From pills to powders, the popularity of collagen supplements has exploded in recent years. “Collagen is the primary building block of your body’s skin, muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments, and other connective tissues,” says Jennifer Patricca, M.S., RDN. “It’s also found in your organs, blood vessels and intestinal lining.” Because it declines with age and may play a role in injury prevention and recovery from exercise, many consumers have turned to collagen supplements to combat the negative effects of aging and help prevent injury. 

But what many people don’t know is that collagen supplements may not mix well with common medications, particularly if they have additional ingredients with known medication interactions. “Collagen itself doesn’t have a list of medications it directly interacts with. It’s a protein, and our bodies are used to processing protein from food,” says Jobby John, Pharm.D. However, collagen supplement ingredients vary widely across brands and these additional ingredients may interfere with prescription medications. “Collagen itself is safe for most people, but the ‘bonus’ ingredients added to supplements are what may create risks,” says Meg Whitbeck, M.S., RDN. We asked the experts about popular ingredients in collagen supplements and their potential effects when taken with prescription medications.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is often added to collagen supplements because of the role it has in collagen synthesis. It may seem innocuous, but its addition to supplements, particularly in high doses, can affect the absorption of some prescription medications like those used in chemotherapy. “Patients should carefully review product labels and consult with a health care provider before initiating collagen supplementation, particularly when concurrently taking prescription medications,” says Lesly Rapado, Pharm.D., a clinical ambulatory specialist.

Biotin

Biotin is a B vitamin found in a variety of foods, from eggs to fish, meat, dairy and nuts. It may benefit hair and nail growth, which is the primary reason it’s often added to collagen supplements. While it’s generally considered safe, Whitbeck emphasizes that biotin in supplement form may interfere with some lab tests, including thyroid hormone tests and vitamin D tests. Additionally, some medications may interact with biotin by lowering biotin levels in the body. One example of medications that have this effect are those used to treat epilepsy. If you’re taking any of the anticonvulsant medications for epilepsy or other conditions, it’s recommended that you talk to a health care professional before adding collagen containing biotin supplements to your diet.

Artificial Sweeteners

Many collagen supplements, particularly those in powdered form intended to be used in beverages, baking or other recipes, contain artificial sweeteners to add flavor without added sugar. However, Ava Safir, J.D., M.S., RDN, cautions that some artificial sweeteners can irritate the gut in those who are sensitive to these ingredients. If avoiding artificial sweeteners is best for you, choose a collagen supplement that’s unflavored or one without the extra ingredients. Most often, unflavored collagen supplements will list collagen peptides as a single ingredient and will be the best choice for those looking to avoid artificial sweeteners in the diet.

Herbal Extracts

Herbal extracts like turmeric and ginseng are often added to collagen supplements and may interact with prescription medications like blood thinners and blood pressure medications, says Safir. Because the types of herbs added to collagen supplements are not standardized and quantities vary across collagen supplement brands, it’s essential to consult with your health care provider before starting a supplement with these additional ingredients.

Other Ingredients and Additives

Some collagen supplements include forms of vitamins that have the potential to interact with prescription medications. For example, nicotinamide riboside is a form of vitamin B3 that may interact with some blood pressure medications. Other ingredients like betaine anhydrous (trimethylglycine) affect homocysteine levels, which can potentially interact with drugs also involved in homocysteine metabolism.

Safety Tips

Dietary supplements are not regulated in the same way as food and should be scrutinized closely before adding them to the diet. Follow these recommendations before choosing a collagen supplement:

• Look for independently tested or verified: Review supplement labels to confirm they have been independently tested to guarantee that what the supplement claims to contain is truly what’s found in each serving. Certifications from NSF, Informed Sport, ConsumerLab or USP are good places to start when it comes to independent verification. Otherwise, contact the manufacturer of the supplement and ask for verification of independent testing. A certificate of analysis report is often readily available from reputable companies who conduct independent testing.
• Check the ingredient list: Collagen supplements vary significantly when it comes to extra ingredients added to enhance their effectiveness. Some contain additional vitamins, minerals or herbs that may interact with other supplements or medications you’re taking. “Read the entire label of the collagen supplement,” says John. “Don’t just look at the word ‘collagen.’ See what other vitamins, minerals or herbs are included and in what amounts.”
• Know the source of collagen: Collagen supplements can be made from a variety of animal sources, including bovine or marine collagen. “Check the source of collagen if you have food allergies (e.g., avoid marine collagen if you have fish/shellfish allergies),” says Safir.
• Separate medications and supplements: “Some medications, particularly certain thyroid medications, need to be taken on an empty stomach to be absorbed properly,” says John. “Since collagen is a protein and is essentially ‘food,’ taking it at the same time as these medications would not be ideal.” John advises separating medications and supplements by at least two hours.
• Talk to your health care provider: “People with kidney or liver disease, or those taking blood pressure medications, blood thinners, immunosuppressants, thyroid medications or chemotherapy drugs should check with their clinician before starting collagen (or any supplement),” says Whitbeck.

Our Expert Take

Collagen supplements may offer benefits to joints and skin, but the variability of ingredients across brands presents potential risks when it comes to prescription medications. Adding a supplement to the diet may be appealing, particularly if it claims to benefit many aspects of health, but Marie Carpenter, M.S., RD, cautions against making multiple changes at once. “It is important to understand how your body responds to changes in supplements, lifestyle changes and eating habits,” says Carpenter. “Pick one or two things to change at a time to understand how your body is responding.” 

You should also pay special attention to the additional ingredients found in collagen supplements. “It’s not the collagen itself you need to worry about as much as everything else in the bottle and the fact that it is a protein,” says John. “Always check the entire ingredient list and talk to [a health care professional, such as a pharmacist], especially if you’re taking medications for blood pressure or a blood thinner.”

Mild milk chocolate on the outside, with soft pistachio cream and crunchy, sugar-sweet kadayif strands on the inside — to many consumers, Dubai chocolate is the epitome of sweet luxury.

Sarah Hamouda, head of the Dubai-based manufacturer Fix Dessert Chocolatier, is credited with inventing the popular confection. With the help of influencers, Hamouda’s creation took off on social media, marketed as a new, exclusive food trend that has spanned the globe.

At an average cost of €7 ($8) per 100 grams, homemade recipes for the chocolate bars have also become increasingly popular online. But the trend has another price: since demand for Dubai chocolate gained momentum in late 2023, global appetite for pistachios has also spiked.

In 2024, imports of pistachios (in shell) to the European Union increased by more than a third compared to the year prior, with market value exceeding €1 billion ($1.16 billion) for the first time.

Passion for pistachios drains water resources

This has consequences for the countries where pistachios are grown. The trees thrive in hot, dry climates, where they are increasingly replacing other crops, such as olive trees. In Spain, Europe’s largest producer, the areas of pistachio cultivation have increased fivefold since 2017.

Pistachios are “an interesting fruit in terms of climate change” and could be “a good climate adaptation” for producers, said Stig Tanzmann, agriculture consultant for Bread for the World, a development organization affiliated with Germany’s Protestant churches.

But the reality is usually different because the trees require additional irrigation. “You have a climate-adapted plant, but then you irrigate to ensure the high yields you need in a high-priced market,” he said.

More than 10,000 liters (2,600 gallons) of water are needed to produce 1 kilogram of pistachios — and most of that comes from the extra irrigation. In dry regions, this can lead to massive water problems. By comparison, it takes an average of just under 2,800 liters to produce 1 kilogram of peanuts — and almost 90% of the water required for that comes from rainwater.

Furthermore, pistachios, like many other agricultural products that are suddenly in demand on the world market, are mainly planted in monocultures, said Tanzmann. This has many negative consequences, such as heavy use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides.

Even though pistachios cope well with heat, they are affected by the warmer winters brought by climate change. The trees need cold temperatures for a period in order to flower — and without blossoms, there are no fruits.

Matcha mania squeezes market

Other food trends like matcha tea are also having a negative impact. The green, bitter powder has always been exclusive, and now even more so since demand exploded worldwide.

Originally from China, the best matcha is now grown in Japan. There, the tea plants are specially shaded before harvesting, which is usually achieved with hand-guided machines. After they are picked, the tea leaves are steamed and aerated, the stems and leaf veins are removed, and then only the leaf flesh is ground.

In Japan, high-quality green tea powder is mainly used for traditional tea ceremonies. But because it contains many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, in recent years matcha has become a globally sought-after superfood, from ready-made matcha lattes to matcha chocolate bars.

According to the German Tea Association, more than 240 tons of matcha were delivered to Germany alone between January and August 2024 — an increase of 240% compared to the same period the previous year. The hype continues because healthy eating is trendy, the association said. The global market for matcha is expected to almost double in the next five to seven years, according to international market analysis companies.

The rising demand is already leading to shortages. The website for Marukyu Koyamaen, one of Japan’s major tea exporters, said the availability of all matcha products is now limited. Among competitors, such as Ippodo Tea, almost all matcha is sold out.

On the Japanese tea market, the purchase price for matcha is almost three times higher than last year, and retail prices have doubled, reports Yuji Yamakita, an independent tea merchant in Kyoto. “The high prices are particularly affecting people who perform tea ceremonies and confectionery manufacturers. I hear that some people have stopped drinking matcha or are not drinking as much as they used to,” said Yamakita.

This is having a particularly negative impact on tea merchants who serve the domestic Japanese market. Yamakita fears that tea farmers who lack equipment and financial resources will be unable to meet the rising demand and go out of business.

Quinoa craze destroys farmland

Yet another example of negative global food trend outcomes is quinoa. The pseudocereal originates from the Andes in South America. In 2013, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa. The aim was to highlight the importance of quinoa for food security. However, it was quickly marketed as a superfood, and consumption rose rapidly.

In the two main producing countries, Peru and Bolivia, prices rose so sharply that the local population could hardly afford to buy their own food staple, said Tanzmann.

The environment also suffered. Traditionally, farmland in the Andes is left fallow for up to seven years for soil recovery, according to German development organization Welthungerhilfe. But due to high demand, many farmers reduced the cultivation period to just one year. This often led to the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and heavy machinery, which compact the soil.

Additionally, areas not suitable for cultivation were developed, said Markus Wolter, an expert on agriculture and nutrition at the Catholic development organization Misereor. One example is a desert-like, shrub-covered region in the highlands of Bolivia where llamas were previously kept.

“It is much too dry there for large-scale cultivation of crops such as quinoa,” Wolter said. “That worked well for a few years because there was enough rain right at the start of the boom — but for several years now, that rain has failed to materialize.”

Plowing the soil for agriculture also had negative effects. “In this climate with strong winds, plowing shouldn’t be done at all because the little fertile soil there is quickly blown away,” said Wolter. This also makes it more difficult to return to animal husbandry after quinoa cultivation, because the pastures are less fertile, he added.

What remains when the hype is over?

Whether it’s pistachios, matcha, quinoa or whatever food trend comes next, fair trade organizations advise producers not to make themselves economically dependent on a single agricultural commodity.

This means growing crops not just for the global market, but for local markets as well, said Claudia Brück, director of Fairtrade Germany. That way, producers can still earn money even when the craze subsides and prices fall.

Superfood or climate killer?

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“The idea is to move away from monocultures and, specifically, to grow two rows of coffee and one row of beans. This makes the soil healthy and enables farmers to produce their own food. And then you can also grow mangoes for the international market, for example,” said Brück.

Not just farmers, but also those who start and promote food trends, need to think and act more sustainably, said Tanzmann. “When you push something like this, you actually have a responsibility for such a trend and should think it through from start to finish — and not just focus on selling as much as possible.”

This article was originally written in German.