Yes, too much collagen, especially when it leads to fibrosis (scarring) in the heart or blood vessels, can negatively affect your heart by increasing stiffness, impairing blood flow, and contributing to heart failure, while excess calcium from supplements can cause arrhythmias, though collagen itself is vital for heart structure and supplements often offer benefits.
The rumors that collagen can cause heart problems are mostly unfounded, but collagen's benefits for heart health aren't! Collagen supplementation can actually have a positive effect on your heart health, and there have been quite a few studies documenting this.
Evidently, several dangers in excessive collagen consumption may affect the body's health, including:
Collagen can cause hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia is an overaccumulation of calcium. Excessive calcium from collagen supplements often results in an abnormal heart rhythm.
Research Link is external, Link opens in new window shows that taking 2.5 to 15 grams daily of hydrolyzed collagen is safe. A smaller dose benefits your joints and skin, while a larger amount may help with body composition and muscle mass.
In a large sample of men and women free of clinical cardiovascular disease at baseline, atrial fibrillation that was not associated with cardiovascular disease was strongly associated with circulating type I and type III collagen during 10 years follow-up.
6 Supplements That Can Cause Heart Palpitations
The most common causes of heart palpitations are emotional factors like stress, anxiety, and panic attacks, along with lifestyle triggers such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and strenuous exercise; dehydration, low blood sugar, hormonal changes (pregnancy, menstruation), and certain medications also frequently cause them, though serious underlying heart conditions or thyroid issues can be responsible.
Health Impacts of Excess Collagen
Organ Damage: The condition can affect internal organs like the lungs, esophagus, and kidneys. Circulatory Issues: Reduced blood flow due to thickened blood vessels, often noticed in Raynaud's phenomenon.
How to treat excess collagen?
If the body's electrolytes are too low or too high, it may interfere with heart signaling and lead to irregular heartbeats. Some medicines and supplements. Some prescription medicines and certain cough and cold treatments can cause arrhythmias. Excessive alcohol use.
“Smoking is one of the most harmful things people can do to themselves,” Dr. Maniar says. Blood flow drops, slashing oxygen that fuels the heart, which compensates by spiking blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm, and can lead to hardened and narrowed arteries and blood clots causing cardiovascular disease.
Magnesium decreases heart palpitations and contributes to the maintenance of a normal heart rhythm by supporting the function of other electrolytes like potassium, sodium and calcium. Each of these electrolytes is important for the conduction of electrical signals in the heart which ultimately create the heart rhythm.
Most concerns arise from the presence of calcium in certain collagen products, particularly those derived from animal sources, which can lead to a condition known as hypercalcemia if taken excessively. Hypercalcemia can, in turn, manifest as heart palpitations.
Currently, there are not many known risks associated with taking collagen supplements. However, some supplements are often made with other substances, and if you are allergic to these substances, you may still have an allergic reaction.
Collagen is a structural protein of the blood vessel wall, which is normally concealed beneath the cells that line the blood vessel inner walls. When the blood vessel becomes injured, collagen is exposed and attracts cells called platelets from the blood which causes blood clotting.
Collagen provides structure to your arteries, which keep blood flowing to and from your heart. Studies have shown that taking collagen supplements can reduce artery stiffness and increase levels of “good” HDL cholesterol in the body. This means it can help reduce your risk of developing heart conditions.
If you're using Collagen supplements, avoid these things for best results.
There is no strict time frame, but it's generally accepted that breaks shouldn't be longer than three months. If you stop supplementation for a longer period, joint or skin problems can quickly return. Some people opt to drink shots less frequently, such as every few days, instead of stopping completely.
The first signs collagen is working are often subtle skin improvements like better hydration, increased suppleness, and softer fine lines, along with stronger, faster-growing nails, usually noticed within 4-8 weeks of consistent daily use, with joint flexibility and hair changes appearing later. These early signs include skin feeling plumper, eyes/mouth area fine lines softening, and nails becoming more resilient, setting the stage for longer-term benefits.
Supplementing collagen appears to help reduce systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and reduce fat mass, all of which benefit cardiovascular health. Collagen does play a role in maintaining the structural integrity of our organs and arteries, including the heart, although more research is needed.
Types of procedures and surgeries used to treat heart arrhythmias include: