Collagen is the organic molecular building block of all tissues in the body. Most bodies do a wonderful job of synthesizing the 29 different types of collagen that have so far been identified. If you eat meat of any kind, you are ingesting collagen, which is easily digested before the component parts are absorbed into the circulatory system. Taking collagen supplements would have the same fate, and would be a waste of money.
If you want to promote the health of your body's collagen, help your bones (bone = mineralized connective tissue which has high concentrations of collagen BTW) and joints, promote healthy hair and skin, as well any increased breast growth (the breast is largely subcutaneous fat stored in connective tissue specialized for fat storage, which is of course partly made of collagen), you would be better off spending your money on choline stabilized orthosilicic acid. This is a bioavailable silicate salt that is relatively well digested as dietary silica goes. There is no RDA for this substance yet, but check out this excerpt from Wikipedia (I know, not the most authoritative source, but this entry has references if you want to check further):
Quote:Orthosilicic acid is the form predominantly absorbed by humans and is found in numerous tissues including bone, tendons, aorta, liver and kidney. Compelling data suggest that silica is essential for health although no RDI has been established. However, deficiency induces deformities in skull and peripheral bones, poorly formed joints, reduced contents of cartilage, collagen, and disruption of mineral balance in the femur and vertebrae. [8] Study has shown that physiological concentration of orthosilicic acid stimulates collagen type 1 synthesis and osteoblastic differentiation in human osteoblast-like cells in vitro[9].
Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid is a bioavailable nutritional supplement. It has been shown to prevent the loss of hair tensile strength[10], have positive effect on skin surface and skin mechanical properties, and on brittleness of hair and nails[11], abate brittle nail syndrome[12], partially prevent femoral bone loss in the aged ovariectomized rat model[13], increase collagen concentration in calves [14], and have potential beneficial effect on bone collagen formation in osteopenic females[15].
As for vitamin C, it is obviously necessary for optimum health, and to that end should be part of a balanced diet. As surferjoe indicated, you should get plenty if you eat lots of fruit and veggies in a balanced diet. Supplementation will probably have little overt effect on NBE unless your general health is sub-par to begin with, in which case, you should concentrate on getting that going and leave NBE until you are more healthy.
Just my opinion of course, and you don't have to believe me, just look it up for yourself.
