This is a very very important nutrition supplement for older people whose natural metabolic mechanisms start to slow down. Collagen is the most plentiful building block tor our bodies. teeth skin bones are all dependent on it. 70% or more of the body is made from it. As age advances we assimilate less of it and the consequences are that our skin gets thinner over time and we get large purple bruises under our skin and Abrasions don't heal as soon as they used to. Inflammations and joint problems and minor sprains do not heal as quickly, --all because of the need for more available collagen. Collagen requires vitamin C to allow for maximum absorption and it is generally taken on an empty stomach in the morning before breakfast. The first thing that I noticed taking collagen was that my fingernails became stronger. My toenails started to clear up and grow normally. The most dramatic healing of my Achilles tendon and calcaneus separation which only took 12 days of collagen to cure completely. As time goes by (age 71) , my skin has gotten clearer and stronger. Hangnails are gone. Inflammations do not persist. What's not to like