Undenatured collagen is a type of collagen specifically used to help symptoms of joint pain and bone disorders, it is not used to help the body rebuild collagen.
Bear in mind undenatured collagen can be referred to as:
- Native type II collagen
- Non-hydrolysed collagen
- UCII collagen
- Undenatured Type 2 collagen
Undenatured is a by-product of animal sources just like any other collagen, however, it has not been broken down or exposed to any high temperatures, acids or enzymes.
The purpose of doing this is to keep its peptides, which are the long chains of amino acids (which after you consume, the body uses to create protein) intact and as pure as possible.
Undenatured UCII Collagen has been known to improve joint stiffness and pain whilst reducing inflammation. It achieves this by working with the immune system to stop it from attacking the body’s cartilage thus helping to maintain healthy joints.
This is because undenatured type 2 collagen is the primary protein in cartilage that is found between your joints, that gives it its structure, strength can toughness.
Benefits of undenatured collagen
Undenatured Type II Collagen is mainly known for its benefits with joint health. Due to this it is regularly used in the treatment and support of those with bone disorders, such as osteoarthritis, it does this by reducing friction, wear and tear and improving movement / flexibility between the joints.
It is also known to help with bone strength and growth as well as wound repair on the skin.
What is undenatured type 2 collagen made of?
It is almost always extracted from, and is a by-product of poultry, more specifically the chicken breastbone cartilage / sternum.
This is because chicken breastbone cartilage is known to have the highest concentration of type 2 collagen proteins (compared to other sources) that are specifically important for cartilage and joint health.
Whilst some undenatured collagen type II can be extracted from cows this is rare.
It is mainly hydrolysed collagen that has a number of animal sources, such as cow hides, hooves, as well as the bones and scales from cows, pigs and fish.
What is the difference between collagen and undenatured collagen?
Undenatured
As mentioned already, undenatured collagen is primarily used to help those with joint pain and / or bone disorders, not to help the body rebuild collagen.
Undenatured collagen has not gone through a hydrolysis process, which is the process done to break down the collagen.
Instead undenatured is collagen still in its pure biological form.
Whilst it is been grounded down so that it can be made available as a tablet or powder, the molecules themselves have not been broken down.
This means they still have the longer chains of amino acids which include the key amino acids as well as others.
Undenatured is as natural to the original raw collagen state as possible.
Hydrolysed
Most collagen supplements you see on the market are what we call hydrolysed collagen and focus on rebuilding collagen in the body as efficiently as possible.
Now hydrolysed collagen is when the raw collagen byproduct is taken and broken down through a process called collagen hydrolysis.
By breaking it down, the amino acid chains which make up the collagen are made into shorter efficient chains, keeping only the key amino acids.
As it is shorter, it has higher bio-availability, which means the molecules are smaller so your body is more capable in absorbing as much of these key amino acids as possible.
After you consume the supplement, your body doesn’t need to break down the collagen, and instead digests and absorbs the amino acids which it then uses to create collagen itself.
