A dietitian avoids supplements — except for these 3

• Supplements are more popular than ever, but they’re unregulated in the US.
• There is a time and place for supplements, but often a food-first approach is better.
• The dietitian Josie Porter takes three evidence-backed supplements.

Collagen

When she injured a tendon, the tough, fibrous cord of connective tissue that attaches skeletal muscles to bones, Porter took a collagen supplement. She has also experimented with collagen as skincare.

She took her collagen as a powder stirred into liquid, but it’s also available as a gel in a liposomal form, tablets, and gummies.

“The best ones to go for are marine or bovine,” Porter said. There are so-called vegan collagen supplements, but they contain collagen-boosting ingredients such as vitamin C rather than collagen, she said.

Collagen is a protein that we produce less of as we age, which the body produces naturally and is essential to the structure of the skin. The science is mixed, but evidence suggests that collagen supplementation can improve skin hydration and elasticity, giving a more youthful appearance.