With health claims like stronger hair and nails, glowing skin, and also lowering joint pain; collagen is certainly is a popular nutrition supplement. If you have started drinking collagen peptides in your coffee or morning smoothie and wondering if collagen makes you gain weight, you will want to read this post. Below you’ll learn about the best type of collagen, if it could help you lose weight, or if it is to blame for weight gain.

What are the Benefits of Using Collagen

Collagen is the protein of connective tissue that makes up our skin, hair, nails, and joints. Your body stops producing it after age 30. In the studies cited below, daily supplementation with collagen lasted from 8-12 weeks. If you want to use collagen for health benefits and prevention, be sure to take it consistently and for a minimum of 8 weeks.

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Skin Health

1. A study in the Journal Nutrients found that long term use of collagen both improves skins elasticity and hydration.
2. In Cureus Journal of Medical Science, a meta analysis looked at how wrinkles around the eyes were also decreased when taking collagen for 8 weeks.
3. Overall wrinkle reduction and signs of ageing can also be less noticable when taking collagen as found in the National Journal of Dermatology.

Joint Health

Research from Collagen and Leather suggests that Undenatured Type 2 collagen is useful to treat and prevent Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis. It adds to joint elasticity, shock absorption, and stress on joints and can reduce joint pain for those with arthritis. There is still more room for research to understand to exact dosage needed.

Hair and Nails

While your hair does not need elasticity, it is made up of protein. Collagen can help hair strength.

Best Form of Collagen

There are gummies, capsules, and powder on the store shelves, but does it really matter what form you take? Studies have looked at the effects of intact or hydrolyzed collagen. Intact collagen is too large for your body to breakdown, so everything available on the shelves to consume is hydrolyzed.

I personally like using powdered collagen as it can mixed into smoothies or coffee. Additionally, you are getting more grams of collagen peptides in the powder form compared to what is packed into a pill or gummy form.

Bovine collagen (from cows) is what a lot of brands use. However, marine collagen (from fish) is actually absorbed 1.5x better because of the smaller particle size. Here is a wild caught Marine collagen from Orgain.

I’m a big fan of the unflavored Vital Proteins Collagen Brand. It also comes in chocolate or vanilla, but is sweetened with Stevia so if you do not like the taste of that, consider buying the unflavored.

How Many Calories are in Collagen?

In 20 grams of bovine (sourced from cow) collagen powder there are 70 calories and 18 grams of protein.

In 20 grams of marine (sourced from salmon) collagen powder there are 75 calories and 18 grams of protein.

This amount of calories is about equal to the calories in a small apple or 10 almonds. It is not a low calorie food, but does not have as many calories as other energy dense foods like avocado, nuts, or oil.

Can Powdered Collagen Make You Gain Weight?

Collagen provides only 70 calories, which isn’t significant enough to contribute to weight gain.
It takes 3500 extra calories to gain 1 pound in a week. This means you would need to be taking in an extra 500 calories a day.

To get to an extra 500 calories, you would need to consume 7.5 servings of collagen a day. Most people are just taking collagen once a day in their coffee or smoothie.

The science of weight gain and weight loss has more nuances than just eat a set amount of calories to gain or lose weight. The human body has more systems that play a role like metabolism, hormones, and muscle mass that all impact your ability to gain or lose weight at a certain rate.

Does Collagen Make You Gain Water Weight?

Collagen is not a high sodium or carbohydrate food, so it is most likely not a culprit for gaining water weight.

You can gain water weight when:

• 1. Your hormones shift- especially during a female’s time of the month
• 2. A high salt meal is consumed- water follows sodium
• 3. A high carbohydrate meal is consumed- water is attached to glycogen (aka carbs)

Water is essential to your cells, vessels and muscle tissue. Shifts in fluid is a major reason why your scale weight reads differently if you weigh yourself after a meal compared to when you first wake up. So if you notice your weight increase from when you weighed yourself in the morning to at night, you didn’t necessarily gain any weight. It could very well be fluid. There is no need to be concerned that you gained 5lbs.

Be sure to weigh yourself at the same time (like every Wednesday morning) so you can see trends in your weight as fluctuations are completely normal due to water, hormones, and digestion patterns.

What Factors Contribute to Weight Gain?

1. Taking in more calories than your body needs
2. Hormones are out of balance (like high levels of cortisol, estrogen, or testosterone)
3. Insulin resistance
4. Lack of sleep
5. Lack of exercise or movement.
6. Medications that increase your hunger or lead to weight gain (anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications etc)
7. Your resting metabolic rate is slowing down (due to aging or sitting all day-both of these lead to a loss in muscle mass)
8. Eating a lot of foods high in added sugars, fried foods, and ultra-processed foods
9. An increase in muscle mass- muscle weighs more than fat. It’s important to measure your progress with how your clothes fit and not just a scale number!
10. Eating large quantity of food at night and then going right to bed
11. High levels of stress (this elevates cortisol and blood sugar which makes weight loss harder)

As you can see-its not just one single food that can cause weight gain- there are many factors!

Why You Might Be Gaining Weight

As a Dietitian who works with patients who are working on weight loss, here are a few reasons why I think you might be gaining weight while consuming collagen.

1. You started a new workout routine- I have experienced this myself where I start consistently working out and I feel extra hungry! And then it goes away after a day or so. If you are doing any high intensity interval training (HIIT) this can definitely make you feel hungrier. Many people start using collagen the same time they start with a personal trainer, a workout class or fitness routine.
2. You are Overcompensating for Calories Burned– if your smart watch says you just burned 800 calories playing pickleball it can be easy to feel like “you’ve earned it” to eat double portions or go extra on desserts and other empty calorie foods.
3. You Mindlessly Eat- Eating breakfast while driving, typing emails while quickly eating a sandwich, and then zoning out in front of the TV while you eat dinner. These are all examples of eating when your attention is diverted. It’s important to pay attention to your food, because if you do not see what you are eating, your brain does not register how much it ate, and you can feel less satisfied. Ever look down at your plate and think “umm where did that go?” This leads to potentially extra snacking, not chewing your food very well, and eating more than you need because you aren’t focusing on your fullness during a meal. You are focusing on screens, to-do lists, and work.

Can Liquid Collagen Make You Gain Weight?

There are only 30 calories in 1 Tablespoon of liquid collagen, which would not be enough to contribute to weight gain.

Just like the example above with the powdered collagen, you would need to be consuming 8 or more servings of collagen.

Reference the list above for some reasons why your weight could be changing. It is most likely not going to be coming from taking in an extra 30-70 calories a day. There is something greater or bigger shifting in your life.

Does Collagen Help You Gain Weight?

If you are putting collagen into a protein shake or other high calorie drink it could help you gain weight because it is being mixed in with other higher calorie foods.

Remember, you need to consume an extra 500 calories a day to see at least 1lb of weight gain a week. You could easily get in an extra 500 calories making a protein shake using collagen, protein powder, peanut butter, frozen fruit, and whole milk.

Does it Help You Lose Weight?

Yes, collagen could help you lose weight if you add it into your breakfast. Having a higher protein breakfast has been associated with better blood sugar control and appetite throughout the day. When your blood sugar is more stable, you have fewer cravings and may not feel as hungry.

Weight loss is more than just how many calories you eat in a day. It involves how your blood sugar responds, hormones, and even meal timing. In the Journal Nutrients, a study observed that meal timing impacts your metabolic health as well as weight.

If you have included oatmeal in your diet for weight loss, you can learn about when to eat it in Best Time to Eat Oats for Weight Loss; Top Tips from a Dietitian.

How Does it Help You Lose Weight?

In the Journal of Clinical Nutrition Experimental, it was observed that those who eat a high protein breakfast have greater levels of fullness and appetite than those that consume a high carbohydrate breakfast. This is because when you start your day with your blood sugar staying steady, you are less likely to crave sugary high-carb foods. This helps with better food choices and overall hunger levels.

It is also possible that collagen could help you lose weight by increasing your overall fiber intake. By using collagen powder in a smoothie with frozen fruits and vegetables you are eating more fiber than if you were to just eat a plain bagel or sugary muffin for breakfast.

While collagen is not a magic bullet for weight loss, it definitely can help increase your protein and fiber intake. Both of these nutrients are essential for weight loss and are often overlooked.

If you are looking for protein powder or premade shake brands, head over to Low Sodium Protein Powder [Best Tasting + Highly Rated 2026] and Best Low Sodium Protein Shakes: A Dietitian Shares All.

Conclusion

Basically, consuming a serving of powdered or liquid collagen daily would not be a sufficient amount of calories to contribute to weight gain.

Weight gain could be from other factors in your life such as starting a new strength training program, eating more calories than you need, or not exercising at all.

Collagen is more likely to be beneficial for weight loss because it can increase your protein and fiber intake. A higher protein breakfast will give you the benefits of more stable blood sugar and reduced cravings during the day. If you need high protein bars for breakfast you can find my whole list in Protein Bars for Weight Loss: Top Picks from a Dietitian (2026).

More Resources

If you are actively trying to eat better and manage your weight, below are some helpful guides!

1. Low Sodium Snacks- 16 Easy Heart Healthy Ideas from a Dietitian
2. Healthy Snacks for Nurses: 20 Quick Options from a Dietitian
3. Top Healthy Night Shift Snacks: A Dietitian’s Ultimate Guide

Laurie Thenedy, RD

Laurie is a Registered Dietitian passionate about helping healthcare professionals lower their weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol so that they can regain confidence and energy to live a more full life.