Does collagen help women over fifty?
For skin, collagen is reasonably well supported in women over fifty: 2.5 to 5 grams per day for 8 to 12 weeks measurably improves elasticity and wrinkles. For bone density after menopause there are positive indications, but discuss that with your doctor first.
Collagen has the strongest evidence for skin. Taking 2.5 to 5 grams of hydrolysed collagen daily for at least 8 to 12 weeks measurably improves elasticity, hydration and wrinkles compared with a placebo. This effect has been found in multiple independent studies in women aged 35 and older, and persists for a few weeks after stopping. One of the drinkable supplements combined collagen with vitamin C, zinc and biotin, which means the contribution of collagen alone cannot be isolated precisely. On the label, look for 'collagen peptides', 'gehydrolyseerd collageen' or 'hydrolyzed collagen'; it does not matter whether it comes from fish, beef or pork.
For bone density after menopause there is also positive news, although it rests on less research. In 102 postmenopausal women with low bone density (mean age 64 years), 5 grams of collagen peptides per day for 12 months improved bone density of the spine and hip measurably more than placebo. Bone markers also shifted in a favourable direction. Two smaller studies in 51 women with osteopenia found comparable results, but were sponsored by the manufacturer, which limits the weight of those particular studies. If you want to try this for your bones, it is sensible to discuss it with your doctor first, especially if you are already taking medication for bone loss.
For joint pain, collagen has been studied most in combination with exercise, and mainly in athletes. Barely any separate research has been done in women over fifty, so how relevant those results are for you remains unclear. If you still want to try it for your joints, choose hydrolysed collagen (10 grams per day, for at least 6 months). For muscle mass, collagen offers no added benefit: other protein sources work clearly better there. And for hair, nails or the heart, there is simply no evidence.
This answer is based on multiple studies in which participants were randomly assigned to a collagen or placebo group, and on a review of nineteen such studies (more than one thousand participants in total, almost all women). For skin, the evidence is most consistent. For bones, there is one independent study of reasonable size and two smaller manufacturer-sponsored studies. For joints, the evidence is thinner, especially for women over fifty considered separately. The large review study on skin does not report the over-fifty age group separately, which is a limitation for that specific target group.