Do Collagen Supplements Need Vitamin C? Facts, Myths & What Actually Matters
Over the years, dermatological research and popular health publications have advocated for the use of vitamin C in skincare, both topically and through supplements. In recent years, supplement brands have also played a significant role in popularizing this idea, sometimes citing scientific studies or dermatological research to support their claims. It is true that vitamin C can stimulate fibroblasts to produce more collagen, but is it really necessary that your collagen supplement has added vitamin C in?
Vitamin C and Collagen Synthesis: What’s the Connection?
Vitamin C is a well-known cofactor in collagen production. It plays an essential role in stabilizing collagen molecules and helping enzymes that cross-link collagen fibers. Without adequate vitamin C, your body struggles to maintain and produce collagen. In addition to vitamin C, several other cofactors such as zinc, iron, and copper are also important for collagen synthesis. So, should we add all of these?
The truth is that most people get enough vitamin C from their diet. Common foods like oranges, strawberries, and bell peppers are rich in vitamin C, often providing more than the recommended daily intake. Or, if you are taking a multivitamin, your body likely already has what it needs to support collagen production.
How Much Vitamin C Do You Actually Need?
The daily recommended intake of vitamin C for adults is about 75-90 mg which, is pretty easy to achieve with everyday foods:
- 7-8 medium strawberries provide about 60 mg of vitamin C, or roughly 67% of your daily requirement.
- A single medium orange offers around 70 mg, covering nearly all of your daily vitamin C needs.
- Half a cup of raw red bell peppers contains around 95 mg, which is more than 100% of your daily intake.
If you’re consuming these foods regularly, your body is already well-supplied with vitamin C, which means you likely don’t need additional vitamin C from your collagen supplement.
Redundancy in Multivitamins
As stated above, many people taking collagen supplements are also using multivitamins, which typically include ample doses of vitamin C. This makes adding vitamin C to a collagen supplement redundant for those individuals.
When Might You Need Collagen with Vitamin C?
There are a few scenarios where someone might not get enough vitamin C from their diet — for example, if they rarely eat fruits or vegetables, or follow a strict carnivore or low-carb plan. But that doesn’t mean your collagen supplement needs to contain vitamin C. In those cases, simply ensuring you get enough vitamin C from food or a general multivitamin is more than enough. Collagen supplements like Uvora Multi work effectively on their own when your overall diet supports collagen production.
Does Vitamin C Increase Collagen Absorption?
While vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis in the body, it does not directly increase collagen absorption from a supplement. When you take a collagen supplement, it’s broken down into amino acids and peptides, which are then used by the body as building blocks for new collagen. Vitamin C assists in the synthesis process, but adding it to the supplement doesn’t necessarily improve how much collagen your body absorbs.
More myths and facts
Conclusion
In conclusion, while vitamin C is important for collagen production, most people already get enough from their diet or multivitamin and there’s no need to double up by including it in your collagen supplement unless you have specific dietary deficiencies. If you’re consuming plenty of vitamin C-rich foods, your body has all the tools it needs to activate collagen synthesis naturally.
