You may/may not be familiar with another supplement called EAAs – Essential Amino Acids. These are typically less talked about and less widely know supplements, however, EAAs have been around for quite some time! They are often significantly more expensive products than their collagen counterparts. Sometimes, people scrutinize the efficacy of EAAs, often in response to the price tag associated.
This scrutiny is well-warranted, as I believe it is safer to be skeptical of a product first and foremost, rather than trusting “what the label says.” We truly need to develop a sense of “show me the science/effectiveness/legitimacy” of ANY product we place into our body, whether it be food, drink, or in this case, a supplement (but especially a supplement, since many companies sell “junk” products, often devoid of the very product claimed on the label).
Is collagen really as good as they say? When should you take Collagen Peptides vs. an Essential Amino Acid supplement? First, we’ll discuss the differences between Collagen and EAAs., and then I’ll give my reasoning on why I think both products deserve to be in your supplement stack as well as my personal routine that has served me well in my pursuit of peak athleticism. Let’s have a discussion!
What Is Collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. Hair, skin, nails, cartilage, and connective tissues are all comprised of collagen. Most people do not consume enough skin in their diet. Food sources of collagen are pig skins, chicken skins/feet, canned whole fish like sardines, and bone broth. Even ground beef can have moderate amounts of collagen. These are the most common food versions of collagen consumed. Personally, I love heavily baked chicken skins, with black pepper, cayenne, salt, turmeric, garlic and onion powder (but I don’t this as often as I’d like!).
Potential Benefits of Collagen.
Some of the benefits of collagen may include:
- Improving skin health
- Relief of joint pain
- Prevention of bone loss
- Increase in muscle mass
- Promoting heart health
- Aiding gut health
- Strengthening of hair and nails
- Anecdotally assist brain health
- Anecdotally support weight loss
Glycine Content of Collagen is Important.
Glycine is a non-essential amino acid. Non-essential amino acids are produced by the body and manufactured via the use of other amino acids. It is estimated that the body produces roughly 3g of glycine per day. Collagen contains approximately 30% of its entire amino acid profile in the form of glycine (although this can range from 25%-40%). Glycine makes up roughly 30% of the collagen in our bodies. This makes glycine (and by extension, collagen) extremely important to consume.
Here is a link to a great article on the benefits of glycine if you would like to read about this in more depth: https://www.verywellhealth.com/glycine-overview-4583816.
For the purpose of this post, I will sum up the potential benefits of glycine taken from the above article at Very Well Health:
- Improvement of Mood and Memory
- Improved Sleep
- Reduced Symptoms of Schizophrenia
- Lowered Risk of Ischemic Stroke
- Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
- Improved Glutathione Synthesis
- Other Uses – to include insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, liver damage (particularly alcohol induced), enlarged prostate, leg ulcers, and to enhance muscle mass.
Collagen is the Best Way to Get Glycine.
It’s easy to see how the consumption of collagen is one of the best ways to get optimal glycine content into your diet. Collagen is also extremely cheap in comparison to stand alone glycine supplements, so I find it to be a “no-brainer” to add to my supplement stack. As we age, our demands for glycine increase, so to offset this increased demand, we should consider the supplementation of collagen as an easy solution.
If you are an active person like me (or someone who wants to be highly active in your daily life), then this would create even more demand for collagen. As we engage in running, sports, weight lifting, Pickleball (a personal favorite of mine!), etc., we must consider the health of our connective tissue. Most people think of their muscles first and foremost, without a second thought at the connective tissue holding that muscle in place! Let’s not forget that our whole body is a cohesive unit and only as strong as our weakest link. Strong quads and hamstrings don’t mean as much when you can’t bend your knees due to neglect and years of deficiency.
Next, we’ll discuss why I believe Essential Amino Acids are another viable option, not only for glycine, but as a worthwhile supplement to have in your stack.
What Are EAAs (Essential Amino Acids)?
Essential Amino Acids are defined as amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body. There are nine essential amino acids that must be obtained through the diet. Those amino acids are: Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Methionine, Tryptophan, and Histidine. Wait, what about glycine? Didn’t we just discuss the importance of glycine? Yes, we did! However, glycine is a conditionally essential amino acid, not an essential amino acid.
Glycine is produced by the body, however, when you are active, your demand for glycine increases, and the normal production of approximately 3g per day is insufficient to meet the needs of an active, aging individual. EAAs supply the building blocks needed for the body to manufacture glycine. As the demand for glycine increases, the EAAs consumed can be utilized to upregulate the glycine production. Many people who take EAAs (myself included) note how their joints won’t hurt as much (or at all) or how their recovery time after a killer workout has been reduced.
Utilization of EAAs is Higher Than That of Protein Alone.
Proteins need to be broken down into amino acids in order for the body to utilize them. We need protein, and as an active person, significantly more of it! But really, it’s the amino acids we need. We just never had a way to get them other than through the consumption of protein (until a bunch of ultra science-brained people figured out how to use bacterial fermentation to reduce protein to it’s simplest form!). Through digestion, protein consumed in the diet is reduced to amino acids and dispersed through the body where it’s needed most at the time of consumption.
This unfortunately causes a significant amount of waste. There are a variety of estimates you can easily find online about protein utilization of meat, eggs, vegetables, etc. Animal products have a higher protein utilization rate than plant based protein, with eggs having the highest bioavailability of protein at a whopping 48% (breast milk is technically the highest at about 49%, but that’s not something I think we should be consuming outside of infancy). Plant sourced protein can range significantly in bioavailability, as well as when comparing a cooked plant versus a raw plant. Soy is controversial these days and it’s hard to know for certain if there is a negative effect from the consumption of soy on hormone levels, especially in men. I recommend that if you want to consume soy, keep it to a minimum and ensure that it’s fermented and organic. If you have low testosterone, perhaps avoid soy altogether. I believe we should view many things in life with a healthy level of skepticism and with all the controversy, I think avoidance is the safer bet.
Now, back to EAAs. The utilization rate for EAAs comes in at a whopping 99%! There is nothing close to this level of protein utilization as a food source. Not to mention, the low calorie count when taking EAAs vs. eating foods alone. I think EAAs really shine in time restricted diets and are extremely beneficial during times of extended fasting. I’m a huge proponent of occasional extended fasts and time restricted eating. One of the downsides to this style of eating is that it’s hard to consume enough protein when you are limiting your eating window to eight hours per day or less. EAAs can help fill in the gap and keep your calories extremely low, while supplying the amino acids needed for muscle synthesis and/or the prevention of muscle loss while fasting. It has been an effective tool in my wife’s and my personal health journey, as we have now been using EAAs for 5 years! PerfectAmino is the EAA supplement I take and use everyday. There are only 2 calories per scoop.
Considerations: Cost of EAAs and Collagen Peptides
Supplements aren’t cheap. Many of the top quality brands are expensive and the cheaper supplements you see everywhere are shady at best (and sometimes the cheap stuff is actually not at all what you “think” you are buying. Buyer beware!). EAAs are at the top when it comes to cost. These are very expensive supplements and can really astonish people when being recommended. I personally think that the main drawback to EAAs is the cost alone. If you do not have a lot of discretionary funds, then cost is everything. You have to spread your funds out as far as you can these days, so I recommend that if cost is an issue, collagen be taken in place of EAAs.
Here are my general “rules of thumb:”
- If you can’t afford EAAs at this time, collagen is an extremely cheap and effective supplement. I would recommend that everyone consumes collagen at the very minimum. It’s lower cost is a huge plus.
- If you can only afford one, then I would recommend EAAs over collagen peptides in a one to one comparison. EAAs can be utilized for skin, gut, hair, muscle, bone, etc. Collagen protein is wonderful for glycine content but not for muscle building. EAAs have more “flexibility” in the body, which is why I think they should be taken over collagen in a “one or the other” comparison.
- If you can afford both EAAs and collagen, you should take both. This is what I personally do every day. I take my EAAs upon waking, first thing in the morning. I add collagen to my raw milk protein shake everyday, usually taken for breakfast or lunch, after I’ve done cardio (Pickleball!) or gone to the gym.
In Conclusion, Both are Great for an Active Lifestyle.
EAAs and collagen are great supplements that can provide a variety of benefits. They both help to fill in gaps that may be present in your diet and can be part of a healthy supplement routine. EAAs are more “flexible,” but collagen offers a large does of glycine that many are lacking and in need of. Consider your main focus and make the best choice for your health. Below are links to the EAAs and collagen I sell in this store. Please feel free to ask any questions by emailing directly at info@peakwellstore.com.
- PerfectAmino EAAs 30 Day Supply: https://peakwellstore.com/product/perfect-amino-xp/
- PerfectAmino EAAs 60 Day Supply: https://peakwellstore.com/product/perfect-amino-xp-60/
- Marine Based Collagen: https://peakwellstore.com/product/premier-marine-collagen/
- Hydrolyzed Bovine Collagen Peptides: https://peakwellstore.com/product/hydrolysed-collagen-peptides/
To Health with You!
Zachary Hann
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