Collagen Hydrolysed Supplement, 90 Capsules. UK Manufactured by Cheeky Nutrition

I bought this supplement for my dad who suffers with really bad knees. Within a couple of days he felt marked improvement in his mobility and has asked me to buy a second bottle. I will definitely be a regular customer!

Cheeky Nutrition produce good quality supplements in good secure packing. It's hard to judge effectiveness of supplements, so the choice to take these comes down to whether you think you could do with a little extra, I've noticed no huge difference but nor any negatives either. The pill is a standard hard shell capsule with white powder, no strong smell or taste so pretty easy to swallow. You're getting a 400gm Collagen Hydrolysed capsule, enough for 90 days, so the price of £9.97 isn't too bad if you want to try taking collagen supplements.

Collagen is one o the supplements that has a number of claimed benefits and, as far as I can see, few downsides. I've been taking these for a month now and from a skin elasticity point of view I can see some benefit. My skin seems to be less dry and somehow feel more 'plumped'. My nails are also splitting and and breaking less. Had no effect on my plantar fasciitis though :( This is certainly a supplement I am going to continue to taking.

It’s too early to tell of these are making a difference physically, however they are great value for the number of tablets and very small therefore really easy to take. I’ll be continuing to use these for the foreseeable future.

These collagen food supplement capsules are in a pack of 90 and they are fromCheeky Nutrition. I particularly wanted to try them as my left leg is painful as I am suffering from sciatica, and also my nails have become very brittle and due to my age my skin is losing its elasticity. These collagen food supple to tablets seemed to tick all the boxes for what I need so it made sense to trial them. So far my sciatica is a lot less painful, my nails are certainly not breaking as much and I have my fingers crossed for my skin. These are quite large capsules but they are soft gel so are very easy to swallow. I am very pleased and will take for three months and then definitely re-buy.

A 2014 study in Skin Pharmacology & Physiology with women aged 35-55, found that those who took collagen supplements, rather than a placebo had improved skin elasticity after 8 weeks. This supplement contains hydrolysed collagen which is collagen that has been broken down into individual peptides. This is supposed to be a better absorbed form. Some sources say topical collagen applied to the skin, is more effective than dietary collagen. As with all supplements, you are more likely to get benefit if you are deficient in certain nutrients and take supplements for those. Some people have experienced very itchy skin after taking the supplement; and also increased heart rate or arrhythmia. So be aware, especially if you are quite sensitive to allergens. It may be worse taking marine collagen.

I am almost 50 and have a catalogue of health conditions including Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. I had a knee operation a few years to remove my entire miniscus cartilidge and so my knee grinds bone on bone and is very painful. I am losing elasticity daily it seems, i wake up and a new wrinkle has appeared and the skin on my hands doesnt go back the minute i let it go. I have only been taking these for a short time so far, but i have noticed an improvement already. My knee aches less, the skin on my hands goes back immediately now and my skin looks and feels firmer on my face. I will take these forever.

I am not probably the best person to try and sell this sort of supplement to as I am a biochemist and I teach biomedical sciences. Collagen is a protein and so it will be broken down during digestion to its component amino acids. That is what happens to all proteins. So why you would want to take collagen in particular as opposed to eating a slice of chicken which will contain collagen as well I am not sure. There is some evidence that doses of around 3g might have an effect on skin suppleness but the tablets here are much less than that and you would have to take a handful to get that dose. There is no recommended daily amount because it has no specific effect. So I am not convinced that this is anything more than an expensive source of protein.