Collagen supplements have been one of the biggest health trends of the past couple years. Collagen has gained the attention of the fitness and beauty community as well. Yet the question remains do these collagen powders actually work or are they all a buildup for nothing?
Your body naturally produces collagen on its own but as you enter your early 20s your body slowly starts making less and less of it.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body and dermatologists referred to it as “the superglue that holds everything together.” Since collagen is the structural support for your body it stands to reason as you make less of it you will begin to experience the diminishing effects of aging.
Outward appearances are most likely to suffer the aging effects from this loss of collagen. This is one of the big reasons why you’ll see more wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots as you get older. When you were younger it was collagen and that was keeping your skin looking smooth and youthful with few blemishes. But your joints can also take a hit since collagen makes up a big part of the integrity of your joints. It’s no secret getting older can bring achy and stiff joints in your knees, hips and shoulders. One of the big reasons this happens is from the cartilage in your joints breaking down due to this natural loss in collagen.
So it stands to reason that by supplementing with collagen you can replenish this loss production in your body thus reversing some of the damage that has been done.
Studies have found collagen supplementation can lead to improved skin elasticity and hydration, reduce appearance of wrinkles and less age spots due to too much sun exposure. There is research finding collagen can also aid in the thickening of your hair and strengthening your nails as well.
Many people try to turn to eating sources of collagen instead of supplementing with it. Bone broth does contain collagen but these collagen proteins are not broken down. This makes it very difficult for your body to absorb the collagen which will drastically reduce the results you could receive.
The best collagen supplements also contain a variety of sources of collagen but with bone broth you’ll usually only be getting it from a single source. Also many people don’t like the thought of having to drink bone broth every day which makes it a lot easier just to take a supplement daily instead.
It’s ideal to get 8-10g of collagen per day for the best anti-aging results. Don’t be surprised if you quickly start to see your nails growing faster as well as your hair. Your joints will also become less painful and move more freely. And it’s only a matter of time before your wrinkles look smoother, skin looks plumper and age spots begin to fade away. It seems that taking collagen supplements is perfectly safe as there haven’t been any major side effects noticed.
When picking out a collagen supplement make sure you find one that contains hydrolyzed collagen peptides. You can learn about this at Peptides.org. Hydrolyzed collagen will be much easier to absorb since it’s already pre-broken down for you in a much smaller form.
If you are allergic to fish, shellfish or eggs then it’s a good idea to make sure that the collagen supplement you’re going to take doesn’t contain collagen sourced from these foods. Also check the label on your collagen supplement to make sure it doesn’t contain any additives like sugar. Sugar can negate the effects of supplementing with collagen since it can cause glycation. This is when sugar chemically bonds to collagen and can cause more harm than good.
There is some skepticism from experts that collagen supplements aren’t able to do as much as they promise. They argue your body is not able to determine where these collagen amino acids and peptides are specifically sent in your body. But in the end the studies and empirical evidence points to them being beneficial for anti-aging effects.
Considering there’s no serious or major side effects from taking collagen it doesn’t hurt to try it. Of course you want to be wearing sunscreen and limiting sugar consumption in addition to supplementing with collagen to maximize your benefits and results.
