Why you should use real collagen

A vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is in fashion.

Most people prefer this diet for ethical and/or health reasons, but if you want to benefit from the added health value of collagen, you can’t avoid animal products, because there is no such thing as plant collagen.

Collagen only in humans and animals

Collagen is a structural protein that is only produced by humans and multicellular animals. In humans, collagen makes up about 30% of the organism’s total protein. Collagen gives many tissues strength and elasticity. We find it in internal organs, veins, bones, joints, muscles, fascia, tendons and the skin.

Plants on the other hand, make tear-resistant fibres from cellulose, which are responsible for strength and elasticity. Plants can also make amino acids and proteins, but they do not make collagen.

Is there vegetarian or vegan collagen?

To meet consumer demand, there are now collagen products that advertise themselves as vegetarian or vegan. However, if you take a closer look at the products, you will see that they are not real collagen. Many of these products contain the amino acids from which collagen can be formed, but they do not contain collagen peptides. The effect of these products is explained, among other things, with micronutrients, such as vitamin C, which is necessary for collagen production. Thus, the administration of amino acids alone in conjunction with various micronutrients is supposed to be able to stimulate collagen formation. The problem with this argumentation is that it obviously does not work. How else can it be explained that people form less collagen with increasing age despite sufficient vitamin supply and the consumption of high-quality protein?

Label fraud

I was very surprised to read about a new, supposedly vegetarian collagen that is obtained from eggshell membranes by a special process. I don’t understand how such a product can be called vegetarian. For me, it is a labelling fraud. Even if the membranes are processed and no animal has lost its life, the fact is that the raw material is of animal origin and the end product contains processed animal proteins.

Also new on the market are collagens, which are described as vegan and are produced synthetically by fermentation with yeasts or bacteria. If you look more closely, you will find only vague formulations about the exact composition and structure of the proteins obtained in this way. They are obviously not an exact replica of the various collagens of animal origin.

Vegetarian and vegan is not a real alternative.

We now know from scientific research and studies that extremely small collagen peptides pass through the stomach unharmed and are absorbed into the blood via active transport in the intestine. From there they reach the various target tissues. Such peptides are obtained by enzymatic cleavage from animal collagens of types I and III and consist of only two or three amino acids. Proven effects of these peptides include the stimulation of collagen production in the skin and joints as well as an anti-inflammatory effect. A comparable effect with products that call themselves vegan or vegetarian is not to be expected, as they are composed differently and do not have the same signalling effect for the metabolism.

My Tip:

I can very well understand the arguments against animal products. However, as a pharmacist, I am so convinced by the clinical data on the health benefits and added value of animal collagen that I am in favour of it and would recommend it to anyone who values their health. A flexitarian diet with collagen is therefore a good compromise for me compared to a strict vegetarian diet. What is important for me is that the raw materials come from responsible production. As a consumer, I have a choice and can opt for products that are transparent in this respect.

Pharmacist Andreas Binninger

Why cocoa is so healthy

Hardly anyone can resist cocoa drinks or chocolate products. Yet cocoa in its raw state is actually tart and bitter, and the brew that Mayans and Aztecs made from the beans is not comparable in taste to our cocoa products. What makes our treats so particularly tempting are the other ingredients that bring out the finer flavours of the cocoa and push the bitter substances into the background. First and foremost, sugar, milk and cream, as well as flavour additives such as vanillin.

A gift from nature

The cocoa bean, like many other plant raw materials, is a true gift of nature to us humans. For it contains a multitude of healthy vital substances. Its natural content of serotonin and dopamine, two messenger substances also produced by the human brain, can brighten the mood and is a possible explanation for why chocolate makes many people happy. According to recent study results, the flavanols contained in cocoa have a positive influence on blood vessels and can contribute to cardiovascular health. The ingredient theobromine is chemically related to caffeine. Like its relative, it has stimulating, diuretic and heart-stimulating effects. However, theobromine is much weaker and therefore well tolerated by people who are sensitive to caffeine.

Theobromine stimulates the metabolism

Theobromine is also said to be able to prevent obesity because of its metabolism-stimulating effect. At least that is the assumption of American researchers who wanted to investigate the connection between chocolate consumption and body weight. A survey of 1,000 people aged 20 to 85 showed that those who regularly ate chocolate had a lower body mass index than those who rarely snacked.

Of course, such surveys are not conclusive scientific evidence. They are only as reliable as the test subjects honestly answer the questions asked. The pivotal point remains the daily calorie intake. Our body weight essentially depends on how many calories we consume and how many of them we burn again. If you eat a lot of chocolate, you eat a lot of calories. However, with a conscious and healthy diet combined with an active lifestyle, metabolism-boosting foods like cocoa can help us burn more and shed the pounds more easily. Whether or not cocoa consumption is healthy therefore depends significantly on the type and amount of products we consume.

My tip:

If you want to do something good for your health, you can eat chocolate regularly, but please only small amounts because of the calories. The healthiest chocolates are those with a high cocoa content. They not only contain more vital substances, but also much less sugar. If you don’t like dark chocolates and want to cut down on calories, you don’t have to do without the goodness in cocoa. There are food supplements that contain cocoa extracts. They usually contain hardly any calories and are easy on our energy balance.

Pharmacist Andreas Binninger

Why aronia berries are so healthy

The aronia berry is also called chokeberry and it originates from North America where it is widespread in the eastern part of the continent because of its undemanding nature. It grows in forests, wetlands and on poor, dry soils. It is cultivated in the USA, Canada, Russia and, since the 1990s, in eastern Germany.

Chokeberry the rose plant

Botanically, the chokeberry belongs to the rose family. This plant family also includes rose hips and rowan berries. Aronia is often called a superfood. What makes aronia berries special is their very high content of OPC’s, the so-called oligomeric proanthocyanidins. These are a group of secondary plant substances which have a particularly strong antioxidant effect. The substances can regenerate vitamin C, which is why they are considered co-partners or enhancers of the vitamin C effect. This group of substances is also found in other foods, such as cranberries, blueberries, rose hips, garlic as well as the skin of apples, grape seeds and the red skin of peanuts.

OPC effect

We now know that various health complaints are associated with an increased formation of free radicals in the body or may even be causally triggered by them. It is also known that in addition to antioxidant vitamins, antioxidant secondary plant compounds help to dispose of free radicals in the body. Many people eat too few fruits and vegetables and therefore consume too few of these natural antioxidants. This can lead to health problems. In this respect, it makes perfect sense when eating fruit to prefer varieties with particularly high antioxidant potential, such as the chokeberry.

Is chokeberry a superfood?

However, I would not call the chokeberry a real superfood. As far as vitamin C content is concerned, rose hips and rowan berries do much better. Other fruits and vegetables are also better when it comes to the trace elements iron and iodine as well as various other vitamins.

My tip:

Aronia berries provide a good contribution to daily nutrition. They score particularly well due to their antioxidant content. Since they do not supply all important micronutrients sufficiently, they should only be considered as part of a balanced diet.

This is why, food supplement mixtures with other ingredients perform significantly better than pure aronia products alone.

Pharmacist Andreas Binninger

What is biotin important for?

Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin from the group of B vitamins. As is typical for many B vitamins it plays a role in the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Biotin is involved, for example, in the formation of glycogen from blood sugar. Glycogen serves our muscles as an energy reserve. This makes biotin an important factor in the regulation of the blood sugar level.

Biotin for the skin

An older name for biotin is vitamin H and refers to its positive characteristics for the skin, hair and nails. Strong, healthy hair and nails need sufficient sulphur. Biotin promotes the incorporation of the element into these so-called skin appendages. In the skin itself, biotin has an influence on its fat content.

Biotin deficiency makes us tired

A lack of biotin not only has negative effects on the appearance of our skin and its appendages, but also leads to fatigue and poor performance due to its importance in the metabolism. With a very well-balanced diet, it is possible to meet the recommended average daily amount of 50µg. However, the content in food varies so much, that a sufficient intake cannot be guaranteed if the diet is incorrect or one-sided. While potatoes, for example, contain only about 0.5µg in 100g, carrots contain about carrots contain about 5µg. Among fruits, apples and bananas are top with about 5µg per 100g. Pears, which are botanically related to apples, contain just 0.1µg. The same applies to meat, fish and dairy products. Among the best sources of biotin are eggs and whole milk with about 25µg, porridge oats and peas with about 20µg and peanuts with more than 30µg per 100g.

My tip:

Tiredness, lack of concentration, fatigue, poor performance or poorly growing hair and nails are an indication of a possible biotin deficiency. Sporting activities significantly increase the need for biotin and can cause deficiency symptoms if the supply is insufficient. Those who lead an active lifestyle should pay even more attention to a sufficient daily supply of the vitamin. For me, supplementing my diet with biotin is therefore part of my daily routine.

Pharmacist Andreas Binninger

Pomegranate – the anti-aging fruit

In ancient times, the pomegranate was already considered a symbol of eternal youth and beauty. Meanwhile, modern research has found out a lot about the apple of paradise, which confirms its positive anti-ageing properties.

The apple is actually a berry

The fruit does not make it easy to get its healthy contents. Its juice is sometimes used for dyeing and can cause permanent stains on clothing or materials. It takes some practice to get at the small red berries with the right peeling technique without damaging them and causing juice splashes, especially if the fruit has been stored for a long time and the outer skin has already hardened.

A fruit full of vital substances

The pomegranate is a fruit with many health-promoting vital substances and was used in ancient times to treat a wide variety of health disorders. According to studies, the daily consumption of pomegranate juice improves the blood circulation in the heart and reduces deposits in the carotid artery. These effects are probably due to the antioxidant polyphenols, which are even more abundant in pomegranates than in red wine or blueberries.

In addition to polyphenols, pomegranates contain flavonoids and anthocyanins, two other groups of substances that can act as antioxidants in the human organism and help to break down free radicals. These externally aggressive chemical compounds are produced more frequently by unhealthy lifestyles, high physical strain, inflammatory diseases, smoking and stress. They damage the cells and, at constantly high levels, lead to premature ageing and numerous health disorders.

Study shows effect against ageing

A study published in 2016 showed the rejuvenating effect of an ingredient in pomegranates (urolithin A) on the muscles of mice and nematodes. The mechanism is based on improved cell cleansing. Our cells must regularly rid themselves of components that no longer function properly. According to these new findings, natural substances such as urolithin A can stimulate and strengthen this process. The cell becomes more efficient again. The researchers anticipate that this mechanism can also be transferred to humans.

My tip:

I think the pomegranate can rightly be called an anti-ageing fruit. The pomegranate is another example of the countless plant foods which can protect us from illness and benefit our health. Fresh pomegranates are usually available from midsummer until around the end of the year. If you want to take care of yourself all year round, you can use a high-quality food supplement in addition to the juice. Ideally in combination with other high-quality ingredients and nutrients.

Pharmacist Andreas Binninger