Results from a clinical trial involving collagen from BioCell Technology, LLC, a branded dietary ingredient supplier, and skin aging were presented recently in a poster session at the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Nutrition 2019. This poster will be published as part of the proceedings of Nutrition 2019 by ASN. The manuscript of the study will be published in the online and print versions of the peer review journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine (ATHM).
 
The goal of the study was to determine if a correlation existed between the effects of the dietary supplement, BioCell-Collagen, with changes associated with skin aging. The study was a 128-female subject, 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or a placebo. The intervention consisted of twice daily 500 mg oral administration of BioCell Collagen, a novel hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract dietary ingredient composed of a naturally-occurring matrix of collagen type-II peptides (≥300 mg), chondroitin sulfate (≥100 mg), and hyaluronic acid (≥50 mg).
 
For the 113 participants completing the study, BioCell Collagen supplementation compared to a placebo resulted in:
 

• Significantly reduced facial lines and wrinkles (P = .019) and crow’s feet lines and wrinkles (P = .05)
• Increased skin elasticity (P = .008) and cutaneous collagen content (P < .001) by 12%
• Improved indicators associated with a more youthful skin appearance based on visual grading and wrinkle width (P = .046)
• Decreased skin dryness and erythema.
• No difference existed between the supplement and the placebo for skin surface water content or retention. The supplement was well tolerated, with no reported adverse reactions.

 
“We are very excited to publish the findings of our largest study to date, which further supports the efficacy of our flagship dietary ingredient BioCell Collagen. Human clinical studies continue to be the gold standard for substantiating dietary supplement claims and we take pride that our licensed partners can take advantage,” said Suhail Ishaq, president of BioCell Technology.  
 
The latest study validates an earlier pilot study that demonstrated similar results- Schwartz SR, Park J. Ingestion of BioCell Collagen, a novel hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract; enhanced blood microcirculation and reduced facial aging signs. Clin Interven Aging. 2012; 7: 267-273.
 
“An impressive example of how a series of studies, capped by a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, supports a ‘beauty from within’ claim in healthy women. Even more impressive was that the results remained statistically significant even after an intention-to-treat analysis was performed that included the few subjects that dropped out of the study. Such an analysis is seen in only about 15-20% of randomized, placebo-controlled blinded clinical studies published in leading medical journals,” said Alexander Schauss, PhD, FACN, CFS, senior director of research at AIBMR Life Sciences, and the corresponding author.
 
“It is important that the supplement industry conducts research at the pinnacle of good science and this includes a double blind, properly populated study like this one,” said Stephen Schwartz, president and CEO of International Research Services, Inc.