Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First of all, thanks to the many reviewers who have posted here - it helped me make my decision between this brand and another leading brand that was significantly more expensive. I'm now on my second order of Premium Collagen Peptides and have been rather amazed by the results. I'm in my mid-30s and have always been an avid dancer, runner, hiker, and now outrigger paddler, so my joints have taken a beating and it finally started to show last year with chronic lower back pain, knee pain, elbow tightness, and reduced mobility in one of my shoulders. I was especially concerned about the shoulder issue so last October I went to a physical therapist who recommended exercises and collagen supplements. I was skeptical about the latter, to say the least. The exercises improved things somewhat, but I also wasn't paddling at the time and knew that after the holidays I would be starting again. Plus, who wants to be having trouble getting out of bed in the morning when they're 36?? I started taking these collage peptides on Feb 1, 2017 and it's been 4 weeks. I also started paddling again 3 times a week. Here's what I have noticed: 1. Elbow pain and tightness completely disappeared within 2 weeks. I literally couldn't sleep with my arm bent, and now it's fine. 2. Knee pain was also gone within 2 weeks. When I'm not paddling I run steep trails here in Hawaii and the downhills were starting to be really painful. No more. 3. My shoulder has significantly improved over the 4 weeks - I still haven't regained full mobility, and it's sore when I perform certain movements, but I no longer cry out in pain every time I try to stretch it out. 4. My lower back pain, due mostly to an old injury and unhappy discs, has dramatically improved. I'm still stiff some mornings but not so badly that I can hardly walk. If all that sounds like a crazy series of benefits, believe me, I feel you. I have a PhD and am skeptical of EVERYTHING, especially supplements. But there is no denying that I'm seeing dramatic improvements while still paddling and being active, and that was after three months of doing only physical therapy with minimal improvement. I know a lot of you take these for hair, skin, and nails. It seems from others' experiences that it may take longer for those effects - maybe 2 months instead of 1. Nevertheless, I have good skin that's prone to dryness even in the tropics, and that seems to have improved in these last 4 weeks. My hair might also be growing faster, as I'm seeing a lot more of those little wispy new hairs around my temple (wish so many of them weren't gray...). If I suddenly wake up and look 10 years younger in the next few weeks, I'll be back to update this, haha. But for the time being I am going to continue to take this supplement and highly recommend it to others. I just wish I'd started back in October when my phys. therapist said to! On mixing and flavor, I add a scoop this to coffee, tea, soups, hot water and apple cider vinegar (I love it!), yogurt, smoothies, and have no issue with the consistency or taste. One scoop a day and my first can is lasting into the second month. Give it a try, especially if you've got unhappy joints!! *************** Update after 3 months! I love it when people actually update their reviews... I've been taking collagen peptides, one scoop a day, for 3 months now. Everything that I said above still holds, my joints are in much less distress due to my active lifestyle, my shoulder problems have nearly disappeared (though I don't expect it to ever fully be great until I stop paddling), and I generally feel good overall. What IS different is my hair, nails, and skin: Hair is growing insanely fast. How do I know this? Because I touch up my roots to cover grays, which I needed to do every 4 weeks (exactly) and now have to do it between 2 and 3 weeks. That is INSANE. There is also much more new hair that is now very noticeable, which I mentioned earlier. Also insane. Nails are growing equally quickly and are strong, but they always were strong. Still, super fast growth compared to before. And finally, fact: my skin is far more hydrated than it was pre-collagen. This is nice, because it seriously used to flake and be grumpy even in the tropics. I still have fine lines and wrinkles thanks to smiling ...but my skin somehow seems more thick and the lines aren't as obvious? Under no circumstances do I believe they will go away (not going to stop smiling), but this has been a neat benefit. Bottom line after 3 months is I feel great, I'm happy with the aesthetic benefits, and I'll gladly touch up my roots more often to have thicker hair! Just buy the stuff already. ********************** and now 3 years later... I still take this product almost every day and swear by it. My mom, brother, and countless teammates have been converted too. It's the only supplement I take, and I continue to hike, run, and paddle regularly. I had really stopped thinking about all the benefits until recently, I had to travel and do double quarantine, and didn't have the powder with me, so I went about 7 weeks without it. I'd been having trouble with tendonitis in my foot when running on uneven ground and it really flared up while I was traveling. It wasn't until I got home and realized I had totally forgotten it - just a couple weeks of the daily dose later and my tendonitis was well on its way out. So, again, I can't say enough good things. I guess I'll just be taking it forever...