will taking supplements decrease my body's natural production?

Question by Me: will taking supplements decrease my body's natural production?
I bleached my hair and it's been falling out or breaking more. My friend's mom offered some collagen pills she bought for hair and nails. I'm 24, is there any risk that taking the pills will decrease my body's natural production? Or will it just add to it? I guess I'm asking does my body make it on an as needed basis, so it might make less if I already have plenty from the pills.


Best answer:

Answer by Feral
All the food we consume now are depleted of its natural resources (vitamins, minerals) due to the farming practices used now. So who knows if we are really getting the nutrients we need even if we do have a healthy diet. Taking vitamin supplements should not disrupt your natural production, as if you have an abundant amount of vitamins in your system, you will usually just pee out the excess. However, taking extra calcium could cause problems IF it's not taken with vitamin K. Vitamin K helps absorb the calcium into the proper places. Melatonin supplement may disrupt your body's natural process, but almost all melatonin supplements state on the bottle to not take for more than a week. I would suggest taking a natural prenatal vitamin, as it has biotin, vitamin B, and other vitamins that help your hair, skin, nails, and overall health.

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What medicine can I take to stimulate collagen production?

Question by scarred_for_life: What medicine can I take to stimulate collagen production?
What medicine (or pharmaceutical products such as dietary supplements) can I take to stimulate collagen production in depressed scars?


Best answer:

Answer by gandalf
There isn't one known, at this time.

Getting an adequate supply of protein in your diet (good quality protein) will provide the necessary building blocks.

It's not going to do diddly for the depressed scars. Those are the product of a normal reparative process that didn't quite get the tissue back to normal. You might consider seeing if a plastic surgeon will inject a little collagen in the area, if it's cosmetically embarassing, but I'm toting a pretty significant number of scars, most of 'em covered by hair or clothing, and the visible ones, no one seems to notice.

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Collagen production is reduced as we age. Is this inevitable or is there something you can so to prevent this.

Question by dee b: Collagen production is reduced as we age. Is this inevitable or is there something you can so to prevent this.
. . .like through health or diet?

I've heard that Coenzyme Q-10 can boost collagen production, but would you have to continue taking it indefinitely?


Best answer:

Answer by Michael P (MD)
It would have no effect.
Food supplements are not invented and marketed because they are effective (in which case they would also likely have side effects), but rather because most likely they are not, since they are abundantly present in the body anyway. Be smart, save your many, and don't worry about the collagen, I have not seen anyone die from lack of collagen (nor of coenzyme Q).

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