Let’s talk dosage (in fact, we wrote a whole article on it!). Now unlike with some other vitamins, minerals, and supplements, the science is relatively young for collagen peptides. Read: while you may find definitive recommendations on intake levels (like a Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA) and status blood biomarkers for things like vitamin D, with specific needs depending on your age, sex, dietary pattern, and lifestyle, it’s just not the same for collagen at this time (yet).
But in general: For healthy adults, the recommendation for overall protein needs is about 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. If you’re physically active, your needs may be higher.
Collagen is a protein made of peptides, but you’ll recall that we shared, it’s not a complete protein—it doesn’t have all nine of the essential amino acids (it’s missing tryptophan and is on the lower side on a few others)—but can certainly still contribute to your overall protein goals on a daily basis.* For a collagen supplement, we recommend looking in the 10- to 20-gram range.
If you want to get more specific, it’s helpful to look at your intended need for the supplement. Here, a breakdown based on outcome.
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