6 Health Benefits of Collagen

Collagen. Yes, it’s the most abundant protein in our bodies and here are the TOP 6 benefits of increasing your intake!

1. Reduces Joint Pains and Degeneration

Do you ever feel extra stiff and have pain when you move around? That’s likely a loss of collagen and your body “telling” you. When we lose collagen, our tendons and ligaments start moving with less ease, leading to stiffness, swollen joints and more.

Collagen has a gel-like, smooth structure that covers and holds our bones together, allowing us to glide and move without pain. Think of increasing your collagen intake like using WD-40 on a creaky door hinge. It helps your joints move more easily reduces Pain often associated with aging and even reduces the risk qi joint deterioration. It’s no surprise that a recent study: even found that collagen is an effective treatment for treating osteoarthritis and other joint pain & disorders.

Another study: published in the lntenational Journal of Medical Sciences found that people with osteoarthritis joint pain treated with type 2 collagen show significant enhancements in daily activities, such as walking up stairs, ascending or sleeping, and a general improvement in their quality of life.

2. Helps Heal A Leaky Gut

If you suffer from leaky gut syndrome, a condition where bad-for-you toxins are able to pass through your digestive tract, collagen can be super-helpful. It helps break down proteins and soothes your gut’s lining, healing damaged cell walls and infusing it with healing amino acids.
The biggest digestive benefit o1 consuming more collagen is that it helps 1orm connective tissue and “seals and heals” the protective lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Today, we know that many illnesses can actually be traced back to inflammation or irritation stemming from an unhealthy gut. Poor gut health – including changes in the gut microbiome and permeability in the gut lining – allows particles to pass into the bloodstream where they can kick off an inflammatory cascade (hence the name leaky gut syndrome).

Studies have found that in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, serum concentrations of collagen are decreased, The amino acids in collagen build the tissue that lines the colon and GI tract, supplementing with collagen can help treat gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders, including leaky gut syndrome, IBS, acid reflux, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In addition to helping heal leaky gut, collagen also helps with the absorption of water within the intestines, keeping things moving more freely out of the body.

3. Strengthens & Repairs Nails, Hair, Skin & Teeth

Collagen production declines as we age – it’s happening at this very moment!You’ll notice it physically: looser skin, more wrinkles, and less elasticity. Increasing collagen levels can help your skin look firmer, increase smoothness, and help your skin cells keep renewing and repairing normally.

Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies investigating the anti-aging properties of collagen have found that 2.5—5 grams of collagen hydrolysate used among women aged 35-55 once daily for eight weeks significantly improved skin elasticity, skin moisture, transepidermal water loss (dryness) and skin roughness, all with little to no side effects. This makes collagen one of the best natural skin care ingredients available.

Another perk about collagen is that it also reduces cellulite and stretch marks. When skin loses its elasticity as a result of decreased collagen, there’s another side effect: more visible cellulite. Because your skin is now thinner, cellulite becomes more evident – no more hiding what’s happening below the surface. Improving your skin’s elasticity through collagen helps reduce that dimpling on your skin.

Have you ever experienced peeling and/or splitting nails? Well, a lack of collagen could be to blame! Collagen protein is the building block of your fingernails, hair, and teeth. Adding collagen to your diet regimen can help keep your nails strong and possibly reverse signs of hair loss.
A study_12ublished in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found that there are “essential relationships between extracellular matrix (ECM) and hair follicle regeneration, suggesting that collagen could be a potential therapeutic target for hair loss and other skin-related diseases.”

4. Boosts Metabolism, Muscle Mass, and Energy Output

Boosting collagen may help increase your metabolism by adding lean muscle mass to your frame and helping with the conversion of essential nutrients. One of glycine’s most important roles is helping form muscle tissue by converting glucose into energy that feeds muscle cells. Retaining muscle mass is crucial as you age since it helps support posture, bone health and burns more calories than fat. While consuming collagen, you can benefit from also consuming vitamin C to ensure your body can convert the collagen into a useable protein. This can also help restore the source or your energy and vitality.

Glycine can do much more for your metabolism. Research shows glycine also has important roles in both functions of the digestive and central nervous systems, which play big roles in maintaining a healthy, youthful body. Glycine seems to help slow the effects of aging by improving the body’s use of antioxidants and is also used in the process of constructing healthy cells from DNA and RNA.

In addition, it’s been found that arginine boosts the body’s ability to make protein from other amino acids, which is important for repairing muscle tissue, healing wounds, sparing tissue wasting, boosting the metabolism, and aiding in proper growth and development. Glutamine also helps maintain adequate energy by facilitating the synthesizing of many chemicals. This amino acid provides “fuel” to our cells, including carbon and nitrogen.

5. Protects Cardiovascular Health

The amino acid praline helps your artery walls release fat buildup in the bloodstream, shrinking the fat in the arteries and minimizing fat accumulation. Praline is needed for tissue repair within the Joints and arteries, plus it helps control blood pressure. As part of collagen found within joints, ii buffers our bodies from the effects of vibration or shock and helps us hold on to valuable cartilage as we get older. It’s also linked with the prevention of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) since it helps our arteries stay clear o1 dangerous plaque buildup.
In addition, arginine helps with nitric oxide production, which allows for better vasodilation – meaning the widening of arteries and relaxation o1 muscle cells and blood vessels that allow for better circulation.

6. Improves Liver Health

If you’re looking to detox your body of harmful substances, improve blood flow and keep your heart young, collagen is extremely helpful. Glycine helps minimize damage your liver experiences when ii absorbs foreign substances, toxins or alcohol that shouldn’t be passing through ii.
One of the easiest ways to cleanse your liver is with a bone broth fast. I often recommend a three-day bone broth detox to rapidly repair leaky gut. This may help your body rid itself of chemicals and “reset” your gut, improving overall immune function. Studies have even found that glycine can be used to help reduce alcohol-induced liver damage and other forms of acute or chronic liver injury,

“So, Dr. Dempsey … how do I add collagen to my diet?” That’s a great question and here are some of my recommendations. Some things that decrease your collagen production and you want to be aware of are:

• High Sugar Diets
• Excessive Alcohol Consumption
• Sun Exposure
• Smoking

The top ways to consume more collagen Include:

• Making or drinking real bone broth
• Using bone broth protein in recipes, You can consume bone broth on its own or use it in all sorts of sweet and savory recipes depending on the type of product.
• Taking collagen supplements
• And lastly, eating a well-rounded diet that helps increase absorption of the collagen you consume

Our ancestors chowed down on quite a bit of collagen as a natural way o1 life, since earlier traditional diets incorporated whole-animal eating. Simply put, they ate many animal parts, like skin, tendons, and ligaments, that we now commonly avoid or discard.

Luckily, it’s becoming easier than ever to “get back to the basics.” One of my favorite ways to increase collagen consumption is by making a homemade bone broth or purchasing some made from beef. It’s a healthy, delicious and cost-effective way to use parts of an animal that can’t be eaten directly! Bone broth is also insanely good for you. As these inedible animal parts simmer for hours or days, they release collagen in an easy-to-absorb broth.

Collagen supplements, like collagen protein powder, are another easy way to increase your collagen intake. Make sure that you get your powder from grass­fed, pasture-raised cows (with no antibiotics or chemicals). Collagen supplements can be mixed into smoothies, soups or even into baked goods to provide collagen’s healthy benefits without adding any taste to your favorite meals.

It’s important to note that there are many factors that support the formation and use of collagen in the body – such as vitamin C, manganese, copper, praline, and foods high in anthocyanidins (such as blueberries, cherries, and blackberries). In order for collagen to be activated in the body, you always want to take your supplements with a source of amino acids and vitamin C if possible or make sure that your supplement already includes these activating nutrients to ensure absorption and usefulness.

Additionally, while many creams and powders claim to revitalize skin by adding collagen, the molecules in these topical products are usually too large for your skin to actually absorb. Through bone broths and supplements, you’ll improve your body from the inside out. In other words, you can save your money when it comes to slathering collagen directly onto your skin.

Lastly, be aware that certain foods – specifically ones heavy in amino acids – promote collagen growth more than others. Animal products like eggs, poultry, fish, and milk can all help boost collagen formation. But veggie lovers, fear not! You can also use collagen in recipes for your family or kids, such as homemade healthy jello or all-natural fruit snacks.