Did you know collagen is essential for glowing skin, luscious hair, strong ligaments and healthy joints? So what is collagen?
Read on to learn how collagen nourishes your skin and body from the inside out.
Collagen makes up about one third of the protein in our body. It’s what keeps our skin supple, hair shiny, nails strong and joints moving freely. In fact, up to 75% of our skin is made up of collagen – it’s a major component of the integrity of the outer extracellular matrix (aka what gives you smooth, healthy and glowing skin).
Collagen can also be found in bones, teeth, tendons, blood vessels, cartilage and even in our digestive tract. It’s a pretty amazing protein and essential to keeping us strong and healthy.
As we age, our natural collagen production begins to slow down, causing things like fine lines and wrinkles, stiff joints, brittle nails and lacklustre hair. Other factors like poor diet, stress and sun exposure can also make collagen production less efficient.
Taking a collagen supplement works to increase the body’s collagen levels and stimulate the production of new collagen.
The body relies on protein and other key nutrients to produce collagen. The body breaks down protein from our food into amino acids. These amino acids then become the building blocks of the various types of protein in the body, including collagen.
Protein-rich foods are essential for collagen production. But making sure you eat enough protein isn’t quite enough. This process also requires vitamin C, so if you’re not getting enough of either of these this can result in less efficient collagen production.
Collagen is rich in arginine, glycine and proline – the amino acids that help your body make new protein. Collagen itself is made of three polypeptide chains that resemble rope strands twisted together. This structure makes collagen strong yet highly flexible.
There are around 28 different types of collagen in the body, each with its own benefits. The three most common types of collagen are type 1, 2 and 3.
Adding a collagen supplement into your diet not only tops up your body’s stores of collagen, but it can also stimulate collagen production. It’s like a double-whammy for your body’s health.
The most beneficial type of collagen is hydrolyzed collagen. The process of hydrolysation breaks collagen down into smaller peptides, making them more bioavailable and easier for the body to absorb and get to where they need to go.
Hydrolyzed collagen dissolves in hot and cold liquids (and can even be added into baked goods) making it a convenient way to get your daily dose. Taking just 5 grams of collagen a day provides health benefits like increased energy. Taking 10-15 grams of collagen will give you visible results such as shiny hair, smoother skin, stronger nails, improved joint function and better gut health. And if you’re wanting to fast track your results then up to 30 grams of collagen is recommended.
Remember when we said there were different types of collagen? That means to really get the best results of a collagen supplement, it needs to incorporate the main types of collagen peptides.
A collagen blend that stimulates Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 collagen targets skin, hair and nail health, ligaments and tendon strength, joint function and gut health.
The Collagen Co collagen blend contains three types of collagen in a generous 15 grams of collagen per serve.
Our collagen is derived from 100% grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine and also includes Vitamin C for collagen synthesis, Biotin to boost the energy uptake in skin and hair cells and Hyaluronic Acid for joint lubrication and skin hydration.
Derived from the Greek word "kólla”, which means glue, collagen is the main structural protein holding your body together.
Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins (approximately 30%) in the body. It’s the main structural protein that forms the connective tissue in every nook and cranny of your body: from your skin to hair, bones, cartilage, and digestive system.
If you zoom in on a single collagen protein, you’d see that it’s made up of 3 chains of amino acids tightly coiled around each other. This makes collagen very strong and flexible — so it can give strength and elasticity to the skin, plus support muscles, tendons, and bones....
Of the 28 "types" in the human body, Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 collagens are the most noteworthy. That’s because they make up nearly 90% of all collagens in your body.
Your body struggles to replace the collagen you’re losing as quickly as it's breaking down, starting from your 20s. As a result, you lose, on average, 1% of your collagen yearly. But what’s behind this decline? Two things: the natural ageing process and oxidative stress.
Like all cells in your body, collagen-producing cells (like fibroblasts in the skin and chondrocytes in the cartilage) accumulate DNA damage with age.
That means the older you get, the fewer optimally functioning collagen-producing cells you’ll have in the body, naturally decreasing your collagen levels.
While free radicals are a natural by-product of normal cellular processes, your body can also produce excessive amounts (a phenomenon known as oxidative stress) in response to external aggressors. Examples include:
These highly unstable and reactive molecules can steal electrons from healthy, collagen-producing cells — damaging them irreversibly. This, in turn, speeds up the rate at which you lose collagen.
You’re not powerless. You can take active steps to preserve and protect your natural collagen levels for youthful-looking skin, lustrous hair, strong nails, a healthier gut, supple joints — and more.
Make sure you see results — and fast — by looking out for the following in your collagen peptides.
