Science & technology | Well Informed
科学与技术 | 健康知识
Aug 1st 2025 | 3 min read
WOULD YOU pay £40 ($53) for some powder made from the ground-up, chemically processed skin, bones and connective tissues of cows or fish? Marketed that way, perhaps not. But stick it in a bottle labelled supplementary collagen, and things might start to look more appealing. Collagen supplements are in vogue, taken both by athletes (who hope for stronger, more injury-resistant joints and ligaments) and the beauty-conscious (for its alleged ability to smooth wrinkled skin and restore lustre to hair). How much good they do, though, remains unclear.
把牛皮、鱼皮、牛骨、鱼骨、牛筋、鱼胶磨碎做成粉末，然后卖你 400 块人民币，你愿意买吗？如果这么推销，大概不会吧。但给它贴上"胶原蛋白补充剂"的标签，可能就好卖了。现在，胶原蛋白补充剂很流行，运动员服用它，想让关节和韧带更强壮、不容易受伤；爱美人士服用它，据说它能抹平皱纹，让皮肤变光滑、让头发有光泽。不过，到底有多大功效，目前仍不明确。
Collagen is a structural protein that provides shape and support to everything from skin and bones to muscles and tendons. One estimate is that it makes up 25-30% of all protein in the body. And since the body is constantly growing new skin and hair and remodelling its bones, it gets through quite a bit of the stuff every day.
胶原蛋白是一种结构蛋白，为皮肤、骨骼、肌肉和肌腱等组织保持形状和提供支撑。据估计，它占人体所有蛋白质的25%-30%。而且，人体不断长出新的皮肤和头发，不断重塑骨骼，每天都要消耗相当多的胶原蛋白。
Exactly how much it needs—and whether it can get it all from a healthy diet—is hazy. Like all proteins, collagen is built up from smaller amino acids, a set of chemical Lego bricks that can be assembled in an endless variety of ways. Nine of those amino acids are classified as “essential”, meaning humans cannot produce them internally and must get them directly from food. But glycine and proline—the two most abundant amino acids in collagen—are not among them. Both can be produced by the body from other chemicals, suggesting that supplements might not be necessary after all.
人体到底需要多少胶原蛋白？日常的健康饮食能不能满足需求？目前还不清楚。和所有蛋白质一样，胶原蛋白由分子量较小的氨基酸构成。这些氨基酸就像化学“乐高积木”，可以用无数种方式组装起来。其中有9种氨基酸被归为“必需氨基酸”，也就是是人体无法自己合成，必须直接从食物中获取。但甘氨酸和脯氨酸——胶原蛋白中含量最丰富的两种氨基酸——不在必需氨基酸之列。这两种氨基酸都可以由人体利用其他化学物质合成。也就是说，可能根本没必要吃补充剂。
There are, appropriately enough, wrinkles. Collagen synthesis declines with age, for one thing. Sunbathing, cigarettes and too much booze also seem to slow its production. And some researchers have tried to argue, from biochemical first principles, that glycine may be “semi-essential”: although the body can produce some of the stuff, it may not be enough to properly meet demand. For all these reasons, taking supplements might be useful.
但是现实从来不是如丝般顺滑。首先，随着年龄增长，人体合成胶原蛋白的能力会下降。晒太阳、抽烟、酗酒也可能会减缓胶原蛋白的生成。而且，有些研究人员也表示，从生化基本原理来说，甘氨酸可能是“半必需氨基酸”：虽然人体能合成一些，但可能不足以满足需求。基于以上这些原因，服用补充剂或许有用。
The empirical evidence is decidedly mixed, and of uneven quality. Still, one review paper in the International Journal of Dermatology, published in 2021, examined 19 other articles to conclude that taking collagen supplements did seem to decrease skin wrinkling. Another, published earlier this year in Orthopedic Reviews, looked at 14 studies on the effects of collagen on joints and found around half reported positive effects.
实证研究也并不都有一致的结论，质量也参差不齐。不过，2021年《国际皮肤病学杂志》上发表的一篇综述论文，分析了19篇论文后得出结论：服用胶原蛋白补充剂好像的确能减少皱纹。今年,《骨科评论》上发表的另一篇综述，研究了14项关于胶原蛋白对关节效用的研究，发现大约一半的研究论证有积极效果。
But the focus on collagen may be misguided. Collagen supplements are really just a glycine- and proline-rich subspecies of standard protein powder. One possibility is that the benefits from taking collagen are really just the benefits of taking protein in disguise. If so, a complete protein like whey (or a more protein-rich diet) may well be better than a lower-quality source like collagen.
但对胶原蛋白的关注，方向可能就错了。胶原蛋白补充剂其实就是富含甘氨酸和脯氨酸的普通蛋白粉而已。服用胶原蛋白的好处，实际上就是摄入蛋白质的好处，只不过披了个马甲。如果真是这样，那么，与其吃胶原蛋白这种低质量的蛋白质，还不如吃乳清蛋白这种完全蛋白质（或者富含蛋白质的饮食）。
There is evidence to support this. One notably rigorous—albeit short-term—study, published in 2023 by researchers in the Netherlands, measured the effects on connective tissue of having a group of athletes take either a placebo, collagen or whey. It found that, though neither collagen nor the placebo seemed to boost tissue growth during recovery from exercise, whey protein did.
证据是，2023年，荷兰研究人员发表了一项研究，虽然研究时间不长，但研究设计非常严谨。他们让一组运动员分别服用安慰剂、胶原蛋白或者乳清蛋白，然后测量结缔组织有什么变化。结果发现，在运动后的恢复期，胶原蛋白和安慰剂都不能促进组织生长，但乳清蛋白可以。
For now, those keen on collagen can take comfort from the fact that no study has suggested the stuff is harmful. In the meantime, those looking for a useful hack might consider gelatine, a processed form of collagen used to make things like jelly, sweets and marshmallows. It can be bought at a fraction of the cost of the pricey supplements. ■
话说回来，想吃胶原蛋白的人也不用担心，毕竟没有任何研究表明它有害。与此同时，想省钱的人可以试一下吃明胶，它是胶原蛋白的水解形式，是制作果冻、糖果和棉花糖的原料。价格只有昂贵补充剂的零头。■
精读精讲——单词短语
hazy
adj. hazy air or weather is not clear, especially because of heat 雾蒙蒙的（尤指热天）
the hazy days of summer 雾蒙蒙的夏日
adj. not remembering things clearly （记忆）模糊不清的
hazy memories of childhood 对童年朦胧的记忆
amino acids
n. any of the chemical substances found in plants and animals that combine to make protein (=a substance necessary for the body to grow) 氨基酸
empirical
adj. based on what is experienced or seen rather than on theory 以经验/实验为依据的；经验主义的；来自经验/观察的
This theory needs to be backed up with solid empirical evidence.
这个理论需要翔实的实际经验支持。
whey
n. the liquid part of milk that is separated from the solid curds during the process of making cheese 乳清
albeit
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