements, when taken as part of a proper diet and workout regime, will not increase your weight. Well, they won’t increase fat levels.
They can help to boost your muscle mass, which can lead to weight gain there. However, you will notice a fall in your overall fat levels because of this (your body will essentially convert fat to muscle).
