
The seven benefits of collagen
Collagen is a substance that is abundant in the body. Roughly a third of the protein in the body is made up of various types of collagen. Specific tissues that are high in collagen include the skin, tendons, cartilage, bones and ligaments. One of the most important functions of collagen is its role in strengthening the elasticity in connective tissue. Type 1 collagen is stronger than steel when stretched. Do you know about the seven benefits of collagen?
Collagen intake is vitally important for the normal functioning of the body.
When grouped roughly, there are seven main benefits of collagen
- Gastrointestinal and digestive health
- Collagen enhances tissue production and healing in the gut and decreases gut inflammation.
- Bone and joint health
- Improves symptoms of osteoarthritis by specifically decreasing cartilage inflammation. It also promotes cartilage healing and increases the proteoglycan content of the tissue.
- Skin, hair, nail and tooth health
- Collagen slows down the onset of ageing and reduces wrinkles. It improves the elasticity of the skin and forms the building blocks of hair, skin and teeth.
- Improves neurological health and functioning
- Collagen supplementation has shown increased, sustained concentration and audio/visual memory functioning.
- Vital function in antioxidant production
- Collagen plays a pivotal role in glutathione production and functioning, and protects the body against the harmful effects of oxidative stress.
- Regulation of inflammation
- The biggest killer of the 21st century is stress and the effect of inflammation on our cells and DNA. Collagen improves longevity by directly tackling total body inflammation.
- Sleep and mood regulator
- Certain types of collagen function as inhibitory neurotransmitters. They play a major role in improving calmness and relaxation, as well as improving sleep quality and anxiety symptoms.
How can collagen help me?
Collagen supplementation has major beneficial health and wellness effects. The catch is, we need to take certain properties of collagen into account. Although collagen is fantastic for skin health, the collagen protein molecules are too large to be absorbed transdermally. Therefore, for the most beneficial effect, it has to be ingested.
Another issue of collagen is the timing of ingestion, specifically associated with the desired beneficial effect. Take collagen on an empty stomach before meals to aid in gut health and digestion. Take collagen one hour before bed for the best effect on sleep. Combine collagen with vitamin C for protecting joints and improving osteoarthritis pain. One hour before exercise is the best timing for a daily collagen intake.
As you can see, the benefits are obvious. The sadness is that we ingest very little quality collagen from our diets. This is because of the poor food quality that we are exposed to. Radiation and additives that we add to our foods make it even worse. Adding a high-quality collagen supplement to your daily intake is vital for longevity, overall health and functioning.
Where can you get the best collagen?