NB

Collagen contains a whopping 19 different amino acids. These include a mix of both non-essential (also called conditional) and essential types. Collagen is a particularly great way to get more conditional amino acids– like arginine, glutamine, glycine and proline.

Collagen is composed of three chains, wound together in a tight triple helix. Each chain is over 1,400 amino acids long! “nonessential” amino acids are actually pretty darn important– so don’t let the name fool you! Under normal circumstances they are produced by your body. However, when you’re sick, under a lot of physical or emotional stress, or otherwise unhealthy, your body may not be able to produce enough of these amino acids on its own. The body then needs help from outside sources, mainly your diet or supplements, to get its fill. Proline and glycine are the primary types of amino acids found in collagen chains. Both proline and glycine are two important amino acids that aren’t abundant in animal meats, which is where most people eating a “western diet” get the majority of their protein from. This means that people are lacking these amino acids in their diet– since they regularly avoid eating some of the best natural sources (like organ meats).