Benefits of Taking Collagen

I have been hearing a lot about Collagen lately so I decided to research it a bit. What I found was fascinating. If you are like me and you have been wondering what all of the hype is about you have come to the right place.

Basically collagen is a protein within the body. It is 90% of connective tissue in areas such as tendons, ligaments, skin, and muscles. Collagen also plays a role in bone strength and skin health. And if you have been following me for long it will not surprise you to find out that Collagen is important for gut health as well.

With all of the potential parts of our body that are impacted by collagen, my curiosity was piqued and I dug a little deeper. The following are 5 reasons to add collagen into your supplementation routine.

Skin health

Collagen is a big part of our skin. However, as we age our bodies produce less collagen and this leads to wrinkles and aging skin. You can see this by looking at a mother and daughter’s hands. You can see the age in the skin on the hands.

There have been studies done that have shown consuming collagen drinks improves skin elasticity, decreases skin dryness and reduces wrinkle depth. One of the reasons for this is that consuming collagen encourages the body to create collagen on its own.

Studies seem to show that the more collagen you have the healthier the skin will be.

Joint pain

As we age joint pain can be a big issue. Our joints have cartilage that helps keep the bones from grinding together as we move. Since our bodies create less collagen as we age this can impact the joints as well. As collagen levels drop so does our risk for developing degenerative joint disorders such as osteoarthritis.

Some studies have shown that increasing collagen intake can help reduce joint pain as we age.

Collagen goes to the joints and encourages the body to build more cartilage thus reducing inflammation and joint pain.

Bone density

Bones are mostly collagen so when the body reduces the amount of collagen it produces this can impact the bones and lead to things like osteoporosis.

By consuming collagen the bones may get what they need to continue to be strong and healthy.

Studies have been done on this and it was discovered that consuming a calcium supplement along with a collagen supplement bone density was impacted in a positive way. There is still more research to be done on this but for now, it is safe to say that collagen can be an important part of keeping bones healthy and strong as we age.

Muscle mass and exercise

Muscle mass is composed of 1-10% collagen. Without collagen, muscles will not be as strong or function the way they need to. As we age this can lead to a reduction in muscle mass which can be impacted by collagen supplementation.

Additionally, when we workout we exert our muscles and use up the proteins in the muscles. It is important to give the body what it needs after a workout so the muscles can repair and rebuild. Protein is a major part of that. This is why it is important to consume protein after a workout. But collagen protein may be a great addition to post-workout routines. It may help with repair as well as speed up recovery time. It may also help with joints and ligaments which can take quite a beating when working out.

Gut Health

Collagen is an important part of good gut health. The amino acids in collagen can have a profound impact on the entire digestive tract from the stomach down. Collagen can help heal the stomach and the walls of the intestines. It can also reduce inflammation. Collagen helps optimize the immune system as well as helps heal things like leaky gut and IBS. It can be an important part of your gut health strategy.