While men can have wrinkles without necessarily losing attractiveness, we women test all the new products on the market to flatten our wrinkles. But even the most expensive anti-aging creams do not fill in wrinkles as much as the manufacturers' bank accounts. But what about the anti-aging miracle pills that are supposed to smooth wrinkled skin from the inside out? Do they deliver what they promise?

Late last year, an intervention study was published that investigated the effect of collagen supplements (low molecular weight collagen peptides) on the elasticity, wrinkle formation and moisture content of the skin of women over 40 years old. Compared with placebo, daily intake of 1g of collagen for 12 weeks significantly increased the moisture content and elasticity of the skin of the women tested. In addition, the depth of crow's feet decreased significantly and their skin was visibly smoother.

A meta-analysis published in January confirms this finding. In the included studies, collagen hydrolysates or collagen tripeptides were tested over several weeks with a promising result: oral intake of collagen led to increased skin elasticity, increased moisture content, and increased firmness.

Collagen intake has also been considered safe by scientists. It would also be interesting to investigate to what extent homemade bone broth, which contains a lot of collagen, also has an anti-aging effect.

Cristina Tomasi

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