Hey, it's Mariel.

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So you may know, our bodies are rich in a protein called collagen. Here's Maria Godoy, health correspondent at NPR. It's found in bone, tendons, ligaments,

you know, cartilage, and it is a major structural protein in our tissue, so it gives skin

elasticity and firmness, which we want, and, you know, it also gives strength and integrity

to the tissues and keeps joints strong, among other things.

But guess what? Starting in our 20s, the amount of collagen in our bodies and the quality of that collagen starts to decline. Real bummer. I know, but life is cruel, so, you know,

it's just part of the natural aging process. And for collagen and skin, there are certain things

that will speed that decline up, like smoking, you know, exposure to environmental pollution, UV radiation, sun exposure, which is, you know, why you should use sunscreen, not just to protect the cancer, but also to keep your skin healthy and preserve that elasticity.

Anyway, this is why collagen supplements have become a multi-billion dollar industry.

They're supposed to help our bodies make more collagen.

By the way, as a reminder, the FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they go to market.

And just because you can buy something in a store, it doesn't mean it works.

But yeah, Maria says these are everywhere. Like if you just walk into Costco, it doesn't mean it works. But yeah, Maria says, these are everywhere.

Like, if you just walk into Costco, there's always, like, giant bottles of collagen

...