It isn’t just for wrinkles anymore. The collagen trend has spread from cosmetic injections to products you see every day on supermarket and pharmacy shelves. Food, skin cream, pills and powders all tout collagen as the way to a healthy, vibrant body. But what is the truth behind it?
Whether you are a triathlete, OCR enthusiast, hitting the gym or whatever activity you do, collagen is the perfect recovery protein that helps to build and repair the muscles, tendons, ligaments, cells and cartilage that are stressed during exercise. Collagen is the key component for structural support in our body and it is the most abundant protein; it comprises 90% of our connective tissue – this includes our joints, ligaments, tendons, and fascia. Collagen holds your body together like glue. But how does collagen help us maintain an active lifestyle?
Collagen Protein for Muscle Repair and Restoration
Protein loss occurs in muscles during and after long periods of exercise due to oxidation and inflammatory reactions. Research shows that protein synthesis decreases during exercise, then immediately increases after exercise for an extended period of time. A high protein diet post-exercise enables the replacement of lost proteins, restoring the protein content of muscles by increasing muscle anabolism. The high amino acid content of collagen protein makes collagen ideal for muscle repair and recovery. Supplementing with collagen may help muscle repair, making it essential post-workout nutrition.
Collagen protein may speed up injury recovery time
Science has identified the body’s two main processes for healing torn or ruptured muscles: regeneration of muscle fibres simultaneously with the production of connective scar tissue. The key to both of these processes is collagen formation. After a muscle rupture, it was found that collagen synthesis rates were heightened in muscle cells in the 3 weeks following injury. A study uncovered that Type III collagen synthesis reached a maximum during the first week of wound healing and is linked to the development of flexibility/plasticity of the connective tissue. Type 1 collagen formation began later during the healing process and was linked to increasing the strength of the new muscle fibres and connective tissues.
Collagen protein for decreasing joint pain
Clinical trials have also shown supplementation with collagen may reduce activity and exercise-related joint pain as well as improve joint function and flexibility. Collagen helps maintain the integrity of your cartilage, which is the rubber-like tissue that protects your joints. As the amount of collagen in your body decreases as you get older, your risk of developing degenerative joint disorders such as osteoarthritis increases. Some studies have shown that taking collagen supplements may help improve symptoms of osteoarthritis and reduce joint pain overall. Collagen supplementation is increasingly popular from age 50 as in practice it seems that from this age a balanced and/or slightly higher protein diet isn’t working well enough to repair, and let alone boost most bodies. Eating foods such as fatty fish, garlic, ginger, broccoli, walnuts, berries or olive oil can also help symptoms.
Collagen protein for boosting muscle mass
Between 1–10% of muscle tissue is composed of collagen. This protein is necessary to keep your muscles strong and functioning properly. Studies suggest that collagen supplements help boost muscle mass in people with sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass that happens with age. Researchers have also suggested that taking collagen may promote the synthesis of muscle proteins such as creatine, and may also stimulate muscle growth after exercise but more research is necessary to investigate collagen’s potential to boost muscle mass.
Sources of collagen protein
While you can’t measure your collagen level, you can tell when it is reducing. Collagen decreases as you get older, contributing to:
Skin and hair looking crepey (thin and wrinkled)
Stiffer, less flexible tendons and ligaments
Shrinking, weakening muscles
Joint pain or osteoarthritis due to worn cartilage
Gastrointestinal problems due to thinning of the lining in your digestive tract
Slowing down of healthy metabolism (rate of which you burn calories)
Aside from ageing, reasons people don’t have enough collagen is poor diet, stress, smoking, pollution, too much exposure to the sun and general genetics. Your body can’t make collagen if it doesn’t have the necessary elements. Collagen production by our body slows with age and it is hard to get the right amount of collagen from food alone. After age 20 you will produce about 12% less collagen each decade.
When your body makes collagen, it combines amino acids — nutrients you get from eating protein-rich foods, like beef, chicken, fish, beans, eggs and dairy products. Bone broth is a good source too but not that easy to digest, it doesn’t dissolve well in liquids and it has a very distinct taste. Within the broth some of the animal’s skin and cartilage would be decent sources but most of us throw those parts away.
The process also requires vitamin C, zinc and copper. You can get vitamin C by eating citrus fruits, red and green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and greens. You can get the minerals by eating meats, shellfish, nuts, whole grains and beans. Collagen remains an incomplete protein as it doesn’t provide all the essential amino acids we need, especially tryptophan, so other proteins are essential to your diet.
Collagen supplementation
As you age, your body may no longer absorb nutrients as well and/or synthesise them as efficiently. To make sure your body has enough ingredients to make collagen, you may need to change what you eat or take dietary supplements.If you are eating a healthy diet and feeding your body all the nutrients it needs to make collagen, you probably don’t need a supplement, but there shouldn’t be too much wrong with taking one. Please get advised by a nutrition specialist in order to choose wisely. There shouldn’t be any artificial flavouring and/or colouring, no preservatives, no Sweeteners or antibiotics added to your supplement.
Hydrolysed collagen (or “collagen peptide”) supplement powder is usually a good choice as it has little chance of the above in it, it usually has no flavour, no bad smell and dissolves easily in beverages, smoothies, soups and sauces which in turn makes it easier to absorb and digest.
In Summary:
- Collagen protein may help repair and restore muscles
- Collagen supplementation may help to speed up recovery time from injuries
- Collagen protein may help in strengthening joints and ligaments, helping to prevent injuries
- Collagen protein may reduce activity and exercise-related joint pain
- Collagen protein is ideal post-workout as it contains a high amino acid content
- Collagen protein supplementation can be helpful fighting the ageing process especially from age 50
- Collagen protein supplementation could be tried forma couple of months to see if symptoms improve
- Collagen protein supplementation is continuing to go from strength to strength worldwide and it has become “the thing” to add to our healthy diet
Please let me know if you need any further support, guidance and/or clarification on any of the above.
Be(come) Fit For Anything
Best wishes and healthy regards,
Roel Jansen
07786652095