Collagen is essentially the most considerable protein in your physique.
It’s the main element of connective tissues that make up a number of physique components, together with tendons, ligaments, pores and skin, and muscular tissues (1Trusted Source).
Collagen has many essential features, together with offering your pores and skin with construction and strengthening your bones (1Trusted Source).
In recent times, collagen dietary supplements have develop into widespread. Most are hydrolyzed, which suggests the collagen has been damaged down, making it simpler so that you can take up.
There are additionally a number of meals you possibly can eat to extend your collagen consumption, together with pork pores and skin and bone broth.
Consuming collagen might have quite a lot of well being advantages, from relieving joint ache to enhancing pores and skin well being (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
This text will focus on 6 science-backed well being advantages of taking collagen.
Collagen is a serious element of your pores and skin.
It performs a task in strengthening pores and skin, plus might profit elasticity and hydration. As you age, your physique produces much less collagen, resulting in dry pores and skin and the formation of wrinkles (4Trusted Source).
Nonetheless, a number of research have proven that collagen peptides or dietary supplements containing collagen might assist sluggish the getting old of your skin by decreasing wrinkles and dryness (5, 6, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
In a single research, ladies who took a complement containing 2.5–5 grams of collagen for Eight weeks skilled much less pores and skin dryness and a major improve in pores and skin elasticity in contrast with those that didn’t take the complement (7Trusted Source).
One other research discovered that girls who drank a beverage combined with a collagen complement each day for 12 weeks skilled elevated pores and skin hydration and a major discount in wrinkle depth in contrast with a management group (6).
The wrinkle-reducing results of collagen dietary supplements have been attributed to their potential to stimulate your physique to supply collagen by itself (4Trusted Source, 5).
Moreover, taking collagen dietary supplements might promote the manufacturing of different proteins that assist construction your pores and skin, together with elastin and fibrillin (4Trusted Source, 5).
There are additionally many anecdotal claims that collagen dietary supplements assist forestall zits and different pores and skin situations, however these aren’t supported by scientific proof.
You should purchase collagen dietary supplements online.
SUMMARYTaking dietary supplements that include collagen might assist sluggish the getting old of your pores and skin. Nonetheless, stronger proof is required from research inspecting the consequences of collagen by itself.
Collagen helps preserve the integrity of your cartilage, which is the rubber-like tissue that protects your joints.
As the quantity of collagen in your physique decreases as you become old, your danger of growing degenerative joint problems resembling osteoarthritis will increase (9).
Some research have proven that taking collagen dietary supplements might assist enhance signs of osteoarthritis and cut back joint ache total (2Trusted Source, 9).
In a single research, 73 athletes who consumed 10 grams of collagen each day for 24 weeks skilled a major lower in joint ache whereas strolling and at relaxation, in contrast with a bunch that didn’t take it (10Trusted Source).
In one other research, adults took 2 grams of collagen each day for 70 days. Those that took collagen had a major discount in joint ache and have been higher in a position to interact in bodily exercise than those that didn’t take it (11Trusted Source).
Researchers have theorized that supplemental collagen might accumulate in cartilage and stimulate your tissues to make collagen.
They’ve advised this will result in decrease irritation, higher assist of your joints, and diminished ache (12Trusted Source).
If you wish to attempt taking a collagen complement for its potential pain-relieving results, research recommend you must begin with a each day dosage of 8–12 grams (9, 13Trusted Source).
SUMMARYTaking collagen dietary supplements has been proven to cut back irritation and stimulate collagen synthesis within the physique. This may increasingly assist promote ache aid amongst individuals with joint problems like osteoarthritis.
Your bones are made largely of collagen, which provides them construction and helps keep them strong (14Trusted Source).
Simply because the collagen in your physique deteriorates as you age, so does bone mass. This may increasingly result in situations like osteoporosis, which is characterised by low bone density and linked to the next danger of bone fractures (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).
Research have proven that taking collagen dietary supplements might have sure results within the physique that assist inhibit the bone breakdown that results in osteoporosis (9, 13Trusted Source).
In a single research, ladies took both a calcium complement mixed with 5 grams of collagen or a calcium complement and no collagen each day for 12 months.
By the top of the research, the ladies taking the calcium and collagen complement had considerably decrease blood ranges of proteins that promote bone breakdown than these taking solely the calcium (16Trusted Source).
One other research discovered related leads to 66 ladies who took 5 grams of collagen each day for 12 months.
The ladies who took the collagen confirmed a rise of as much as 7% of their bone mineral density (BMD), in contrast with ladies who didn’t eat collagen (17Trusted Source).
BMD is a measure of the density of minerals, resembling calcium, in your bones. Low BMD is related to weak bones and the event of osteoporosis (18Trusted Source).
These outcomes are promising, however extra human research are wanted earlier than the position of collagen dietary supplements in bone well being could be confirmed.
SUMMARYConsuming collagen dietary supplements might assist cut back the danger of bone problems like osteoporosis. They’ve the potential to assist improve BMD and decrease ranges of proteins within the blood that stimulate bone breakdown.
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Between 1–10% of muscle tissue consists of collagen. This protein is critical to maintain your muscular tissues robust and functioning correctly (19Trusted Source).
Research recommend that collagen dietary supplements assist enhance muscle mass in individuals with sarcopenia, the lack of muscle mass that occurs with age (20Trusted Source).
In a single research, 27 frail males took 15 grams of collagen whereas taking part in an train program each day for 12 weeks. In contrast with males who exercised however didn’t take collagen, they gained considerably extra muscle mass and power (20Trusted Source).
Researchers have advised that taking collagen might promote the synthesis of muscle proteins like creatine, in addition to stimulate muscle development after train (20Trusted Source).
Extra analysis is critical to analyze collagen’s potential to boost muscle mass.
SUMMARYAnalysis has proven that consuming collagen dietary supplements elevated muscle development and power in individuals with age-related muscle mass loss.
Researchers have theorized that taking collagen dietary supplements might assist cut back the danger of heart-related situations.
Collagen gives construction to your arteries, that are the blood vessels that carry blood out of your coronary heart to the remainder of your physique. With out sufficient collagen, arteries might develop into weak and fragile (1Trusted Source).
This may increasingly result in atherosclerosis, a illness characterised by the narrowing of the arteries. Atherosclerosis has the potential to result in heart attack and stroke (21Trusted Source).
In a single research, 31 wholesome adults took 16 grams of collagen each day for six months. By the top, they’d skilled a major discount in measures of artery stiffness, in contrast with earlier than they began taking the complement (22Trusted Source).
Moreover, they elevated their ranges of HDL “good” ldl cholesterol by a median of 6%. HDL is a vital issue within the danger of coronary heart situations, together with atherosclerosis (22Trusted Source).
However, extra research on the position of collagen dietary supplements in heart health are wanted.
SUMMARYTaking collagen dietary supplements might assist cut back the danger components related to coronary heart situations resembling atherosclerosis.
Collagen dietary supplements might produce other well being advantages, however these haven’t been studied extensively.
- Hair and nails. Taking collagen might improve the power of your nails by stopping brittleness. Moreover, it could stimulate your hair and nails to develop longer (23Trusted Source).
- Intestine well being. Though there is no such thing as a scientific proof to assist this declare, some well being practitioners promote the usage of collagen dietary supplements to deal with intestinal permeability, or leaky gut syndrome.
- Mind well being. No research have examined the position of collagen dietary supplements in mind well being. Nonetheless, some individuals declare they enhance temper and cut back signs of hysteria.
- Weight reduction. Some consider that taking collagen dietary supplements might promote weight reduction and a faster metabolism. There haven’t been any research to assist these claims.
Though these potential results are promising, extra analysis is required earlier than formal conclusions could be made.
SUMMARYCollagen dietary supplements have been claimed to advertise mind, coronary heart, and intestine well being, in addition to assist management weight and preserve hair and nails wholesome. Nonetheless, there’s scant proof to assist these results.
Collagen is discovered within the connective tissues of animals. Thus, meals like hen pores and skin, pork pores and skin, beef, and fish are sources of collagen (8Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source).
Meals that include gelatin, resembling bone broth, additionally present collagen. Gelatin is a protein substance derived from collagen after it has been cooked (24Trusted Source).
Extra analysis is required to find out whether or not consuming collagen-rich meals helps increase collagen in your body. There haven’t been any human research on whether or not collagen-rich meals have the identical advantages as dietary supplements.
Digestive enzymes break down the collagen in meals into particular person amino acids and peptides.
Nonetheless, the collagen in dietary supplements has already been damaged down, or hydrolyzed, which is why it’s considered absorbed extra effectively than the collagen in meals.
SUMMARYA number of meals include collagen, together with animal meals and bone broth. Nonetheless, its absorption shouldn’t be as environment friendly as that of hydrolyzed collagen.
At present, there aren’t many identified dangers related to taking collagen dietary supplements.
Nonetheless, some dietary supplements are made out of common food allergens, resembling fish, shellfish, and eggs. Individuals with allergy symptoms to those meals ought to keep away from collagen dietary supplements made with these elements to stop allergic reactions.
Some individuals have additionally reported that collagen dietary supplements depart a lingering unhealthy style of their mouth (13Trusted Source).
Moreover, collagen dietary supplements have the potential to trigger digestive unwanted side effects, resembling emotions of fullness and heartburn (13Trusted Source).
Regardless, these dietary supplements seem like protected for most individuals.
SUMMARYCollagen dietary supplements might result in unwanted side effects, resembling a nasty style within the mouth, heartburn, and fullness. You probably have allergy symptoms, ensure to buy dietary supplements that aren’t made out of collagen sources you’re allergic to.
Taking collagen is related to quite a lot of well being advantages and only a few identified dangers.
To begin, dietary supplements might enhance pores and skin well being by decreasing wrinkles and dryness. They could additionally assist improve muscle mass, forestall bone loss, and relieve joint ache.
Individuals have reported many different advantages of collagen dietary supplements, however these claims haven’t been studied a lot.
Though a number of meals include collagen, it’s unknown whether or not the collagen in meals provides the identical advantages as dietary supplements.
Collagen dietary supplements are usually protected, fairly straightforward to make use of, and positively value attempting for his or her potential advantages.
