A Closer Look at Collagen
Far More than Beautifying Anti-Aging Nutrient!
Do you take collagen, or have you been considering taking it? I know I certainly have, not only now that I’m noticing more and more wrinkles all over my body, but also because I know it’s far more important than simple a beatifying anti-aging nutrient!
We lose about 30% of our natural collagen through menopause, hence the sagging, wrinkles, or thinning hair. And this is just what is visible on the outside, on the inside if we don’t have enough collagen, we can experience more joint pain, bone loss, damage to blood vessels and gut lining!
Collagen is considered an essential component of healthy skin, and every structure in the body has collagen as its backbone, giving it its strength. So it goes without saying that the higher the quality of collagen, the stronger, tighter and more youthful our skin will be.
You may have heard there are different types of collagens, Type I,II, III, IV, X. Skin is mainly composed of Type I collagen, and our skin is our largest organ in our body, thus making Type I collagen our most abundant.
Are there reasons some might be lacking in in collagen?
Collagen is a protein, and proteins are made up of different building blocks called amino acids. There are different types of amino acids, and we need to consume these amino acids in our diet to make our proteins. There are a total of 16 amino acids that we need, of these 8 are called essential amino acids because we must consume them from our food there is no other way to get them, the other 8 are called non essential amino acids, we need them but our bodies can make them from the other 8 essential amino acids, if we do not consume them from our diet. Animal proteins contains all the essential amino acids and are called complete proteins, and plant protein contain some of the essential amino acids in different combinations depending on the type of plant protein and are called in complete proteins. For this reason vegan, and vegetarians may lack some of the essential amino acids required to make collagen if they do not combine their plant-based foods right.
Collagen rich foods are always animal based, mainly from hide of animals such as cows, eggshell membrane, chicken skin and/or bones, chicken sternum and connective tissue. People who get enough protein in their diet and have healthy absorption (sufficient stomach acid, digestive enzymes, and no gut issues) will also be able to make collagen, but it requires a few more steps by the body to do so and requires certain nutrients to aid the process.
As we age not only does our stomach acid decrease, but we also as we age our bodes make less collagen, it is estimated that after the age of 20, a person produces about 1 percent less collagen in the skin each year. Anyone on on proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole will not have sufficient stomach acid to digest collagen.
So it makes sense to consider supplementation, and there are a few things to consider.
Look for hydrolysed collagen peptides, as most of the hard work in breaking down the proteins into smaller and easier to absorb parts has already been done.
A clean, neutral taste is also very important, this tells us that the product is clean and doesn’t contain rancid by-product, there for be aware of those collagens that add flavouring in order to mask its poor quality.
Ensuring you are also consuming or supplementing with the essential nutrients needed to support natural production of collagen. Simply getting enough collagen is only half the story when it comes to making collagen in the body. Vitamin C is crucial to help build collagen, and can be found in strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, Brussels’ sprouts, tomatoes, raw cabbage, parsley, rose-hips, sweet potatoes, citrus fruits, blackcurrants, aim to get at least 500mg from whole foods a day Vitamin K2 is also necessary for collagen production which is found in asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, eggs, kale, kelp, liver, natto, pork, spinach, cheese, and also some is synthesised by gut bacteria, the latter will depend on the health of the microbiome.
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