Q: What should I look for when selecting a quality collagen supplement like AminoSculpt?
A: As with other nutrition products, there are both high like AminoSculpt and low quality collagen supplements available. With the liquid form being best for absorption, there are four main characteristics to check in determining quality:

1) Viscosity or Thickness - Collagen protein is dense and heavier than water (almost like syrup). A thin or watery liquid indicates little to no collagen. Stay with high quality product like AminoSculpt.
2) Color – Should be golden or copper in color. Other coloring indicates inferior collagen sources or coloring additives. A clear appearance indicates little to no collagen. Stay with high quality product like AminoSculpt.
3) Type - Bovine collagen is superior to commonly used chicken, fish or pork (called "porcine"), as its specific high nitrogen amino acid ratios are more effectively utilized by the human body. Stay with high quality product like AminoSculpt.
4) Hydrolyzation Process – Enzymatic hydrolyzation is far superior for absorption, bodily utilization and results then commonly used acid hydrolyzed types (see the third question located below for details). Stay with high quality product like AminoSculpt.

Also, reputable collagen products like aminosculpt should specify on the label:
1) Exactly how much collagen protein is used, not just their total protein content (sometimes other proteins or amino acids are added to boost the total protein content shown)
2) If other protein sources or amino acids are included and how much. (Note: These lack the specific high nitrogen amino acid content and ratios that enable collagen to support certain results within the body)
3) What type of collagen is used (bovine, chicken, fish, etc.)
4) Whether the product is enzymatically or acid hydrolyzed.

Q: I noticed that other products include ingredients like CLA, pyruvate, carnitine, chromium, other amino acids and aloe vera. Why doesn’t AminoSculpt have these?
A: This is an important question and there are a few reasons why AminoSculpt purposely contains only collagen protein and no other added ingredients:

1) Amino Sculpt Clinical Study Results: There are no clinically efficacious studies that show any ingredients added to collagen make it any more effective in burning calories or reducing body fat. All the clinical and published studies in medical journals on AminoSculpt’s original, patented collagen formula were done with our enzymatically hydrolyzed collagen formula (CollaPure™) only – with no other ingredients added. The studies and resulting issued patents all showed that our enzymatic collagen formula was highly effective for weight loss and nutritional support on its own.

2) Other Ingredients: It is physically impossible to include effective amounts of the other ingredients in Amino Sculpt and combine it with an effective amount of collagen – and have it all fit in a serving size of one or two tablespoons. For example, it takes dosages of 400 mcg of chromium, 3000-4000 mg of CLA, 2000-5000 grams (although the studies required much higher dosages) of pyruvate and at least 1000 mg of carnitine to have any benefit on weight loss like the studies suggest. Therefore, combinations of these ingredients in effective amounts cannot possibly fit in a tablespoon or two with an effective amount of collagen. Sadly, what other companies which offer these "combination" products are doing is adding minute amounts of these other ingredients for "cosmetic" label reasons to make customers think they are getting more, when what they are getting is a diluted and often ineffective mix of ingredients at a higher price. Be suspicious of companies that do not list the exact amounts of these ingredients on the label, but reference them as a "proprietary blend."

3) The Real Purpose of Aloe Vera in Amino Sculpt: Aloe Vera added to enzymatically hydrolyzed collagen is completely unnecessary and non-efficacious. Aloe vera is used as an intestinal soothing agent (or stomach settler) to absorb and hopefully nullify the gas and gripping produced by the acid in acid hydrolyzed formulas and to help the absorption of inferior processed or acid hydrolyzed formulas. Since aloe vera does not have a direct effect on weight loss, there is no other logical purpose of including it in a weight loss collagen formula. Also, there must be a substantial amount of aloe vera (which if not in gel form would be useless) to be effective. Again, the problem this causes is there is not physically enough room in a typical tablespoon or two serving size to have an effective amount of collagen and aloe vera gel together (as well as any of the other ingredients mentioned above).

Enzymatically hydrolyzed collagen, like used in Amino Sculpt, does not cause any intestinal problems and provides the best absorption possible. This is why the Amino Sculpt (CollaPure™) formula is used in large doses (up to 100 grams) with hospital patients in recovery.