Not just a pretty face but there are also several health benefits of collagen that will surprise you.
When we enter the age late twenties, our body is not as agile as it used to be which leads to the several health issues such as digestive problems, chronic joint problems and even low mood that will eventually hinder our quality of life.
In such scenario, collagen seems to be the best solution. Collagen is one the major key ingredient that helps in the maintenance of skin, joints, guts and overall health.
You have likely seen it many beauty products for years as because it has ability to maintain health hair, beautiful nails, soft and beautiful skin. But, you might not know, collagen has numerous powerful health benefits which is far beyond its external benefits.
In a meanwhile we will discuss all the possible benefits of collagen but before let’s take a quick view about collagen.
So, what is collagen?
Collagen is being referred as the most abundant protein in the body and it is made up of long chain of amino acids. It is consider as the most important protein that your body needs to function.
Here’s the function of collagen
- Most opulent protein synthesized in body.
- Works as glue that hold cells and connective tissue together.
- Maintain the integrity and structure of muscles, bone, skin and tendons.
- Send out necessary signal to cells.
- Repair damage cells and combat inflammation.
In this guide, we will cover everything that you should know about the collagen.
Here’s the collagen contribution (makes up) in different body organs
- Tendons – 80%
- Skin – 70 to 80%
- Sclera (white part of eye) – 90%
- Bones – 30%
- Muscle mass – 1 to 10%
This are the percentage of collagen contribution in our different organs. We will soon move to the benefits of collagen on health just after short survey on the collagen’s type.
Types of Collagen
However, there are 28 types of collagen but the most abundant are
- Type 1
Skin, bones, connective tissue, Tendons, Cartilage and teeth.
- Type 2
Cartilage
- Type 3
Arteries, muscles, reticular fibers and organs.
- Type 4
Basal Lamina and a complete network of extracellular matrix.
- Type 5
Cornea and bone matrix.
So, till now we have discussed a lot about collagen, its type and function. Most of people are familiar with the word collagen and all thanks to its use in several beauty products and treatment.
Collagen has been well-known for its ability to boost skin moisture, erase stretch marks and fine lines and also promotes hair growth.
As you have understand collagen bit better, let’s get to the benefits of collagen for skin, hair and overall health.
Here’s the list of benefits of collagen for skin, hair and overall health
- Smooth and vibrant skin
- Support weight management
- Protect your heart
- Supports Bone formation and repair
- Prevent joint pain
- Reduction in appearance of stretch mark and cellulite
- Reduce inflammation
- Contribute to solid sleep
- Keep you moving
- Ease your anxiety
- Improves mood
- Improves liver function
- Promotes healthy hair growth
- Build Stronger Nails
- Improve health teeth and gums
- Repair a leaky Gut
Top 16 Benefits of collagen for skin, hair & overall health
1. Smooth and vibrant skin
Collagen helps in enhancing skin’s elasticity. And by restoring connective tissues, skin sustain its ability to stretch naturally without leaving any slack. Our body produce collagen to rejuvenate skin’s structure and provide ability to your skin to bounce back. Therefore, collagen helps in reduction fine liens and wrinkles and provide firmness and youthful appearance to your skin.
2. Support weight management
Collagen help you to control your weight. Amino acids convert glucose into energy to build up muscles. However, muscle tissue boost up metabolism as because it burn more calorie than fat. And therefore, collagen helps convert your body to fat burning machine and it works even if you are at rest.
3. Protect your heart
Proline is found in collagen helps to destroy fat deposition in arteries and also repair tissue inside artery. It also supports to control blood pressure level as because collagen is linked to arteriosclerosis that mean hardening of arteries.
4. Supports Bone formation and repair
Calcium is not only the essential component for strong and healthy bones. 30% of bone consists of collagen that gives them flexibility. Bone cells are continuously turning over, however adding collagen to your diet helps to make bone stronger through increasing density of bone mineral.
5. Prevent joint pain
Collagen allows your tendons, ligaments and joints to slide and move easily. With increasing age, collagen production get reduce and results to stiff, swollen and painful joints. However, glycine and proline found in amino acids helps in reducing joint pain and also enhance the joint mobility all because of anti-inflammatory properties of collagen.
6. Reduction in appearance of stretch mark and cellulite
Cellulite occurs mainly due to deficiency of collagen in dermis layer that holds the fat in those place. The combination of little collagen and much fat leads to production of cellulite in the body. Collagen helps in improving skin waviness and also reduce visible appearance of stretch marks much effectively.
7. Reduce inflammation
Inflammation is considered as a main culprit in the long list of health related issues. Studies have proven that glycine, found in amino acids works effectively to reduce inflammation. Collagen show its properties as an anti-inflammatory in your body.
8. Contribute to solid sleep
Sleep is a major key factor for everything, therefore it perform metabolic function in healing and improving mental health. Glycine can easily help to improves overall quality sleepiness. The constituent of amino acids improves fatigue and sleepiness in the people who are facing insomnia.
9. Keep You Moving
We can’t predict that whether you are performing an effortless exercise but we can surely tell you that collagen has been proven successfully in reducing risk of regenerate cartilage, joint deterioration and also improves your joint pain. And this key will keep you moving in the way you want to.
10. Ease your anxiety
If you are experiencing any anxiety and if anxiety and stress will become chronic then it will ultimately affect your lives. Glycine that is found in collagen works as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. It mean collagen work naturally to create balance and to calm the brain.
11. Improves mood
This might not be wrong saying that when you feel better then actually you are better. Collagen has been linked to vast range of benefits and the overall results to enhance the quality of life. Collagen make you healthier both from internally as well as externally to improves the level of your mood.
12. Improves liver function
The toxins is secreted everyday by liver to throw out detoxed from your body. Collagen help in detoxification and also reduce the chance of liver damage through the toxins. In studies, it have been found that collagen help in reducing alcohol induced liver damage. Thus, glycine found in collagen helps in reducing alcohol-induced liver damage.
13. Promotes healthy hair growth
There are three things that are highly essential for healthy hair growth are minerals, Keratin and collagen. A large number of amino acids are required to synthesize keratin that are mostly found in hydrolyzed collagen. Lysine which is also found in amino acids helps to reduce 5-alpha reductase which is one of the major factor responsible in male pattern baldness.
14. Build Stronger Nails
If your fingernails tend toward splitting then this clearly indicate that all you need is to boost up your collagen intake. Collagen helps to build stronger nails. Most of people consider that the biotin is an important vitamin to grow healthy nails and hair. Thus, adding collagen to your daily routine is a really great way to grow healthier hair and nails.
15. Improve health teeth and gums
Oral health play a major key to overall health in which collagen helps in forming teeth structure and also work as a supporting tissue around gums and jaw. In a research, a famous dentist named “Weston A Price” has discovered that eating little sugar and consuming bone broth that produce collagen is highly needed to build health smile.
16. Repair a leaky Gut
Collagen is consist of amino acids including glycine and proline. Protein is very much essential to heal and repair, mostly muscles and tissues of the digestive system. Evidence proven that collagen can strengthen intestinal hurdle of digestive tract. And the best part is collagen is very easy to digest for us.
We can easily boost up collagen level by eating foods that contain collagen in it.
Food sources of collagen
Collagen is available mostly in animal products such as meat, fish and bone broth. But in spite of animal products you may choose organic and grass-fed food item that are rich in collagen are set forth below.
- Vitamin C-rich foods – broccoli, berries, bell peppers, dark leafy greens, lemons and limes.
- Silicon- rich foods – Nettles, brown rice, horsetail, alfalfa, dandelion greens.
- Iron-rich foods – Spinach, beef, liver, lentils, sesame seeds.
- Copper-rich foods – Cashews, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, tempeh, lentils.
- Zinc-rich foods – Beef, quinoa, turkey, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, lamb.
Best collagen Supplement: XYZ Smart Collagen Cream
Final Verdict
So, this was all about the benefits of collagen for skin, hair, nails and overall health. Hope now it is clear that collagen is not only beneficial to skin but also beneficial to health of entire body.
Now you have understand all the benefits of collagen in your life and have also learn the easiest way to consume foods to produce more collagen.
Thus, it’s time to pay attention towards your intake level in order to get as much benefits as possible from the collagen.