CONFOODSION EVERYWHERE

FROM COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS TO FAKE SUGAR, GET READY FOR SOME HEALTHY-EATING CLARITY.

- BY KATE ROCKWOOD

Fat is bad. ..except certain fats, which are good (unless they're bad). Red wine is heart-healthy...LOL, it's not healthy at all! Eat carbs—but not those carbs, and protein is everything! Sure, better science may lead to updated advice, but there's a lot of junk information out there. We've got you.

NAVIGATING THE WORLD OF NUTRITION can feel like trying to decipher murky hieroglyphs in a kale smoothie. With updated research, we learn new information about what is best for our bodies and minds. But some of what you hear, especially on social media, is motivated by profit, not by the desire to put truth out into the world, and it can be hard to tell the difference. Headlines usually don't provide a complete picture—and we often don't read past them, so we take in only part of the story. Even official food data is confusing: While 85% of Americans pay at least some attention to nutrition labels, only 41% fully understand them, a Research America survey found. That's why we're tackling a few of the questions we hear all the time.

Do collagen supplements work?

Collagen supplements are every- where these days—in powders, cap- sules, drinks, snacks, and even lotions. Whether they claim to give you glowing skin or bulletproof joints, it all sounds like a lot of hype. But there actually may be something to this trend.

Collagen is the body's most abundant protein, and your body naturally produces less of it as you age, which can lead to sagging skin, wrinkles, and creaky knees. When you consume collagen, your body breaks it down into amino acids or peptides, which it can use to support new collagen synthesis. The best researched (and most promising) form of collagen is hydrolyzed collagen, also called collagen peptides. Research suggests that collagen peptides may be benefi- cial for skin and potentially help with joint comfort and exercise recovery.