Most adults could benefit from collagen supplements – regardless of their age or gender – as it is very well tolerated, comes with minimal precautions and boasts many universal benefits. * And did we mention: Hello, protein. So should men take it specifically? Well, if you are a man and want to take it: Anyway!
Indeed, the only difference you can find for supplements is the dosage of protein. Let me explain. Collagen is a type of protein (it’s an incomplete protein, but more on that in a second). For healthy adults, you need at least 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to maintain muscle mass. From there, protein requirements increase depending on activity levels: For highly active adults, you should consume 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. And a collagen supplement can help you achieve your daily protein intake, as it can act as a complementary source of amino acids. In fact, a 2019 study found that up to 36% of daily protein can come from collagen peptides, while achieving daily needs for essential amino acids. *
And because men weigh more than women on average (and usually have more connective tissue where collagen is located), men may need to get a higher dose of collagen. However, this is neither final nor true in any case; must be assessed individually.
As Ashley Jordan Ferrari, Ph.D., Director of Research, mbg, RDN, explains, “Every supplement ritual needs to be individualized, but some supplements are unfairly labeled only as women or men. This is unfortunate, as nutrition and biologically active substances are rarely binary. To say that collagen is only for women is like saying that calcium is only for women. In fact, men have connective tissue – skin, bones, joints, muscles, tendons, blood vessels, etc. – for which collagen is literally critical, just like men’s bones and need calcium. “*