What is Collagen? 7 Ways Collagen Can Boost Your Health
You might recognize it as an ingredient on your favorite body lotion or seen supplements in the vitamin aisle that feature it. But what is collagen, exactly — and how can you incorporate it into your life?
What is Collagen Made of?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies. It’s found in our muscles, bones, skin, and tendon. It’s the “glue” that helps hold the body together. It gives our skinstrength and elasticity, and helps replace dead skin cells.
Our body’s collagen production naturally begins to slow down as we age. You can thank this process for wrinkles, sagging skin, and weaker cartilage in your joints (hello, skeleton legs). Other factors, like diets high in sugar, smoking, and sun exposure, also contribute to depleting collagen levels.
Top 7 Collagen Benefits
If you’re still not convinced that collagen should play a bigger role in your lifestyle, check out these 7 benefits.
1. Skin and Hair
As we age, collagen production declines — it’s happening as you read this! You’ll see notice it physically through 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.
2. Joints
Have you ever felt like you’ve got skeleton legs? Yup, that’s a loss of collagen rearing its head. That’s because when we lose collagen, our tendons and ligaments start moving with less ease, leading to stiffness, swollen joints, and more.
Think of ingesting more collagen like greasing a creaky door hinge: it’ll help your joints move more easily, reduce joint pain, and even reduce the risk of joint deterioration. A recent study even found that collagen is an effective treatment for treating osteoarthritis and other joint disorders.
3. Leaky Gut
If you suffer from leaky gut, a condition where bad-for-you toxins are able to pass through your digestive tract, collagen can be super helpful. It’ll help break down proteins and soothe your gut’s lining, healing damaged cell walls and infusing it with healing amino acids. It will also help absorb water, keeping things moving freely in the digestive tract.
4. Boosts Metabolism & Energy
A boost in collagen can increase your metabolism. Gylcine, found in collagen, helps pump sugar into your body’s tissue to increase energy levels. It also helps in muscle development — and muscles burn more calories than fat. Combine any supplementation with Vitamin C to ensure your body can convert the collagen into a useable protein that can begin to restore the source or your energy and vitality.
5. Strengthens Nails & Teeth
Ever had peeling and splitting nails? Well, a lack of collagen could be to blame. Collagen protein is also the building block of your fingernails and teeth as well! Adding collagen into your diet regimen can help keep your nails strong and your teeth healthy!
6. Detox
If you’re looking to detox, collagen is extremely helpful. That’s because glycine helps minimize damage your liver experiences when it absorbs foreign substances that shouldn’t be passing through it.
One of the easiest ways to detox your liver is with a bone broth fast; I often recommend a 3-day bone broth detox to rapidly repair leaky gut. It’ll help rid your body of chemicals and “reset” your gut.
7. Reduce Cellulite/Stress 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 will help reduce that dimpling on your skin.
If there are questions and concerns call us at 0925-567-5329 • 0908-865-5662 • 0917-566-1932 • 458-0717 and schedule a consultation today.
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