How to Increase Collagen Naturally: Foods, Nutrients, and Habits That Actually Work | EP 392.B

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Dr. Gundry Podcast

Episode 392.B – How to Increase Collagen Naturally: Foods, Nutrients, and Habits That Actually Work

Date: February 26, 2026
Host: Dr. Steven Gundry

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Steven Gundry demystifies the science behind collagen supplements and offers actionable strategies for supporting the body’s natural collagen production. Drawing from research, historical anecdotes, and patient experience, Dr. Gundry explains why consuming collagen-rich foods or supplements doesn’t guarantee improved skin, joint, or connective tissue health—and what really does. Listeners learn about key nutrients, the importance of gut health, and practical tips for naturally supporting collagen levels for better aging and overall vitality.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is Collagen—And Do You Need to Eat It?

• Collagen basics: The most abundant protein in the body, it acts like “rebar” holding together skin, joints, bones, and blood vessels.
• Collagen supplements and foods are popular, but…

  “Does anyone eating collagen actually help you make more of it? …That’s not how biology works.” (Dr. Gundry, 01:44)

• Digestion reality:
  • Collagen is a large protein that gets broken down into amino acids and peptides during digestion.
  • The body does not have a system that directly channels consumed collagen to skin or joints.

  “When you drink collagen, it’s not marching straight to your skin or your joints. It’s just becoming generic protein fuel.” (Dr. Gundry, 04:07)

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2. The Collagen Hype vs. Real Science

• Industry bias: Most collagen supplement research is funded by the collagen industry.
• Historical example:
  • If dietary collagen consumption really “worked”, generations raised on Jell-O (pure gelatin/collagen) would have looked ageless—clearly not the case.

  “Jello is collagen… Advertising drove bone broth’s fame, not data. Advertising drove collagen’s fame, not data.” (Dr. Gundry, 05:20)

• Hidden risks:
  • Beef bone broth can contain Neu5GC, a foreign sugar molecule linked to inflammation (gut, joints, brain, heart).
  • Safer broths: Use pastured chicken or fish, which contain Neu5Ac (the human form).

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3. How the Body Actually Makes Collagen

• Self-sufficiency:

  “Your body already knows how to make collagen. If it didn’t, collagen wouldn’t be the most abundant amino acid complex in your body.” (Dr. Gundry, 07:58)

• Essential building blocks:
  • Most important amino acids: Glycine, proline, lysine, hydroxyproline.
  • Critical cofactor: Vitamin C is necessary to “tie” collagen fibers together.
• History lesson – Scurvy:
  • Lack of vitamin C leads to weak, broken collagen and internal bleeding.
  • British sailors survived long voyages by eating limes (“limeys”).

  “With that bending and breaking, without vitamin C, that collagen literally fell apart and they bled to death internally.” (Dr. Gundry, 10:26)

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4. Why Collagen Deficiency Is Now a Gut Health Problem

• Modern diet pitfalls:
  • Less consumption of “collagen-rich” whole foods (gristle, gelatin, skin-on meats).
  • Processed foods, antibiotics, glyphosate—all damage gut health and reduce collagen production.

  “We don’t have a collagen shortage in this country. We have a gut problem.” (Dr. Gundry, 13:31)

• Protein absorption shrinks with age:
  • Gut wall’s surface area declines over time, limiting protein uptake for collagen synthesis, not a deficiency of protein per se.

  “The wall of your gut is getting smaller … fix the wall of your gut, miraculously your protein needs do not go up.” (Dr. Gundry, 16:08)

• Visible signs: Wrinkles, joint issues, fatigue often stem from poor gut health.

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5. Smoking, Vitamin C, and Wrinkles

• Smokers have more wrinkles due to breaks in collagen not repaired, as vitamin C is “used up” fighting oxidative stress.

  “Wrinkles are caused by breaks in collagen…smoking actually uses up all the vitamin C … so there isn’t any vitamin C to repair those cracks.” (Dr. Gundry, 14:41)

• Humans must eat vitamin C: We cannot produce it ourselves.

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6. What Actually Works for Collagen Support

• Dietary approach:
  • Prioritize amino-acid-rich foods (doesn’t have to be animal-based).
  • Aged dairy (e.g., Parmesan) is a source of precursors.
  • Take vitamin C in small, divided doses throughout the day for best absorption.

    “Chew 500 milligrams of vitamin C four times a day, you would duplicate the needs for vitamin C in your diet.” (Dr. Gundry, 15:34, referencing Bill Sardi’s research)

  • Add cofactors: Silica (sand), biotin (Vitamin B7) for hair and nails.
  • Polyphenols protect collagen from UV and oxidative stress—“eat your sunscreen” through colorful plant foods.
• Gut first:
  • Focus on healing the gut to improve protein/amino acid absorption.
  • “Leaky gut” accelerates collagen breakdown.

  “If you have a healthy gut, you get healthy skin and it’s that simple.” (Dr. Gundry, 16:54)

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7. Dr. Gundry’s Collagen Reset System

• Three-part approach:
  1. Build collagen: Use plant-based, pre-digested amino acids (like Volagen derived from fermentation).

     “Animals have collagen, plants don’t…where do animals get collagen from? Eating leaves and grass.” (Dr. Gundry, 17:58)

  2. Assemble with Vitamin C
  3. Protect with polyphenols (baobab, acerola, maqui, tart cherry, jabuticaba)
• Conclusion: You don’t need to eat collagen to look or feel younger—just give the body what it needs to build and maintain it.

  “Focus on nourishing your gut, fueling your cells, and protecting the collagen you already have. That’s the real secret…” (Dr. Gundry, 19:14)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “When you drink collagen, it’s not marching straight to your skin or your joints. It’s just becoming generic protein fuel.” (04:07)
• “If collagen really worked the way people think…it would have turned the Jello generation into Sophia Loren and Cary Grant—and it didn’t.” (05:08)
• “The important part of collagen is, yeah, you’ve got to feed collagen production by getting the right amino acids…but you don’t need to eat collagen to do that.” (12:24)
• “We don’t have a collagen shortage in this country. We have a gut problem.” (13:31)
• “If you fix the wall of your gut, miraculously your protein needs do not go up. In fact…I’ve shown the opposite in my patients.” (16:08)
• “You can make collagen like all other animals do by eating amino acids from plants.” (17:58)
• “Eat your sunscreen. Think of polyphenols as your edible sunscreen.” (15:55)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:44] – Why eating collagen doesn’t directly improve your collagen
• [04:07] – Collagen digestion and the protein “fuel” reality
• [05:08] – History of gelatin/Jell-O as “collagen” and why the hype persisted
• [07:58] – The body’s own collagen synthesis mechanism and the crucial role of vitamin C
• [13:31] – The real problem: gut health, not collagen supply
• [14:41] – Smoking, vitamin C depletion, and visible skin aging
• [15:34] – Vitamin C dosing for optimal collagen support (Bill Sardi reference)
• [16:08] – Age, gut wall surface area, and protein requirements
• [16:54] – Gut health as the foundation for healthy skin and collagen
• [17:58] – Plant-based approach to collagen support
• [19:14] – Summary and practical advice for creating lasting collagen

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Listener Q&A and Review Highlights

Q&A: Are Smelling Salts Gut-Friendly?

• Smelling salts (ammonia) make you gasp and send more oxygen to the brain, but the supposed athletic boost is “placebo at best.”

  “It’s not going to hurt you, but it’s really not going to improve your exercise performance.” (Dr. Gundry, 20:23)

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Key Takeaways

• Eating collagen doesn’t directly rebuild collagen in your body—focus instead on providing the right amino acids, especially from plant sources, and vitamin C.
• Gut health is paramount: a healthy gut means better absorption and use of the building blocks needed for collagen.
• Protect collagen from breakdown with antioxidants and polyphenols from colorful fruits/vegetables.
• Rethink your supplement and dietary strategies for best skin, joint, and vitality outcomes.

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Transcript

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

Collagen. It's in powders, gummies, even your morning coffee. It promises glowing skin, smooth joints, thicker hair. But lately I've been seeing more and more patients spending hundreds of dollars on collagen and still wondering why they don't notice a difference. So today, let's pull back the curtain on the truth about collagen and what your body actually needs to look and feel younger. Now, if you're new here, make sure to follow on your favorite podcast platform or subscribe if you're watching this on YouTube. I share simple science backed ways to feel and look your best every week.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

If you're enjoying the podcast and want a chance to win free Gundry MD products to support your health, I've made it incredibly simple. All you have to do is leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts. Once you've left your review, take a screenshot and mail it to podcastrgundry.com you'll automatically be entered for a chance to win free products designed to support your gut, energy, brain and overall longevity. These are the same formulas I use myself and recommend to my patients. Products built around real science, not fads. So if this podcast has helped you think differently about your health, leaving a review not only supports the show, but it could also help support you. Again, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, send a screenshot to podcastrgundry.com and you could be our next winner.

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

Now, don't get me wrong, collagen itself is vital. It's the scaffolding that holds you together. But the real question is, does anyone eating collagen actually help you make more of it? So here's the problem. Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It really acts like rebar in your tissues, skin, joints, bones, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels. Now, it's essential for the structure and strength of all of these various structures. So because it's so important, most people assume that if you eat collagen, you'll rebuild collagen. But sadly, that's not how biology works. So let's start with what happens the moment collagen hits your digestive system. So, collagen molecules are very large groups of amino acids, and they're actually specific amino acids. These amino acids are joined together with chemical bonds. Those chemical bonds that make up the collagen molecule are much too big to be absorbed intact. So you could swallow all the collagen you wanted to, but the collagen must be broken down into amino acids or smaller peptides during during digestion to absorb them through the wall of your gut. So you do not absorb collagen. Everybody got that. You absorb the amino acids. If you're lucky, that collagen was made out of. So once those amino acids are pulled through the wall of your gut, you don't, believe it or not, have a system that says, hey, this person just swallowed collagen. And now I've got all the building blocks of collagen. I'll rebuild collagen. What you see on the other side of the wall is, oh, look, I've got a bunch of amino acids. I can use amino acids as a fuel. I can turn them into sugar and feed my mitochondria. Or I could use amino acids to make muscle or bo. Or I could use amino acids to make collagen if they're in the right proportion. But there's no system that said when you swallowed collagen, you should make collagen out of the collagen you swallowed. So when you drink collagen, it's not marching straight to your skin or your joints. It's just becoming generic protein fuel. And yet the market for collagen powders and bone broth keeps booming. So what gives? Quite frankly, both bone broth and collagen powders sell because of marketing, not science. In fact, if you look at almost all of the collagen scientific papers published, almost all of them are paid for by collagen supplement companies. And if we know anything about how research, unfortunately, is funded. Now, funding often drives what is determined and found in a research study. I'm sorry to tell you that, but that's the truth. In fact, if collagen really works the way people think it works, then Everybody in the 1950s and 60s, like myself and my family, who ate Jell O two or three times a week, would have looked like Sophia Loren and Cary Grant. And in fact, they didn't. So what's jello? Jello is collagen. It's. Yeah, that wonderful dessert is just ground up bone broth. Ground up animal ligaments. And that's what it is. It's just gelatin. In the end, advertising drove bone broth's fame, not data. Advertising drove collagen's fame, not data. Besides, one of the worries I have, particularly with beef bone broth, is that it contains NEU 5 GC, which is a foreign sugar molecule. To our body, it's well shown to cause not only gut inflammation, but joint inflammation, brain inflammation, and heart inflammation. Now, if you're really not convinced of any of this and still want your bone broth or your collagen powder. Safer choices are pastured chicken broth, which contains Neu5ac, which is the same sugar molecule humans make, or fish protein, which has neu5ac, again, the same molecule that we make. If you've ever been in the market for a new home, you know, home shopping can be a lot.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

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[Dr. Steven Gundry]

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[Dr. Steven Gundry]

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[Dr. Steven Gundry]

Homes.com we've done your homework. Now here's what most people never hear. Your body already knows how to make collagen. And if it didn't know how to make collagen, then collagen wouldn't be the most abundant amino acid complex in your body. So it actually just needs the right ingredients. And we know what those ingredients are. The building blocks of collagen are the amino acids glycine, proline, lysine, and hydroxyproline. That's it. Four amino acids. But here's what's missing. You have to have vitamin C, which is a cofactor that actually ties collagen fibers together. Now, without vitamin C, those collagen strands stay weak and broken. Everybody probably remembers how vitamin C or the effects of vitamin C was discovered. Believe it or not, sailors on long ocean voyages, half the sailors died in long ocean voyages from scurvy. Now, in scurvy, they literally bled to death internally. How come? Well, the lining of your blood vessels has collagen. And again, collagen is the rebar that holds your blood vessels together. That holds. Holds you together. Unfortunately, vitamin C, that rebar, is constantly breaking, and vitamin C re knits that rebar. So what was happening to these people is, yeah, they had plenty of collagen, but they had absolutely no vitamin C in their diet. So with that bending and breaking, without vitamin C, that collagen literally fell apart and they bled to death internally. 50% of people, sailors, died on ocean voyages. And an interesting naval surgeon in Britain said, you know, what's missing is these sailors aren't getting any fresh fruit and vegetables. So I wonder what would happen if we sent them on these long voyages with limes, with citrus. And sure enough, the sailors didn't die of scurvy. They didn't have cracks in their mouth. They didn't have bleeding gums. Believe it or not, after that discovery, it took 100 years for the British Navy to start putting limes and lemons on board ships. And to this day, British sailors are called limeys because of the fact that they survived because they were having vitamin C. So the important part of collagen is, yeah, you've got to feed collagen production by getting the right amino acids into your system. You don't need to eat collagen to do that. You just need the right amino acids. But the bad news is that most modern diets are terrible for collagen production. Production. Here's why. Past generations ate collagen. Rich foods like gristle, like gelatin, like skin on meats. So we always had a rich source of collagen in our diet. Sadly, as all of us know now, modern diets have processed foods. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Nobody cooks a pot roast to death anymore, which dissolves all that collagen. And quite frankly, not a whole lot of people are eating jello anymore. Antibiotics have killed off our microbiome. Glyphosate has damaged our gut wall. All of this leads to leaky gut. The immune system is weak, and proteins go to help the immune system not building collagen. Just as an example, severe calorie restriction diet. The hair falls out. It's the same principle. So we don't have a collagen shortage in this country. We have a gut problem. So if you have poor gut health, you'll have less collagen production because you'll absorb less proteins for making collagen, and you'll see faster visible aging. I'll give you one more example. So we know that smokers have a whole lot more wrinkles than non smokers. What's with that? Wrinkles are caused by breaks in collagen. Your smile lines, your frown lines. Those are breaks in collagen. It's usually repaired when you have enough vitamin C in your diet to do that. But smoking actually uses up all the vitamin C in smokers in attacking oxidative stress. So what happens is that when you smile or frown, the collagen in your skin breaks. Now, if you have enough vitamin C, that collagen can repair in smokers, however, all of their vitamin C is, is actually used up in handling the oxidative stress of smoking. And so there isn't any vitamin C to repair those cracks. And that's why smokers have so many wrinkles and such poor looking skin. So we do not manufacture vitamin C. We're one of the few animals that don't. And we have to obtain vitamin C from our diet. Long ago, we used to obtain so much vitamin C in our diet because we were living in the forest and getting lots of vitamin C rich foods. But most of us have very deficient vitamin Cs. So collagen powders really aren't the answer. So if it's not, what is? Well, you can actually help your body build it naturally. There are sources of collagen and collagen precursors like aged or A two dairy, like Parmesan. Absolutely. Take time to release vitamin C or chew small doses throughout the day. Bill Sardi, one of the great vitamin C researchers who unfortunately passed away from COVID showed that if you chewed 500 milligrams of vitamin C for times a day, you would duplicate the needs for vitamin C in your diet. Now also you need other cofactors for making collagen work. Silica, which is sand, and biotin, which is vitamin B7, will help the collagen in hair and nails. Also, polyphenols have been shown to protect collagen from UV light and oxidative stress. So like I like to tell my people, eat your sunscreen. Think of polyphenols as your edible sunscreen, and they actually help your collagen last longer. Now here's the piece again that most people miss. Collagen health starts in the gut. If you have a healthy gut wall, your collagen will be protected in two ways. First of all, as we get older, the surface area of our gut where we can absorb amino acids. Proteins that go into making collagen goes from the surface area of a tennis court to a surface area of a ping pong table. That's why you hear well the older you get. If you're over 65, you have to increase your protein because your protein needs go up.

[Podcast Host/Outro]

Up?

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

No, your protein needs don't go up. The wall of your gut is getting smaller and smaller to absorb protein. So if you fix the wall of your gut, miraculously your protein needs do not go up. In fact, I've shown the opposite in my patients. Fix the gut, their protein needs go down, not up. Even older adults fix the gut, the rest follows. Remember Leaky gut shows up as collagen breakdown. It shows up with wrinkles, joint issues and fatigue. So what's the answer? So the answer is if you have a healthy gut, you get healthy skin and it's that simple. So that's exactly why I developed phytocollagen. To help your body make and protect its own collagen naturally. And it's a great way to make collagen. So what I propose to you is a collagen reset and it's actually a three part system. First of all, you want to build collagen. Now, I'm a big fan of plant based aminos. And this was developed and it's called Volagen. It's 18 collagen precursing Aminos which are pre digested and fermented and they're all plant based. Let me stop for a second and make you think animals have collagen, plants don't have collagen. So you're thinking, oh, I have to eat animals to get collagen because collagen is in animals and if I eat plants, I won't have any collagen. Stop for a second and think about where all those animals got their collagen from. They were eating leaves and grass. Your cow was not eating other cows. They made collagen from the amino acids in plants. Plants. So you can make collagen like all other animals do by eating amino acids from plants. So that's number one. Number two, you've got to assemble collagen with the help of vitamin C. Now, finally, you've got to have polyphenols. And in this we've got baobab, asherelli, macai tart, cherry and juba kaba. These polyphenols are what protect the collagen you're making from degradation. So instead of giving you animal collagen, which most people can't absorb directly, it gives your body everything it needs to make and keep collagen naturally. So remember, you don't need to eat collagen to look or feel younger you. You just need to make it by giving your body the right tools. Focus on nourishing your gut, fueling your cells, and protecting the collagen you already have. That's the real secret to healthy skin, strong joints, and lasting vitality. So that's all for today. Drink up.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Question of the week. This question comes from Lee Wagner over on YouTube.

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

On my episode about energy snacks, she

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

asked, what do you think about smelling salts? I tried it once before an early morning workout and it really helped me focus, but then I felt like it

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

was doing something weird to my brain

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

thoughts Are smelling salts gut friendly or not? Well, that's a great question.

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

Smelling salts are basically ammonia, and if you've ever smelled ammonia, it makes you kind of gasp. And smelling salts actually make you gasp

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

and it sends actually a lot of oxygen to your brain.

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

However, the folklore surrounding smelling salts as a boost for athletic performance has been debunked and it's probably a placebo effect.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

So it's not going to hurt you,

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

but it's really not going to improve your exercise performance. And if you like smelling ammonia, well, good for you.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Now it's time for the review of the week. This review comes from KeithScott1667 over on YouTube. On my episode about which foods to eat to stay healthy in 2020 26,

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

they said very happy to have Dr. Gundry as my doctor.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

He is helping me live longer, happier

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

and healthier the easy way. Well thanks Keith Scott. I don't like to tell patients names,

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

but you did yourself and happy to

[Dr. Steven Gundry]

have you as a patient. And thanks for the Shout out.

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[Podcast Host/Outro]

Hope you enjoyed this episode of the Dr. Gundry podcast. If you did, please share this with family and friends. You never know how one of these health tips can completely transform someone's life when you take the time to share it with them. There's also the Dr. Gundry Podcast YouTube channel where we have tens of thousands of free health insights that can help you and your loved ones live a long, vital life. Let's do this together.