People Keep Putting Collagen in Their Coffee, And Scientists Have Weighed In.

人们一直在往咖啡里加胶原蛋白，而科学家们也讨论起这种喝法。

Collagen products are popping up everywhere. While collagen is probably most well known for its touted¹ skin care benefits and as a major component² of lip enhancers and injections, some celebrities³, like Kourtney Kardashian, are suggesting that people drink it.

胶原蛋白产品如今随处可见。胶原蛋白最广为人知的功效可能是它被吹捧的护肤功效，而且它还是丰唇膏和唇部注射唇蜜的主要成分，而考特妮·卡戴珊等部分名人则建议人们喝胶原蛋白。

Products derived⁴ from collagen are not just in skin creams and dietary supplements but even in pillow covers and clothing. Kardashian is even selling collagen supplements.

胶原蛋白衍生品不仅存在于护肤霜和膳食补充剂中，甚至还存在于枕套和服装中。甚至连卡戴珊都在卖胶原蛋白补充剂。

Collagen is the body's most abundant protein, made up of amino acids, or peptides. It literally⁵ glues our bones, cartilage, skin and blood vessels⁶ together. It's what makes our tissues grow, mature and move. Its presence under your skin can keep it from sagging⁷ over time.

胶原蛋白由氨基酸或多肽构成，是人体内含量最多的蛋白质。其实是它把我们的骨骼、软骨、皮肤和血管粘合在了一起，也是它使我们的组织发育、成熟、转变。随着时间的推移，存在于皮肤之下的胶原蛋白可以防止皮肤下垂。

Because our bodies begin to lose collagen in our 20s, skin creams and treatments made from the connective tissues of animals seem like an effective way to combat age. And, it has few side effects.

我们的身体在20多岁时开始失去胶原蛋白，由动物结缔组织制成的护肤霜和护理产品似乎是抵抗衰老的有效方法。而且，它几乎没有副作用。

But there's a catch – or two. As a female interested in aging gracefully⁸ and as a scientist who studies collagen, I have found the plethora⁹ of collagen-based products to be interesting. I have been involved with studying collagen for over a decade as our lab is working to develop a collagen made solely¹⁰ in a laboratory instead of sourcing from animals.

但还是有一个或两个问题。作为一名对优雅地衰老感兴趣的女性，以及一名研究胶原蛋白的科学家，我发现大量基于胶原蛋白的产品非常有趣。我从事胶原蛋白研究已有十多年了，我们的实验室一直致力于开发一种完全在实验室中合成的，而不是从动物身体上提取的胶原蛋白。

I have asked other collagen-knowledgeable colleagues what they think of everyone putting it in their coffee, and I get some smirks¹¹.

我问过其他了解胶原蛋白的同事，他们对于人们往咖啡中加入胶原蛋白有什么看法，而他们傻笑着看着我。

The collagen molecule¹² itself is too large to penetrate¹³ the surface of the skin when applied¹⁴ in a cream or lotion¹⁵. It just sits there until it's washed off. Soluble¹⁶ or hydrolyzed collagen, which is broken down into smaller fragments, does penetrate the skin, but these fragments are likely too small to do any good.

胶原蛋白分子本身很大，在用于面霜或乳液时，它无法穿透皮肤表面，只是浮在皮肤上，直到被洗掉。可溶性或水解的胶原蛋白被分解成更小的碎片，确实能穿透皮肤，但这些胶原蛋白碎片似乎太小了，对皮肤并没有任何好处。

Likely, a skin improvement is due to additional ingredients in your topical cream or simply additional proline, an amino acid found in collagen.

皮肤的改善很可能是由于你的局部面霜中添加了额外的成分，或者仅仅是添加了在胶原蛋白中发现的一种氨基酸——脯氨酸。

In addition, collagen falls apart at temperatures above body temperature, turning it into plain gelatin – yes, the stuff in Jell-O. At these higher temperatures – when added to hot coffee, for example – collagen's molecular¹⁷ structure melts, diminishing or even negating¹⁸ the desired health benefits.

另外，胶原蛋白在高于体温的温度下会分解，变成普通的明胶——没错，就是果冻中的那种物质。例如，当加入热咖啡中时，在这样的高温下，胶原蛋白的分子结构会融化，减少甚至不再有期望中的那种有益于健康的疗效。