As more and more people become aware of collagen supplements, many have doubts that it is the same as omega 3 / fish oil pills. Fish oil pills have been a popular supplement for many years, while marine collagen is fairly newer. There are lots of different supplements available which all contain different ingredients and offer different benefits, and two that often get confused are marine collagen (aka fish collagen) and fish oils. One of the questions often asked is whether marine collagen offers any additional benefits to the more well-known fish oil supplements. After all, both are derived from fish sources and both offer benefits for the skin.
Difference between collagen and omega 3
While both marine collagen and fish oil/omega 3 supplements are derived from fish, they have different benefits altogether. Let’s break this down
Fish oil and fish collagen certainly both derive from fish, but they’re significantly different. For starters, they come from completely separate parts of the fish. The collagen is taken from the skin and scales of fish, while fish oils are found in the tissues.
The extracted collagen then undergoes hydrolysis, which is a process that breaks down the long chains into shorter chains of amino acids that have greater bioavailability; which means, they can be absorbed by the body more efficiently, rather than simply digested.
The type of fish also differs. Fish oil is commonly extracted from oily fish such as anchovies, herring, and tuna, while cod liver oil is, of course, taken from cod.
INJA Collagen’s Type 1 Marine collagen, meanwhile, is extracted from the skin of aqua cultured tilapia fish from reputable suppliers based in Japan and India.
Most fish oil supplements come in transparent pills. While most Collagen supplements are found in powder or liquid form.
Benefits of Marine Collagen and Fish oil
While both Marine collagen and omega 3 supplements are derived from fish, they have very different benefits altogether.
Marine Collagen is primarily Type 1 which is the most common type of Collagen in your body. About 90% of your body’s collagen consists of Type 1 Collagen. Everything from your skin, hair, nails, joints, muscles to tendons, ligaments and eyes have Type 1 Collagen in them. Supplementing with Marine Collagen is beneficial for skin, hair, joint health, strengthening connective tissues and gut health.
Fish oil has a number of benefits like lower triglycerides, healthy fats, improved heart, brain health, skin issues and more. Omega-3 is not naturally produced by your body which is where fish oil supplements can help. Besides their abilities to help skin. Marine collagen and fish oil serve relatively different purposes and functions.
Can I take omega-3 and collagen together?
Fish oil and fish collagen may sound the same but they are entirely different. Although both come from fish. They each have their own benefits and are derived from different parts of a fish. However, taking fish oil cannot be used as a substitute for marine collagen, but it is safe to consume both at the same time.
The process of hydrolysis can make marine collagen very bioavailable. This means your body absorbs 90-95% of each dose for maximum effectiveness. Vitamin C is also involved in the repair of tissue, which makes it perfectly complementary to collagen. Marine collagen contains essential amino acids. Sometimes, marine collagen supplements contain added ingredients like vitamin c to help in the absorption of Collagen and to also promote the natural production of collagen within your body.
Fish oil contains high amounts of omega 3, and active ingredients EPA, DHA. These are essential for good health. EPA (which stands for eicosapentaenoic acid) keeps our cells nourished, while DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is most famous for the role it plays in the brain, where it’s used to form much of the structural material of our grey matter, from cell membranes to neurons.
The amino acids present in Marine Collagen are primarily proline, glycine and hydroxyproline. All of these amino acids come from the food we eat, but we don’t eat enough of them. There’s also the problem that our bodies produce less collagen as we age. Collagen powder is brimming with these amino acids. When consumed, the collagen peptides are quickly absorbed by the small intestine and circulated into your bloodstream.
In conclusion
Marine Collagen
and omega-3 supplements both offer a range of health benefits with little to no side effects for most people. There are no reasons not to take both at the same time, and doing so will only improve the positive effects they can have on your body. If you are taking medications that may be affected by omega-3 supplements, or have an allergy to a common source of either nutrient, check with your doctor which supplements are safe for you to use.