PEScience Collagen Peptides: Less Aches, Better Hair, and Better Taste!

Pick up virtually any magazine in your local convenience store, and there’s a pretty good chance you’ll come across an ad or article about collagen. We as a society are now constantly searching for the best ingredients and foods to consume that promote our overall health, a notable change from things were like a mere decade ago.

PEScience quietly released their Collagen Peptides… but wait until you see how they’re making it taste better!

Collagen happens to be one of these things growing in popularity, and takes the term “building block” literally! It’s a structural protein that’s essential to the body – it literally holds everything together! It does quite a bit more, too, which we’ll get into soon when we talk about PEScience Collagen Peptides, a new supplement that was recently stealthily released by the brand.

PEScience consistently puts out some of our favorite products over here at PricePlow – their supplements are science-backed, effective, and for the athlete in all of us! They always try to stay ahead of the game, too, looking for new and innovative ways to deliver a variety of products to customers (such as their recent OmniZen stress supplement and Cake Pop Select Protein flavor). With Collagen Peptides, PEScience is venturing into a rapidly growing market, delivering a quick-absorbing, smooth-mixing powder of these essential proteins – but they’ve brought a twist to make it taste better!

A lot of people these days see the word “collagen” in media, and in glossing over it, fail to actually understand all it can do for them. If you’re one of these people, we have got you covered! In this post, we’ll get deep into what collagen is, what is does, and why PEScience believes you could benefit from supplementing with it!

So, what exactly is collagen?

You can think of collagen as the general manager of your favorite sports team – they may not be the ones getting the fame and fortune, but they’re putting in a lot of work behind-the-scenes to put the team in the best position to win!

Collagen Powder has tons of potential benefits for joint pain and even cardiovascular support!

Collagen is the glue that literally holds your body together. It’s an insoluble fibrous protein within the extracellular matrix, where it works to offer crucially important structural support in tissues and cells.^[1] There are 16 types of collagen that have been identified to exist, but given that it is the most abundant protein in the animal kingdom, there may even be more than that!^[1] The three most important types are types I, II, and III, all of which form long, thin fibers called “fibrils”. Each one seems to serve a specific purpose, too:

• Type I – skin, tendon, bone, ligaments, interstitial tissues^[1]
• Type II – cartilage^[1]
• Type III – skin, muscle, blood vessels^[1]

These proteins, structurally, take the shape of a triple helix, which allow them to easily bond and fold as needed. Through research, scientists have found that this structure is a product of the strong presence of 3 amino acids – glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline.^[1] Through a series of reactions within cells, these basic types of collagen first form collagen peptides, which are then secreted by the cells into the extracellular matrix as collagen. From there, well, a lot of things can happen! In fact, it’s because of the variety of all the potential benefits these glue-like proteins offer that PEScience deemed it worthy to formulate their own collagen powder!

Benefits of collagen – why should you take it?

While there are many types of collagen, PEScience delivers a hydrolyzed form of only two of them – types I and III. Because they’re hydrolyzed, they’re broken down so much that upon consuming, they are immediately shuttled off to perform their magic throughout the body! But, just what can these fast-acting collagen peptides do for you?

• Improve joint health

  

  The PEScience Collagen Peptides Ingredients are discussed below, but we figure you wanted to see it ASAP

  Collagen supplementation seems to be most useful in preventing joint pain by rebuilding the structures that help them together. Whether you have a history of knee/back issues, osteoporosis, or just some lingering pain from simple, everyday life, it looks like this stuff may be able to help you out.

  In 2012, researchers published results of experiments focused on the treatment of joint pain in the lumbar spine with collagen supplementation. There were a total of 200 subjects, all at least 50 years old, each given one of two daily treatments (blindly) – 1200mg of collagen or placebo. After 6 months, researchers found that the group who had received collagen reported significantly lower levels of joint pain, compared to placebo.^[2] By taking just 1.2g per day for half of a year, their joints seem to be bothering them much less than at the onset of the experiment.

  What about younger, more athletic individuals?

  These effects don’t seem to be limited to the older crowd, however. In 2008, researchers (unfortunately from the disgraced Penn State University) published their findings after treating varsity/club team athletes with collagen for 6 months. In this study, the dose administered was much higher though, as the group receiving collagen got a daily 10g of it.^[3]

  After 6 months, the collagen-receiving group saw significantly less joint pain in a whopping 6 different measures:

  • 

    Collagen Improves the Perception of Joint Pain when at rest^[3]

    At rest (both assessed by a physician and the individual),^[3]

  • When walking,^[3]
  • When standing,^[3]
  • When carrying objects,^[3] and
  • When lifting.^[3]

  To take these incredible findings even further, subtests were ran on individuals with a history of knee pain, revealing even higher improvements of joint health!^[3] These athletes, in having less pain post-exercise / post-game, were able to recover quicker and get back into training faster!

  While 10g seemed relatively high, it actually isn’t at all! In fact, 10g is exactly what PES Collagen Peptides delivers! So all of that dampening of the pain that tends to hinder athletic performance? Yeah, PEScience is here to help deliver it!

• Better skin, nail and hair health

  Some of us try to ignore this, but let’s face reality for a second: as we get older, our physical appearance changes! Losing your hair or getting wrinkly skin is normal, and happens to all of us. However, due to the pliable nature of collagen, science has shown that these proteins may be able to help with some of these effects of aging.

  May help reduce wrinkles

  In research from 2014, a double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment drew some interesting conclusions on this topic. Middle-aged women were given either 2.5g of collagen, 5g of collagen, or placebo daily for 8 weeks. At the conclusion of the study, the scientists found that both collagen doses proved effective in increasing skin elasticity.^[4] They even tested this again 4 weeks after initial conclusion, and still found improved elasticity. Having more elastic skin means it can effectively stretch, helping reduce wrinkles!

  Provides nutrients needed to grow hair

  

  Collagen Improves the Perception of Joint Pain when walking^[3]

  Earlier in this post, we mentioned that collagen was mainly made of 3 amino acids, one of which was proline. It turns out that proline makes up the majority of keratin, another structural protein within the body. Keratin, in fact, plays a crucial role in growing hair. Research has even found large concentrations of collagen in hair follicles.^[5] However, it’s important to note that in the case of keratin and hair, we’re talking about type VI collagen, which isn’t included in Collagen Peptides. Despite that, though, the mechanisms are in place for types I and III to still have some ancillary effect in helping boost keratin levels!

  Prevent short and brittle nails

  While nail health may not be a massive priority for some of us, having long and healthy-looking nails is of importance to others. Research has shown that collagen peptides (2.5g consumed daily for 3 months) increased nail growth while simultaneously decreasing broken nail frequency.^[6] So, if you’re spending a decent penny to get your nails looking good, perhaps spending a bit more on some collagen to help keep them that way is a worthy venture!

• Promote heart health

  Because collagen has a glue-like effect, its presence is needed almost everywhere within your body. So, not only does it have a role in your joints or hair follicles, but it may even help improve heart health, too!

  In research from 2017, scientists tested the effect of collagen on atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup within the arteries. Healthy subjects took 16g per day for 6 months, and both lipid levels and cardiovascular ability was tested at the study’s conclusion. The scientists found an improved LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio, a signal of healthy cholesterol levels, in addition to improved cardiovascular health.^[7]

An important note…

Clearly, collagen seems to wear multiple hats when it comes to its job within the body. That being said, the jury is still out on just how effective it can be in these different roles. Due to the lack of a definitive viewpoint on its efficacy, we’d love to see some more research further proving (or rebuking) any of these claims or others in relation to collagen!

Ingredients

Despite what the name says, PEScience Collagen Peptides is not just collagen! The other active ingredients in here are important in delivering a comprehensive, effective formula. In each 10.5g scoop, of which there are 30 in each container, here’s what you’re getting:

• Bovine (hide) Collagen Peptides – 10g

  

  10g of Collagen is expected, but what’s this acerola powder for?! A great-tasting way to get the Vitamin C in!

  The collagen peptides PEScience uses here are derived from cattle, an important note in case you are vegetarian or vegan. Bovine is frequently used to isolate collagen, being an abundant source of this specific protein. Bovine-derived collagen typically comes in this isolated form, or even in bone-broth based supplements.

  These hydrolyzed peptides are engineered to get into your bloodstream as fast as possible. They mix well, digest well, and work well. At 10g, PEScience is supplying an efficacious dose that we are more than happy with!

• Acerola Juice Powder – 360mg

  At first glance, seeing acerola powder on the label might come as a bit of a surprise. Essentially, this cherry juice is used here as a top-quality source of vitamin C, yielding 90mg of the integral, health-regulating vitamin. But, just what importance does it have in relation to this product, specifically?

  Vitamin C enhances collagen synthesis levels

  According to what scientists have found so far, vitamin C and collagen go hand-in-hand. Ironically, vitamin C may be even able to handle collagen production by itself.

  

  Why use acerola for Vitamin C? Because it tastes better!

  A review consisting of deep analysis of 10 studies regarding vitamin C was published in 2018. These researchers concluded that vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, proved effective in bone healing, increasing type I collagen synthesis, and decreasing oxidative stress.^[8] These findings obviously advocate for increased vitamin C consumption alone, however, they also suggest a potentially powerful combination – vitamin C and collagen.

  Thankfully, other researchers out there have taken the hints suggested in the studies from that review. A study from 2017 administered either a 5g or 15g dose of collagen, alongside 48mg of vitamin C, to athletes prior to exercise. In testing their serum collagen levels post-exercise, they found significant increases in blood collagen levels, suggesting an induced increase in collagen synthesis.^[9] By simply taking both vitamin C and collagen, the higher-dosage subjects were able to double their total collagen levels, which would help them recover and repair muscles and joints.

  Enhances the effects…and the taste?

  Most collagen supplements out there come unflavored, such as this formula from PEScience does, because they are seemingly difficult to flavor. Indeed, many of these formulas tend to be accused of having a poor aftertaste, turning off a lot of potential consumers. That’s not the case here, however.

  

  PEScience knows how to make things taste good. (Pictured: Select Protein Bars – our favorite is the White Chocolate Raspberry flavor)

  Not only is acerola one of the top sources of vitamin C on the planet,^[10] but it happens to taste good, too. Knowing this, PEScience decided to forgo using a plain, bland vitamin C powder, instead utilizing acerola powder. This actually enhances the taste of Collagen Peptides, leaving a neutral to slightly sweet flavoring. We’ll always take a little added flavor, especially when it comes with getting an ingredient from perhaps its best possible source!

  If you thought that all PEScience was going to deliver here was only some top-notch collagen, you’re sorely mistaken! As we’ve come to expect from this team, not only are you getting effective ingredients, but an efficient total experience. In Collagen Peptides, PEScience is delivering a solid dose of collagen plus the necessary vitamin C needed to yield maximum effects!

• Monk Fruit Extract

  

  Also known as Luo Han Guo, Monk Fruit can be extracted for its non-nutritive constituents that are phenomenally sweet. You just don’t see it as often as stevia because it’s expensive and tougher to stabilize.

  Monk fruit extract further enhances the flavoring system here. It’s a natural sweetener that’s about 100-200 times sweeter than sugar,^[11] despite having zero calories! Monk fruit owes this incredible property to a high content of antioxidant mogrosides, molecules that have shown in research to have no affect on blood glucose levels!^[12]

  We bet this carries quite a bit of weight as far as taste goes, as we’ve really been enjoying monk fruit based natural supplements lately. We’re starting to see this extract more and more, taking the place of those divisive artificial sweeteners most products tend to have, and even replacing stevia a lot. It’s incredibly sweet, and a bit expensive, but PEScience didn’t care – it wants this stuff to have a nice taste to it!

Nutrition: 40 Calories

When it’s all said and done, each serving packs only 40 calories. That doesn’t come from the acerola powder, however. Remember, collagen is a protein, and proteins contain 4 calories per gram. Consider Collagen Peptides has 10g of collagen, and by a little math, you come to a grand total of 40 calories!

Miniscule amounts, no doubt – 10g of protein, 40 calories. If you’re counting your macros, or are prepping for a competition or show, it’s surely something you’d want to be aware of.

You may also be interested in Omnizen. Full-Spectrum Mood & Stress Support

Muscle-Builders: Count the calories but don’t count the protein?

Meanwhile, if you’re building muscle, we don’t really consider this to be part of your protein macros, as it’s low on amino acids like leucine that trigger muscle protein synthesis and mTOR signaling. So consider the calories, but make sure you’re not forgetting the actual beef, fish, eggs, whey, and other leucine-rich protein sources!

In terms of athletes looking to build or maintain muscle, protein from collagen is about the joint tissue, not necessarily the muscle tissue, so keep that in mind when designing your diet.

How to Take Collagen

Mix a scoop of this in 8oz of water or your favorite beverage.

Conclusion: PEScience maintains its usual effectiveness and uniqueness

With each new release from PEScience, two things stay consistent – the high level of effectiveness of the product, alongside a hint of eccentricity.

See our PEScience page to compare prices on all of their excellent supplements!

In this case, Collagen Peptides is an outstanding overall collagen product. Not only does it contain a hydrolyzed, high-dose of two of the most important types of collagen, but an enhancing agent in vitamin C, as well. To make things slightly interesting, PEScience opts against a run-of-the-mill vitamin C powder, and uses acerola powder to deliver the vitamin with a bit of sweetness.

Mix it together, and you have yourself an effective supplement that can help aid in improving your joint health, your heart health, and maybe even patch a bald spot or two!