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Randomized trial · measured the question itself

A 12-week trial of collagen in 64 adults found better skin hydration and wrinkles

Kim and colleagues · Nutrients · 2018

Original title: Oral Intake of Low-Molecular-Weight Collagen Peptide Improves Hydration, Elasticity, and Wrinkling in Human Skin: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Under review. A person has not yet checked this summary against the paper. It is written from the PubMed abstract. Until a person checks it, search engines are asked not to list this page.

What the study found

Points to benefit

Skin hydration was higher than placebo at 6 and 12 weeks. At 12 weeks, wrinkle scores improved, and two of three elasticity measures were higher than placebo. No side effects were linked to the product.

The study at a glance

Type of study
Randomized trial
Who or what was studied
64 people · 64 adults
What was tested
1000 mg of low-weight collagen peptide a day for 12 weeks, vs placebo
What it measured
The question itself: skin wrinkles, elasticity and hydration
Daily amount
1000 mg a day
How long
12 weeks
Who has a stake
Company stake
Company Newtree Co., Ltd. is named as involved; authors and company declare no conflict.
Journal
Nutrients, 2018
Source
PubMed record 29949889. This page is based on the abstract only.

How much this study counts

  • ✓Randomized: people were put into groups by chance, so the groups start out alike.
  • ✓Compared with a placebo, a dummy treatment.
  • •Medium size: 64 people.
  • •Lasted 12 weeks.
  • ✓Measured the question itself: skin wrinkles, elasticity and hydration.
  • –Company stake: Company Newtree Co., Ltd. is named as involved; authors and company declare no conflict.
  • •Summarized from the PubMed abstract only. The full paper may hold details the abstract leaves out.

✓ Strength– Limit• Note

These points come from fixed rules about the type of study, its size and length, what it measured, and who has a stake. Every study on Digestery gets the same rules.

Where this study sits

Each dot is one on-topic paper on this question. Steps near the top answer the question more directly.

↑ Stronger evidence

  1. Trials in people: wrinkles, skin elasticity and moisture

    15

    13 benefit, 2 mixed

    ↑ This study is the ringed dot

  2. Trials in people: other measures

    1

    1 benefit

  3. Trials in people: lab tests or safety

    0

    None among the papers we read.

  4. Population studies

    0

    None among the papers we read.

  5. Blood levels and genes

    0

    None among the papers we read.

↓ Weaker evidence

  • Points to benefit
  • Mixed
  • No difference
  • No direction
  • Points to harm

How it fits with the other research

The short answer to “Does collagen reduce skin aging?”

Unclear; higher-quality trials found no effect.

Confidence: low. Based on 22 on-topic papers.

Read the full answer

Of the other 14 papers on the same step: 12 benefit, 2 mixed. This one found benefit. It agrees with most of them.

Other papers on the same step

See all 22 studies on this question

How this page was made

Label

First read of the abstract
Claude Sonnet
Independent second read
Claude Haiku
Differences settled
The two reads differed. The reviewer checked the abstract and kept the first read. Claude Opus 5.5.
Headline
Claude Sonnet, from the checked study record. A script checked its numbers and wording.
Numbers
Checked against the abstract by a script
“How much this study counts”
Fixed rules, the same for every study
Source check by a person
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