How Much Collagen Should You Take Per Day? Experts Explain Dosage, Results & Benefits

There is no shortage of questions that come along with starting a collagen routine. What can you expect from collagen peptides? How should you take it? What form is best? When can you expect to see results? Well, add this to the list: How much collagen should you take?

It seems like it should be pretty clear-cut, no? Well, like most things in health, beauty, and wellness—there's actually some nuance.

There are many reasons people add a collagen supplement to their routine—from beauty to overall health.

The protein is naturally found in many areas of the body, including the skin, muscles, joints, bones, and gut.

In fact, there are at least 28 kinds of collagen1 that we know of that exist in vertebrates, which includes us—however, collagen types I through III are the most common.

We actually produce collagen via our cells' fibroblasts, but said product decreases over time with aging, and so many look for ways you can support the production naturally.* 

The research shows that these collagen peptides are able to support skin elasticity and dermal collagen density2.*

While this is a new area of study for collagen supplements, research has found that levels of certain types of collagen are lower in individuals with digestive challenges4.*

It turns out that one of the main amino acids in collagen, L-glutamate, supports digestive health because it's a major fuel source5 for the cells in the intestine.*

Collagen type II is a common structural component of our joints. One randomized clinical trial found that people who took a type II collagen supplement for 180 days saw support in their physical function and helped improve joint mobility and comfort.*

Collagen is not a complete protein because it's missing tryptophan, one of the nine essential amino acids, but it still delivers close to 20 unique amino acids and can support muscle mass, according to researchers.

Unlike with some other vitamins, minerals, and supplements, the science is relatively young and still emerging for collagen peptides. (It may seem like collagen has been around on the market for a while now, but relatively speaking—it's a newer supplement option!)

So while you may find definitive recommendations on intake levels (like a Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA) and status biomarkers for things like vitamin D (depending on your age, sex, nutrition needs, and lifestyle, of course), it's just not the same for collagen at this time. 

To share more on the state of collagen science, mbg's vice president of scientific affairs Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, weighed in: "Collagen research publications actually date back to the 1940s, which sounds like a long time. Search PubMed, and you'll find 400-plus peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to 'collagen peptides' dating back to 1965. But clinical trials leveraging oral collagen peptide supplementation for a variety of health outcomes have only been completed in the past two decades, with the majority (around 30 human clinicals) completed in the past 10 years. We are learning in real time, which is honestly exciting and cutting-edge."

So while we might not have an RDA for collagen (like we do with vitamins, minerals, carbohydrate, fiber, protein, and fat), a growing number of clinical studies point to specific, effective dosages based on outcomes—and can help us understand how much collagen we should be taking every day. 

Remember that collagen is a specific type of protein. Now, there is no official daily recommendation from health organizations (yet) for specific forms of protein like collagen; however, for healthy adults, you need at least 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for muscle mass maintenance. 

From there, protein needs increase based on activity levels: For highly active adults, you should consume 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

If you have a specific health condition, your daily protein needs may be even higher (due to increased protein turnover and healing needs in the body), in which case, please defer to your doctor.

However, remember that collagen is not a complete protein. As an incomplete protein (meaning that it does not contain all nine essential amino acids; it has eight of them), you should pair it with other protein sources to get your adequate intake of the essential amino acids. 

Ferira explains it this way: "The notion of intentionally pairing complementary proteins to maximize amino acid consumption (e.g., rice and beans) is a daily nutrition endeavor for vegetarians and vegans. The same concept applies here for everybody with collagen, which can absolutely contribute to your overall nutrition approach to meet daily protein needs."

Additionally, we also know there are specific doses of collagen based on your desired result. (Remember how we were talking about specific benefits above? We're revisiting that now.)

For some supplements, the when is important. (You're not going to take a sleeping supplement first thing in the morning, no?)

As for collagen, you may hear conflicting information about when the best time to take the supplement is—be it morning, midday, or evening.

Some claim that the morning is the best time to take your collagen supplement as you'll be digesting the supplements on an empty stomach.

However, this doesn't seem to matter according to experts. "The bulk of the breaking down of proteins actually happens in the small intestine, so full stomach, half-full stomach, or empty stomach—there will be little difference," says Scott Keatley, R.D.

Others love a midday collagen break as a snack or snack component. How well your collagen supplement fills you up ultimately depends on what you take it with, according to Galligan.

Some people claim collagen is more effective at night because your body is naturally recovering while you sleep, and by syncing up with that recovery cycle the amino acids will be put to better use. But again, this is just a hypothesis.

"There are no controlled studies that address this issue," Galligan says. "However, the popular literature is in agreement that collagen supplements seem to work equally well when taken at bedtime or in the morning."  

Your best course of action is to take collagen supplements whenever it works best for your schedule.

When you incorporate a new supplement into your routine, it's only natural to expect results.

But like all good things, it can take a bit of time, and individual experiences will vary. And given how collagen peptides work, their benefits start showing up in the body at different durations.

Powders are the best, as they are able to deliver the most potent amount of collagen.*

Powders are also a convenient way to add a meaningful dose of collagen to your nutrition routine, whether blending into a sweet smoothie with colorful fruits or mixed into your morning coffee or latte.

Because collagen supplements are still (relatively) new on the scene, we are still learning the recommended dosage.