If you are tuned into the most recent magnificence tendencies, you’ve got seemingly heard collagen dietary supplements will help you get a radiant and youthful complexion. This declare comes from the truth that collagen is a crucial protein constructing block for our skin, hair and nails.
Several research have discovered that taking collagen supplements day by day or including collagen-rich meals to your food regimen gives a number of advantages and really does assist enhance the well being of your pores and skin, joints, hair and bones. However, our physique’s pure collagen manufacturing begins to say no as we age, resulting in the looks of fantastic traces, wrinkles and sagging pores and skin. It occurs to all of us.
Read on to be taught the whole lot about collagen, like the place to search out it, the advantages of dietary supplements and the drawbacks you have to be conscious of. Supplements like collagen will be useful, however remember that specializing in food sources for other vitamins and minerals is the best technique to keep wholesome.
Read extra: Best Collagen Powders
What is collagen?
Before discussing its advantages, what’s collagen? In brief, collagen is essentially the most plentiful protein within the human physique and accounts for one-third of all protein. It serves as a connective constructing block that holds collectively your muscle tissues, tendons, ligaments, bones and pores and skin. It holds collectively your muscle tissues, tendons, ligaments, bones, pores and skin and promotes wholesome joints and connective tissues.
There are nearly 30 known types of collagen, however kind I is essentially the most prevalent (it exists in all connective tissue and makes up 90% of all collagen within the physique). Types II, III and IV are additionally frequent and located in varied components of the physique, together with your joints, kidneys, ears and blood vessels.
All of this leads us to a different pertinent query: What is collagen good for? Your physique naturally makes collagen by combining a number of amino acids (like proline and glycine) with zinc, vitamin C and copper. As you become old, production slows and the prevailing collagen in your physique begins to interrupt down at a quicker charge.
When that occurs, you could discover your pores and skin getting wrinklier, your tendons and ligaments turning into much less versatile and your muscle tissues shrinking. To forestall or delay these results, some individuals make up for what their physique has misplaced by consuming collagen-rich meals or collagen dietary supplements.
Adding collagen to your food regimen
If you are seeking to amp up your wholesome collagen manufacturing, it is best to make sure that your food regimen contains meals with these important elements:
- Bone broth
- Fish and shellfish
- Chicken
- Pork pores and skin
- Eggs
- Beans
- Citrus
- Bell peppers
- Nuts
Eating a well-balanced food regimen with a mixture of those meals is one of the simplest ways to spice up the collagen protein in your physique. You may also take into account taking collagen dietary supplements (sometimes collagen powder or capsules) if you do not get sufficient collagen from food regimen alone.
For finest outcomes, consultants advise taking a collagen supplement one hour earlier than understanding, however all the time examine the label and communicate together with your physician earlier than beginning any new wellness routine.
Benefits of collagen
Now that we have lined the basics, let’s discover a number of the advantages of collagen supplementation.
Builds stronger bones
Bones are stuffed with collagen, however as you become old, the protein begins to deteriorate — and so does bone well being — resulting in a lower in bone energy and density. By incorporating collagen dietary supplements into your food regimen, you might be able to prevent some bone loss and scale back your threat of bone-related issues, together with osteoporosis and fractures.
Decreases joint ache
Collagen additionally works along with cartilage to maintain your joints correctly functioning. Over the years, because it wears down, it could actually result in stiff and achy joints and put you at a better threat for osteoarthritis. The excellent news is that taking collagen dietary supplements has been found to scale back joint ache in bodily energetic individuals. It can also function a pain reliever for individuals with current joint issues.
Improves pores and skin
Your pores and skin additionally incorporates collagen, which provides it elasticity and hydration if you’re younger. As you mature, your pores and skin turns into saggier and extra wrinkly because of depleting collagen ranges. Interestingly, studies have shown that including extra collagen to your food regimen can enhance pores and skin elasticity, firmness and hydration, visibly lowering the consequences of ageing.
Promotes wholesome hair
Collagen is created with a number of the similar amino acids which are used to construct keratin, the protein that makes up your hair. Because of this connection, there may be some evidence that consuming extra collagen could assist together with your hair well being by selling development, lowering thinning and slowing graying.
Adds muscle mass
Muscle tissue consists of as much as 10% collagen. When the collagen in your physique begins to interrupt down, you might lose muscle mass and doubtlessly develop a situation referred to as sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). Fortunately, studies have shown that taking a collagen complement, together with elevated protein consumption and routine resistance train, could assist individuals with sarcopenia construct again muscle energy.
Drawbacks to collagen dietary supplements
Despite these advantages, there are additionally a handful of drawbacks to collagen dietary supplements that it is best to keep in mind earlier than incorporating them into your routine.
They comprise animal merchandise (and generally, allergens)
Traditional collagen dietary supplements, and all dietary dietary supplements generally, are produced from animal merchandise, so they don’t seem to be appropriate in the event you observe a plant-based food regimen. There are some vegan collagen choices in the marketplace, but it surely’s unclear how they examine to those produced from animal merchandise. Similarly, when you’ve got any meals allergic reactions, be sure to learn the label in your collagen dietary supplements completely. In some circumstances, they might comprise frequent allergens like fish or eggs.
Regulation is a grey space
Collagen dietary supplements are regulated as meals (not medicine) by the US Food and Drug Administration, which means their elements and manufacturing aren’t monitored by an official governing physique. These merchandise aren’t topic to the identical laws and stringent approval course of as prescribed drugs, so it may be difficult to search out out concerning the high quality, purity and security of the elements.
Effectiveness research are restricted
Although there have been research concerning the effectiveness of collagen (a lot of which we have cited above), extra analysis must be completed. Also, a number of the current research have been funded by companies that produce collagen dietary supplements, which can raise ethical questions about bias.
Similar dietary supplements to collagen
It’s tough to search out different dietary supplements that replicate the consequences of collagen as a result of its amino acid make-up is totally different from different proteins. You may strive boosting your consumption of glycine and proline, the important thing amino acids which are concerned in creating collagen. They’re most frequently present in protein-rich meals like meat and poultry, however they’re additionally obtainable in complement type.
If you are most thinking about how collagen will help enhance your hair, nails and pores and skin, you might take into account keratin or biotin, which generally come within the type of shampoos and salon therapies however are additionally bought as dietary dietary supplements. Biotin can also be present in sure meals, together with legumes, egg yolks, nuts and avocados.
For extra recommendation on dietary supplements, here are five fitness supplements that are proven to work. Plus, check out these three alternatives to melatonin for higher sleep with out drowsiness the subsequent day.
