Anti aging collagen drink – sip your way younger

Japan is the leader in inventive technology in all sorts of areas and in recent years – anti aging products have been a big focus.

What starts in Japanese labs often becomes mainstream in Europe and America in no time at all – or at least in the time it takes to get approval from the authorities that count – like the FDA.

For some time now Japanese women concerned about skin aging have been able to buy anti aging food products – collagen marshmallows for instance – that aren’t available from US manufacturers.

Whether you fancy a collagen marshmallow is debateable but an anti aging drink seems to have more potential. After all what is it but an anti aging supplement in another form?

Shiseido – the upmarket cosmetic and skin care company – has recently launched an anti aging collagen drink called “The Collagen” into the Japanese market. Strange name but Shiseido claim that the drink is a non invasive answer to collagen fillers which will plump out wrinkles in as little as three days.

The anti aging drink contains 1000 mg of low molecular fish collagen and is designed to be knocked back like a shot – or a probiotic yogurt drink if that’s your thing.

Although I haven’t tried this – I have tasted other Japanese marine based collagen drinks with this sort of collagen level and they tend to have an undertone of fish which is definitely not pleasant. Knocking the drink back in one hit is probably the best option!

Shiseido’s new anti aging product also contains hyaluronic acid and the amino acid GABA which is used in many botox alternative face serums and creams.

So – what is collagen and will it really produce an anti aging effect on your skin if you drink it?

Most of us are aware of collagen and it’s role in acting as a support structure in the skin But you may not know that there are five main types of collagen – five of which are more important than the others and each of them working in different areas of the body. Collagen I is the collagen that supports the structure of your skin as well as tendons, capillaries, veins, bone and organs. Collagen IV is also important to your skin as it supports the cell membrane.

There is quite a bit of research showing that collagen supplements can help the formation of collagen throughout the body but none that shows any specific anti aging benefit to the skin.

Collagen is produced by your body naturally in sufficient quantities to keep your skin toned and supple and guard against premature wrinkling. But you have to eat the right things and antioxidants are the key to boosting collagen production. Take a look at your diet for collagen friendly foods – eat lots of green leafy vegetables, highly colored fruits and vegetables like red peppers, beets and tomatoes and plenty of omega 3 through fish and avocados.

Whether a collagen drink is one of the anti aging products you should go for is still open to debate. If you want to do more than simply improve your diet then collagen supplements may be a better – and probably cheaper – approach than an anti aging drink.

Related articles:

• Omega 3 for younger looking skin
• Why anti aging nutrition matters
• Anti aging products – how to find what you want