Marine collagen is categorized as type I and III (primarily I) collagen. Type I collagen is the most abundant collagen in the body, found in the skin, tendons, ligaments, bone and blood vessels. However, it is a common misconception that the type of collagen matters when determining collagen quality. While type 1 and 3 collagen are known to improve skin health, our marine collagen is also Health Canada approved to relieve joint pain (you can learn more about marine collagen's effect on joint health here). The concentrations of amino acids are too similar for it to make a material difference.
A better indicator of quality when choosing a collagen product is the rate of absorption (bioavailability). Marine collagen has been proven to have a greater absorption rate than other animal sources due to its low molecular weight (1). Research has also shown that marine collagen peptides are efficiently absorbed from the digestive tract, as high levels of peptides are found in the bloodstream following ingestion (2).
Purity and sourcing are another important factor to consider when determining the quality of a collagen product. Made from the by products (fish skins) of Nova Scotia fish, our marine collagen is free of hormones, antibiotics, and all trace heavy metals, like mercury, to ensure the highest level of purity. On the other hand, type 2 collagen (chicken sternum) is imported from China where information about animal welfare standards has never been available in our experience.
Want to learn more about what sets our hydrolyzed marine collagen apart? Check out this FAQ article: Why is Landish Pure Canadian Marine Collagen the best collagen?
References:
Vollmer, D. L, et al. (2018) Enhancing Skin Health: By Oral Administration of Natural Compounds and Minerals with Implications to the Dermal Microbiome.
Hitoshi Matsumoto, et al., (2006) Clinical Effects of Fish Type I collagen hydrolysate on skin properties, ITE Letters on Batteries, New Technologies and Medicine.
Health Canada. (2020) Multiple Ingredient Join Health Products, Drug and Health Products.