Collagen + True Biome: The perfect pairing for gut health, skin and wellbeing

How the gut shapes whole-body health

For too long, skin health and gut health lived in separation, but thanks to a shift in gut health science, that’s changing. 

It is increasingly recognized that the gut is so much more than a digestive system. Home to a complex ecosystem of trillions of microbes, it influences everything from our immune system to our skin, as well as our mood and mental health.

When your gut is functioning ll, it helps support the digestion and absorption of nutrients your body needs to function properly. And because of this gut-body connection, the benefits extend beyond simply digestion, shaping everything from skin to energy.

Here’s a quick guide to just some of the ways that your gut influences your whole-body health.

• Immune balance - 70% of your immune system resides in your gut. A healthy gut helps the immune system react appropriately

• Inflammation control - A balanced gut helps keep inflammation in check

• Mood, stress and cognition - Through the gut-brain axis, microbes influence neurotransmitters like serotonin, which affect mood, stress resilience, and clarity of thought

• Hormone balance - Your microbiome helps metabolize and regulate hormones

• Metabolic health - Healthy microbes support nutrient extraction, blood sugar balance and energy stability

• Skin health - Through the gut-skin axis, microbial imbalance or gut barrier disruption can contribute to skin concerns such as acne, eczema, or rosacea

Emerging evidence supports the theory of a gut-skin axis, which suggests there is a two-way relationship between your gut microbiome and your skin, with the gut playing a regulatory role in immune function, inflammation and barrier integrity, all of which can impact skin health (1).

While improving gut health does not guarantee skin improvement, an imbalance in gut bacteria is associated with altered immune responses and skin conditions, such as acne and psoriasis, making it an important angle to consider when looking to support skin health (2). 

Collagen and the gut: the connection explained

When it comes to tending to your gut health, you’ll no doubt be familiar with the pre- and postbiotics used in True Biome and the role that they play in shaping a healthy and balanced gut microbiome, but you may well wonder where collagen comes in.

You’re not alone. In a recent study (3), only 30% of those surveyed knew that collagen had gut health relevance and could, in fact, aid digestion. 

But it does.                                                                                                               

While collagen supplementation is often thought of in relation to skin support, collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, gives flexible and resilient structure to various body parts such as skin, bones, tendons, blood vessels and yes, the gut and stomach. 

But don't just take our word for it. That same research group that had shown a low awareness of collagen and gut health is a testament to the meaningful difference collagen supplementation can make. They took 20g of collagen peptides for 8 weeks, and by the end of the study,  93% of participants found improvements in digestion, including bloating and abdominal comfort (3).

This research echoes findings from our own BECOME collagen study, which showed that 70% of participants saw reduced digestive issues, such as bloating and constipation, after taking True Collagen for just 6 weeks (4).

While research in this area is still emerging, it’s hypothesized that collagen provides amino acids (like glycine and proline) that the body can use to support connective tissues, including the lining of the digestive tract (5).

Beyond the microbiome: Why your gut lining integrity matters

In the world of gut health, supporting the important microbes which live within is often the key focus for people trying to optimize their digestion. But it’s equally important to consider the gut lining, which is the protective barrier that works alongside these microbes and plays a central role in digestion and overall gut function.

By supporting gut lining integrity, collagen may help maintain a healthy environment where gut bacteria can thrive.

It's this understanding that shaped True Collagen and Wild Collagen. Thoughtfully crafted to support not just skin, hair and nails but whole-body health, these science-backed formulas use evidence-based doses of clinically proven hydrolyzed peptides to support gut health, skin and beyond.+

True Biome and collagen: The perfect gut support pairing 

But collagen alone can only go so far. Paired with True Biome, its impact may be even more powerful.

That’s because the intelligent True Biome gut-support formula uses L-glutamine, another amino acid shown to support the strength and integrity of the gut lining, serving as a key fuel source for intestinal cells during times of physical stress, intense exercise, or when the body is run down.**

Think of your gut as a busy, well-run city — and True Biome and collagen as two essential allies for keeping it functioning at its best.+

The prebiotics used in True Biome feed the workers (your gut microbes), who then produce the postbiotics needed to keep the city running.**

A helpful analogy is to think of postbiotics as electricity for the grid. Rather than supplying the energy needed to fix roads, these help fix issues in the body, support the gut lining, reduce inflammation, and modulate immune function.**

As for collagen, that’s the steel, the scaffolding of the city. It provides the physical structure, skin elasticity, connective tissue strength, and yes, even gut lining integrity.** 

As Dana James explains, together, collagen and True Biome support the gut from two complementary angles -  one providing the structural building blocks the gut lining needs, the other nourishing the microbial environment within.+ After all, without enough materials, even the best workers and most important hubs can’t support the larger system as effectively. 

“Collagen and True Biome compliment each other. Collagen contains three amino acids - glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline - which support the structural integrity of the intestinal lining, primarily within the small intestine. 

True Biome, on the other hand, improves the functional ecology of both the small and large intestines. It focuses on maintaining tight junction integrity, modulating immune signalling, and nourishing the gut microbiota. This means less gut inflammation, a more diverse gut microbiome and less “leaky gut”. A win for a healthier gut!” 

-Dana James MS, CNS, CDN, Ancient + Brave Gut Health Expert

Why take True Biome and Collagen together?

Taking these two rituals alongside each other offers a more complete approach to gut health than either provide alone:

Closing thoughts:

Your gut and your skin are more connected than most people realize, and so are the rituals that support them. 

Collagen and True Biome work across complimentary layers of the same system: one building the structural foundation the gut lining needs, the other cultivating the microbial environment within.

Paired consistently as part of a varied and balanced diet, they offer a more comprehensive approach to gut health, skin health and the whole-body wellbeing that sits between them.

It's this interconnectedness that helps make True Biome, our gut-support supplement, the perfect partner to your daily collagen ritual.

Explore True and Wild Collagen → Explore True Biome →

References:

1. Zhao Y, Yu C, Zhang J, Yao Q, Zhu X, Zhou X. The gut‑skin axis: Emerging insights in understanding and treating skin diseases through gut microbiome modulation (Review). Int J Mol Med. 2025 Dec;56(6):210. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2025.5651. Epub 2025 Oct 3. PMID: 41041846; PMCID: PMC12494302.

2. Salem I, Ramser A, Isham N, Ghannoum MA. The Gut Microbiome as a Major Regulator of the Gut-Skin Axis. Front Microbiol. 2018 Jul 10;9:1459. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01459. PMID: 30042740; PMCID: PMC6048199.

3. Abrahams M, O'Grady R, Prawitt J. Effect of a Daily Collagen Peptide Supplement on Digestive Symptoms in Healthy Women: 2-Phase Mixed Methods Study. JMIR Form Res. 2022 May 31;6(5):e36339. doi: 10.2196/36339. PMID: 35639457; PMCID: PMC9198822.

4. https://ancientandbrave.com/pages/science/clinical-trials-home

5. Song W, Chen Q, Wang Y, Han Y, Zhang H, Li B. Identification and Structure-Activity Relationship of Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Function Protective Collagen Peptides from Alaska Pollock Skin. Mar Drugs. 2019;17(8):450. Published 2019 Jul 31. doi:10.3390/md17080450