Eating what we need to eat is what matters the most. Nowadays, people are busy with their professional lives and leave behind their health and well being. When will we realize that without good health, nothing else will fall in place. We must take care of our health more than anything else. A healthy body will not only keep us active. But it will also help us stay happy and energetic. Collagen supplement or food sources are helpful in keeping a person energetic.
The need of the hour is to keep a check on what we eat. Eating the right food in the right manner is very important. A balanced diet with all the essential nutrients is a must for everyone.
We have already discussed the role of protein and omega-3 in maintaining our health. It is time that we talk a bit about a form of protein that is collagen.
In this article, we shall discuss the role of collagen in maintaining good health.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is the abundant protein naturally made in the body. Consider it as the “glue” that holds your body tissues together.
It’s the structural component of the connective tissues, like tendons and cartilage, and it plays an essential role in our bones, hair, skin, & nails, our joints, & even the gut. It’sIt’s a necessary part of the body!
Every single day, collagen in the body begins to deteriorate, and production slows. This process is most noticeable in our skin as fine lines and wrinkles. As we produce less collagen, other prominent issues include brittle hair and nails, digestion issues, more pronounced cellulite, and joint pain.
Types of Collagen
There are almost 28 types of collagen found in several parts of the body. The various amino alkanoic acid makeup of every kind of collagen depending upon the sort of structure it is a part of (joint cartilage, gut lining). However, there are five main types of collagen.
Five main types of collagen are as follows.
Type I
This is often the foremost abundant type of collagen (about 90%) and located in almost every tissue of your body, Also includes tendons, skin, bones, cartilage and connective tissues—principal elements of the organic part of the body.
Type II
The second form of collagen is there mostly in the cartilage of the human body.
Type III
The third type of collagen is often present alongside Type I collagen. It is also there in muscles, organs, arteries, and a few connective tissues within the liver, spleen, and more.
Type IV
This type of collagen forms basal lamina, a secreted layer of the basement membrane
Type V
The fifth type of collagen is mostly there in cell surfaces, hair, and placenta.
Now, we know about the various types of collagen. It is time that we gain knowledge about its role in the human body.
What is the Role of Collagen?
Collagen works as a ”glue” that holds your body tissue with each other—providing strength, support, shape, and elasticity to the masses. It also provides flexibility, comfort, & movement to cartilage.
Encases & protects delicate organs like kidneys and spleen—the sclera of the eye in crystalline form. Teeth(dentin) are simply made by adding mineral crystals of collagen. It contributes to the proper alignment of cells for cell proliferation and differentiation. When exposed to damaged blood vessels, it initiates thrombus formation.
Now that we know about the role of collagen, let us dig into the benefits of using collagen sources regularly.
Collagen Benefits
Research shows proper collagen levels are necessary for the appropriate functioning of the human body. The benefits of collagen are as follows.
Supports Skin Health
When people hear the word collagen, they begin thinking about skin health. Ads for anti-aging creams mention its power to reverse wrinkles and aging signs. However, there isn’t enough research to entirely back these claims.
The real benefits of collagen in your skin comes from the inside out. Research shows that the intake of collagen has the following results on the skin.
- Improves skin elasticity
- Boosts skin hydration
- Reduces wrinkles
- Prevents early signs of aging
- Diminishes hardness of facial skin
- Increases the total amount of collagen present in the skin
- Prevents breakdown of collagen
- Improve the quality of the skin.
In one blind trial, 80 women received either 2.5g or 5.0g of a collagen supplement or placebo once daily for eight weeks. At the top of the study, skin elasticity in both collagen groups was significantly higher as compared to the placebo. After four weeks of follow-up treatment, older women had a significantly higher skin elasticity level.
Another blind trial proves that high collagen content improved facial skin moisture, elasticity, wrinkles, and roughness as compared to the low collagen compound and, therefore, the placebo.
Keep your Nails Healthy with Collagen
Collagen supplementation can prevent brittle & broken nails & support nail growth. One study found that oral collagen intake improves the nails in ways as follows.
- Increased growth of nail rate by 12%
- Decreased the defective nails rates by 42 percent
- 64 percent of participants had a significant improvement in brittle nails
- 88% of participants experienced a rise after four weeks
- Gelatin — a cooked sort of collagen — also can improve nail quality
May Prevent Premature Hair Loss
The function of collagen in your hair’s stem cells & its role within the hair cycle isn’t apparent yet. Still, new groundbreaking research from 2016 and 2017 has found that type XVII collagen may prevent the following.
- Early hair loss
- Hair thinning
- Hair greying
Type XVII collagen is a component of your follicle stem cells, which helps create new hair. A harmful deficiency can trigger early aging in hair stem cells, causing premature hair.
Allows Muscle Growth and Regeneration
As a protein, collagen is significant for the expansion and healing of muscles. Collagen intake, together with strength training, has several benefits for the flesh. They are as follows.
- Increase muscle strength
- Make resistance training simpler
- Aid muscle regeneration
- Prevent muscle disorders
One study found that collagen supplementation, together with resistance training, increased fat-free mass and muscle strength while lowering fat mass.
One study discovered that a scarcity of collagen VI could impair muscle regeneration & reduce the self-renewal capability of your cells after injury. Mutations that simply prevent the formation of collagen VI also can cause muscle atrophy disorders.
Comprises Joints, Tendons, and Ligaments
Collagen makes up a massive majority of the tissue in joints, tendons, & ligaments.
Therefore, any small deficiencies may affect flexibility, range of motion, & cause joint diseases like atrophic arthritis and osteoarthritis.
The use of collagen peptides can help one’s joints in the following ways.
- Maintain the integrity of tendons and ligaments
- Prevent and treat atrophic arthritis and osteoarthritis
- Lower joint pain and swelling
- Support tendon repair
In a blind trial, 60 patients with severely atrophic arthritis, eating chicken type II collagen for three months decreases the number of tender joints, and four patients had an entire remission.
Collagen is particularly helpful for osteoarthritis. One double-blind procedure concluded that “collagen peptides are potential therapeutic agents as nutritional supplements for the management of osteoarthritis & maintenance of joint health.”
Early studies in animals simply show that type I collagen & vitamin C can strengthen & accelerate the healing of the Achilles tendon (the most massive muscle within the body).
Strengthens Bones
Calcium isn’t the only nutrient you ought to believe when it involves bone health.
The potency of your bones depends on two things: The quantity of bone tissue and the big organization of the collagen framework in your bones.
As you age, your collagen network simply breaks down slowly, making your bones less resistant.
Luckily, your body is in a position to quickly absorb and use oral collagen to form up for the natural collagen loss. Taking collagen may aid bone health in several ways, which are as follows.
- Stimulate bone-forming cells
- Improve calcium absorption
- Provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits
- Prevent osteoporosis
- Increase the capacity to resist fractures
Studies have found that a mix of calcitonin (calcium type) and high-grade collagen had better lead to preventing bone damage.
In children, daily collagen intake at crucial stages of growth has positive effects on bone remodeling and formation.
Promotes Tissue Repair
Did you ever recognize that your scars are mostly made up of collagen?
In most wounds, complete replacement of dangerous tissue to its unharmed state is impossible. The injury has got to be healed using extra material to reconnect the tissue. Here’sHere’s how collagen helps your skin improve.
Within seconds of injury, collagen activates coagulation within the wound to prevent the bleeding.
As the blood vessels grow healthier, cells called fibroblasts — collagen factories — lay down more collagen until the scar looks stronger.
During the 2nd week following the wound, leukocytes gradually abandon the wound area, & your cells start cranking out type I collagen — the sort that creates up your healthy skin.
As you’ll see, collagen is present in every step of wound healing. consistent with one journal article, a scar is essential “a strong collagen filler that bridges the gap left by tissue destruction, restoring strength & integrity.”
If your body isn’t ready to produce enough collagen, then you have a deficiency of vitamin C, your ability to heal is often affected.
Keeps Your Eyes Healthy
Many sorts make the eyes by collagen, but Type XVIII is especially crucial because it makes up your cornea, retina, & sclera (the white a part of your eye). It’s an indispensable permanent vision.
Collagen simply helps to maintain the pigmented layer of your retina and, therefore, the clear gel that fills your eyeball.
Research shows that collagen efficiency may cause eye defects and malformations[*].
Promotes Gut Health
Collagen is essential for a healthy gut.
The intestinal barrier is your intestines’ gatekeeper. It covers almost a surface of about 400 m2 and consumes around 40 percent of your body’s energy. It helps to soak up nutrients, water, & electrolytes and prevents the entry of harmful microorganisms to your body.
When these hard barrier malfunctions, intestinal disorders can occur, including inflammatory bowel disease, disorder, leaky gut, and diarrhea.
Collagen seals this hard barrier tighter — that’s why it is going to help prevent leaky gut.
Supports Heart Health
Collagen keeps your heart beating, literally.
Type I — the foremost abundant protein within the heart — is concentrated in one among the three walls of your heart: the myocardium, which is responsible for creating the contractions to pump blood. Here, collagen does two things. Provides a structural framework to the heart muscle cells. It simply provides stiffness to the walls of your heart & aids force transmission so it can pump blood.
Without enough collagen, your heart could not beat.
Unfortunately, as in humans age, the collagen network within the heart naturally changes. This shift in collagen levels weakens & thins your heart’s wall, alters heart function, and improves the pressure in your arteries when the guts blood.
Supports a Healthy Brain
Collagen is additionally present in neurons, where it helps to fight oxidation and neurodegeneration.
Research finds that collagen VI deficiency within the brain can cause several issues, which are as follows.
- Spontaneous necrobiosis (apoptosis)
- Higher vulnerability to oxidative stress
- Impaired autophagy (destruction of cells within the body)
- Impairment of motor and memory task performance
- Increased neurotoxicity
Type VIII collagen is additionally vital during the repair of brain injuries.
Now, we are well-versed with the benefits of collagen. It is equally important to talk about collagen deficiency to protect ourselves from it.
Click here to know more about the benefits of collagen.
Collagen Deficiency
It is very reasonable that as you age, your body begins to manufacture less collagen. In other specimens, you would possibly be living in places where you’re often endangered to an excessive amount of pollution, smoke, and extreme sun rays.
The indications that you have a collagen deficiency are as follows.
Wrinkling
Collagen is liable for giving the skin its structure and stability. It is very likely that as you to age, your collagen stores slowly become fatigued.
Joint Pain
The human body has a fragile tissue known as cartilage, which lines various joints. Cartilage developed from collagen; it plays a significant role in joint function.
Loss of Mobility
Some of the Collagen vascular diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis & lupus may cause a loss of activity as a result of immobility or damage to joints leading to mobility loss.
Dry or Thin Hair
Collagen is there in the space around your hair follicles. The micro-vessels provide essential nutrients from your body to your hair, keeping it strengthened and healthy.
Leaky Gut
Collagen is found in almost every part of the human body, & the stomach is no abnormality.
Sources of Collagen
Age is not the only variable that dictates our ability to generate collagen. Most lifestyle choices — healthful or harmful — have a significant impact.
Natural Food Sources
The natural food sources of collagen are as follows.
- Kiwi
- Berries
- Almonds
- Avocados
- Carrots
- Dark green vegetables
- Garlic
- Oysters
- Pumpkin seeds
- Tomatoes
Not only in the form of food, but collagen is also available in the form of dietary supplements.
Collagen Supplement
Supplements are another viable choice to increase collagen in our bodies. But there are some essential factors to think about when selecting a collagen supplement.
Alongside food sources, collagen is also there in the form of dietary supplements. However, before opting for collagen supplements, it is essential to know about their usage. Read further to know more.
Collagen Supplement Guide
It is always best to use hydrolyzed collagen. In its natural form, collagen molecules are over large for our bodies to absorb efficiently. When hydrolyzed particles are reduced to smaller peptides that enable valuable absorption.
Next, a top-quality collagen supplement contains vitamin C, as this permits our body to use amino acids glycine & proline (from the collagen supplement) to supply more of our collagen.
And finally, to induce the most have the benefit of a given collagen supplement, avoid any that contain added sugars, or preservatives. Since these toxins are damaging to the collagen in our body, it defeats the aim when a supplement contains them.
How much Collagen Should One Take Daily?
If you want to try and take a collagen supplement for its potential pain-free impacts, studies suggest you should start with daily doses of 8–12 grams.
Who Should Take Collagen Supplement?
Some recent studies show that taking collagen supplements for some months can increase skin elasticity (i.e., wrinkles & roughness) as well as signs of aging. Others have shown that absorbing collagen can improve density in bones decreased with age and can enhance joint, back, and knee pain.
The Best Time to Consume Collagen Supplement
Some recommended consuming collagen on an empty stomach; acid has the chance to break down the collagen peptides. Others believe it is best to take collagen right before going to bed since your body replenishes your skin as you sleep. The truth is: collagen can be made at any time of the day.
Conclusion
Consuming collagen benefits your body in additional ways than one. It helps protect your brain, keep your heart healthy. Not only this, but collagen also improves symptoms of IBS and leaky gut syndrome. It also helps promote joint health and reduces back pain.
Now that you understand the advantages of adding collagen to your diet, just keep a watch on what proportion you’re taking.
For the leading valuable solution, Take collagen protein powder to your daily routine, and you’ll mix yet another healthy item to your list.
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Stay Healthy, Stay Fit!