Collagen-Building From Plants

Doctor's Notes brings you direct insights from Nutriex founder and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomas Rosenberg. Grounded in peer-reviewed science and decades of clinical experience, each piece is written to educate, not to sell. Informed people make better health decisions.

In April, we posted on muscle-collagen interdependence, focusing especially on the requirement of building collagen protein to enhance muscle strength and reduce risk of injury. Today, let's focus on the vegetarian/vegan options for building the collagen strength of skin, muscle, cardiovascular, brain, or wherever else collagen plays a critical role.

Since collagen is an animal protein, plant-based diets must focus on providing the specific amino acids, co-factors, and protective antioxidants that the body needs to run its own collagen factory.

1. AMINO ACIDS NECESSARY FOR COLLAGEN BUILDING: 

a) Glycine, found in high amounts in soy, tofu, tempeh, seeds (pumpkin & sesame), and legumes (think beans and lentils).

b) Proline, abundant in asparagus, mushrooms, cabbage, bamboo shoots, and wheat germ.

c) Lysine, an essential amino acid often lower in vegan diets. Focus on beans, especially black beans and kidney beans, pistachios, and quinoa.

2. ESSENTIAL COFACTORS FOR COLLAGEN BUILDING:

a) Vitamin C (prioritize bell peppers, kiwi, strawberries, and broccoli),

b) Copper (natural sources include cashews, lentils, and dark chocolate).

c) Zinc (opt for pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, and chickpeas).

Special note: the bio-synthesis of all-important hydroxyproline also requires iron as a cofactor (lentils, spinach, pumpkin seeds).

3. PROTECTIVE ANTIOXIDANTS FOR COLLAGEN BUILDING:

Interestingly, certain plant compounds have been shown to stimulate fibroblasts, which are responsible for making new collagen and protecting existing collagen from breakdown. These include silicas (found in horsetail or bamboo shoots), white tea and green tea (containing antioxidants, like EGCG, that inhibit collagenase (the enzyme which breaks down collagen as we age), anthocyanins in blackberries, blueberries, and black currants which also protect collagen from oxidative stress.

It's valuable to remember lifestyle strategies to protect collagen. These include sun protection, hydration, and low intake of sugar and refined/processed carbs.

A most wise individual once stated that "You are only as young as your connective tissue"...so true yet so often overlooked. Collagen serves as the primary structural "glue" for almost every system in the body. While animal sources and collagen hydrolysates can be especially valuable, vegetarian pathways are super-important to optimize.

As it turns out, muscle protein, namely actin and myosin, represent only approximately15% to 25% of total body protein. Collagen comes in #1 at 30 to 35% total body protein, and provides for the body's various scaffoldings and connection structures.