Don't take our word for it.Research for yourself.

Nutrient decline in garden crops, 1950 to 1999

Davis DR, Epp MD, Riordan HD. Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2004; 23(6):669–682. PMID 15637215.

Researchers at the University of Texas compared USDA food-composition tables from 1950 and 1999 for 43 garden crops, mostly vegetables, across 13 nutrients. As a group, the foods showed reliable declines in six of them: protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and vitamin C. Median declines ran from 6% to 38% depending on the nutrient.

The authors attribute much of the drop to a "dilution effect": crops bred for yield and fast growth carry proportionally less mineral and vitamin content.

Hollow Harvests: the decline hasn't stopped

Deep Science Ventures with The Mark Leonard Trust. Hollow Harvests: Rebuilding the Nutritional Value of Crops in an Age of Abundant Calories. Industry report, 2026.

Deep Science Ventures is a London-based venture builder that recruits scientists to start companies around large global problems, including agriculture. Hollow Harvests pulls together existing research on crop nutrition and concludes that "decades of breeding and farming for yield have left many crops with 20 to 50% less of several key nutrients."

The report also warns that rising CO₂ and degraded soils threaten to push nutrient levels down further, and gives a plain example of what that means: "A carrot with half the potassium means eating twice as many carrots to get the same benefit." It is a synthesis of earlier studies, not a new laboratory study, and was not published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Zinc, iron and protein in modern wheat

Devkota M, Sileshi GW, Senthilkumar K, et al. Grain zinc, iron and protein concentrations of contemporary wheat cultivars fall short of targets for human health. Nature Food, 2026. DOI 10.1038/s43016-026-01314-3.

An analysis of wheat cultivars released since the 1960s found that grain zinc, iron and protein concentrations have declined. Only 28.5% of released bread-wheat cultivars met the zinc target set for human health.

The authors conclude that combining agronomic and genetic biofortification is needed to raise grain nutrient levels.

Type X collagen and joint cartilage

Shen G. The role of type X collagen in facilitating and regulating endochondral ossification of articular cartilage. Orthodontics & Craniofacial Research, 2005. PMID 15667640.

Type X is a short-chain collagen produced by hypertrophic chondrocytes, the cells that drive cartilage's transition to bone. The review describes how Type X helps regulate matrix mineralization and organizes the cartilage matrix during endochondral ossification, and treats it as a marker of new bone formation in articular cartilage.

In mouse studies, animals lacking the Type X gene showed defects in mineralization and a compressed growth plate.

Collagen for bone, muscle, tendon and sleep

Controlled trials and reviews that tested collagen peptides on bone density, strength, tendons and recovery, plus one trial on sleep. Each listing below gives the study design and what it found.

Collagen peptides and knee pain: a 180-day trial

Park SY et al. Efficacy and safety of low-molecular-weight collagen peptides in knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025. DOI 10.3389/fnut.2025.1644899.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with early knee osteoarthritis. Over 180 days, the collagen-peptide group reported less knee pain and better joint function than the placebo group.

Collagen for brain repair

Ucar B, Humpel C. Collagen for brain repair: therapeutic perspectives. Neural Regeneration Research, 2018; 13(4):595–598. PMID 29722301.

A review of collagen as a biomaterial for the central nervous system. The authors describe collagen used to form injectable scaffolds and microspheres that release therapeutic factors locally in conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, encapsulate stem cells, and fill injury sites to support nerve growth.

In the "Biomaterials and Brain Repair" section, they note that Collagen IV makes up about half of the basement membrane of the brain's blood vessels and is considered a candidate biomaterial. The review covers collagen placed directly into brain tissue, not collagen taken by mouth.

Collagen peptides and hippocampal neurogenesis

Kakoi C, Udo H, Matsukawa T, Ohnuki K. Collagen peptides enhance hippocampal neurogenesis and reduce anxiety related behavior in mice. Biomedical Research (Tokyo), 2012; 33(5):273–279.

Researchers fed hydrolyzed collagen peptides to mice and measured new cell growth in the hippocampus, the brain region involved in learning and memory. The collagen hydrolysate promoted neurogenesis there and reduced anxiety-related behavior.

Follow-up work pointed to a specific collagen dipeptide, prolyl-hydroxyproline, which was detected in cerebrospinal fluid after oral collagen and increased growth of hippocampal progenitor cells in mice. These are preclinical (animal) studies.

Oral collagen for skin aging

Al-Atif H. Collagen supplements for aging and wrinkles: a paradigm shift in the fields of dermatology and cosmetics. Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, 2022; 12(1):e2022018. PMID 35223163.

A review that screened 820 citations and included 12 studies published from 2010 to 2020. All of the human studies were randomized controlled trials, mostly in women aged 35 to 65, using 2.5 g to 10 g of oral collagen daily for 8 to 12 weeks.

The review concludes that oral collagen improved skin elasticity, turgor and hydration and reduced wrinkling and roughness, with no adverse effects reported in any trial. The author notes that doses and collagen types varied and calls for larger, longer trials.

Oral collagen and skin: time matters more than dose

Batool A et al. Oral Collagen Peptides and Skin Rejuvenation: A Systematic Review and an Updated Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026. DOI 10.1111/jocd.71041.

An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on oral collagen peptides and skin. The authors report that efficacy "appeared predominantly time-dependent rather than dose-dependent": meta-regression found no significant link between daily dose and improvement, and duration of intake was the only consistent predictor of benefit.

Sea buckthorn: flavonoids and vitamins

Open-access reviews of the bioactive compounds, phytochemistry and pharmacology of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.).

Sea buckthorn berries and leaves are among the most flavonoid-dense plants studied, with more than 60 flavonoids identified. The most abundant are isorhamnetin and quercetin, followed by kaempferol. Researchers report flavonoid levels several times higher than in other high-flavonoid plants such as hawthorn and blueberry.

The plant also carries vitamins A, B1, B12, C, E and K. One review notes that sea buckthorn juice blocked the body's formation of N-nitroso compounds more effectively than ascorbic acid.

Sucralose-6-acetate and DNA damage

Schiffman SS et al. Toxicological and pharmacokinetic properties of sucralose-6-acetate and its parent sucralose: in vitro screening assays. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, May 29, 2023.

An NC State and UNC Chapel Hill team found that sucralose-6-acetate, a chemical formed when sucralose is digested and also present in trace amounts in the sweetener itself, is genotoxic: it breaks up DNA. The team exposed human blood cells to the compound in the lab and monitored them for markers of genetic damage.

The lead author noted that the trace amount in a single sucralose-sweetened drink exceeds the European Food Safety Authority's threshold for genotoxic substances. The compound also increased the activity of genes linked to inflammation, oxidative stress and cancer.

Granular segregation: why we don't ship in tubs

Jiongyi P et al. Experimental study of particle size segregation in 2D granular materials under vertical vibrations. EPJ Web of Conferences, 2017. · Kumaran V. Brazil nut effect and excluded volume attraction in vibrofluidized granular mixtures. Physical Review E, 2005; 72:021305.

When a mixture of particles is shaken, it doesn't stay mixed. The particles sort themselves, a process physicists call granular segregation, or the "Brazil nut effect" after the way the largest nuts end up on top of a shaken can.

In experiments on vertically shaken mixtures, the larger particles rose to the top whenever segregation occurred, and the strength of the vibration was a main factor. A tub of mixed collagen powder is shaken from the factory to the truck to your door.

U.S. health expenditure

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditure Accounts.

The federal government's official accounting of what the U.S. spends on health care each year, with projections forward.

U.S. healthcare employment

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics.

Monthly federal survey data on U.S. employment by industry, including health care.

Growth in hip and knee replacement surgery

American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 2025 Annual Report.

The national registry's 2025 report covers more than 4.4 million hip and knee arthroplasty procedures. The AAOS reports this is an 8.8% increase over the previous year.