Would your joints, skin, gut, muscles, tendons, vasculature, bones, hair and nails benefit from supporting your collagen? Do you find that the existing collagen products on the market seem to do little or, worse, actually cause inflammation and uncomfortable symptoms?  You, like many of us, may be sensitive to histamine, so finding a collagen without it, or it's precursor histidine, is imperative for not only your connective tissue but your health in general. 

As we age, we become less able to produce collagen optimally or quickly enough to keep up with the wear and tear of life, so we show signs, and develop symptoms of diminished collagen. In fact, it is estimated that by the age of 50, we only produce 50% of the collagen that we once produced (Varani, J., et al).  Add to the mix chronic inflammation, a genetic collagen defect (which is more prevalent than you think), hypermobility, stress (cortisol causes our collagen to degrade), sun damage, toxins, injuries, a dietary insufficiency of the amino acid building blocks of collagen or the vitamin cofactors needed to make collagen and you have a very serious need to deliberately support your collagen, but many of us are unaware that we are sabotaging our efforts by taking collagen supplements which contain histidine/histamine [spoiler alert: histidine was in all collagen on the market ... until we came along!].

Why does histamine/histidine matter?  Histidine converts to histamine in the body.  If you're sensitive to histamine, you know what a big deal this is.  Every hit to your system from histamine has a domino effect which can set off chronic inflammation and symptoms ranging from fatigue to pain to puffiness. This problem is compounded by the fact that histamine directly damages collagen, which creates a vicious cycle with further histamine released by the body in response to the damage causing even more destruction. Oral intake of histamine, and its precursor histidine, may aggravate histamine intolerance, MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome), allergies, and other inflammatory processes.  No thank you. 

Formulated by our Founder and CEO, Dr. Burton-Teed, with the help of a team of scientists, this product finally addresses how to support collagen production without aggravating our systems with histidine/histamine.  The solution was to build a better collagen --one without histidine-- which is exactly what we have done. Dr. Burton-Teed herself has the genetic collagen defect hEDS (hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome)  and MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome), and was therefore inspired to become an expert in these areas.

In doing so, she learned how important it is to avoid animal collagens, which not only contain histidine, but are also likely to be contaminated with heavy metals. So, we've made ours vegan (whoo hoo!) and clean as a whistle.  No lead or mercury that you might find in the bovine (cow) or marine (fish) alternatives. No added nasties at all (no fillers, excipients, dyes, flow agents, sweeteners, gluten…you name it); we’ve kept it pure. We also included two forms of Vitamin C which research shows contributes to normal collagen formation and the normal function of skin, blood vessels, bones, cartilage, and gums.

It seems ironic that the people who need collagen support the most—those with diminished collagen production due primarily to aging, genetics, environmental stressors, poor diet, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, and excessive  stress—are also the most likely to have issues with histamine overload. Well, it actually makes sense once you learn a few basics about the science of collagen and histamine:

1) Histamine is released by mast cells (the scientific word for this process is “degranulation”) as part of the body's defence against trauma or invaders.

2) Oral intake of histidine readily converts to histamine in the body.

3) Histamine signals mast cells to release more histamine. Even a bit of histamine floating around can trigger a chain-reaction of nearby mast cells to also release their histamine. (An analogy: Mast cells see "troops" gathering and respond by sending their troops to support the cause.)

4) Mast cells reside in the interwoven strands of collagen.

5) When collagen gets the microtears of daily life, it irritates or ruptures the mast cells that were in residence near the microtear.

6) An irritated mast cell more readily bursts and spews its contents (namely, histamine, and a few other inflammatory agents).

7) This creates local inflammation that can become chronic inflammation. And, since collagen and mast cells reside side by side, collagen gets the brunt of the damage caused by chronic inflammation, resulting in...

8) A vicious cycle, as we now have further weakening and damage to collagen which is then more prone to new microtears...causing nearby mast cells to release more histamine.

To break this cycle, we need to support our collagen without degrading our collagen with inflammatory agents (namely, histidine/histamine) in the process. This is exactly why we’ve made Collagen Boost Histamine-Free.

Welcome to feeling better!

Collagen Boost Histamine-Free is vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, halal, kosher, and free from all major allergens.

The amino acids used in this formula exactly replicate the amino acid profile of human Type 1 and Type 3 Collagen.

The amino-acids are free-form allowing for easy digestion and superior bioavailability...which is to say they absorb more quickly and more completely than hydrolysed animal sources of collagen, which must first be broken down.

Our products contain no excipients, flow agents, artificial fillers, bulking agents, colours or sweeteners.

Manufactured using 100% renewable energy. All packaging is recyclable.

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

Do not exceed the daily recommended dose.

This product should be stored out of sight and reach of young children.

Varani, J., Dame, M. K., Rittie, L., Fligiel, S.E., Kang, S., Fisher, G. J., & Voorhees, J. J. (2006). Decreased collagen production in chronologically aged skin: roles of age-dependent alteration in fibroblast function and defective mechanical stimulation. The American journal of pathology, 168(6), 1861–1868. https://doi.org/10.2353/ajpath.2006.051302