Think of any supplement you like and usually you’ll find a specific reason someone has decided to take it. Whether it’s a vitamin, mineral or herbal remedy they’ve decided to take it to improve something. Collagen is no different, celebrities, social media and probably some of your friends are raving about its benefits for better skin elasticity and joint health. So does it actually do what people are saying it does?
Collagen are a group of amino acids, they provide structure for tissues such as tendons, skin and cartilage. The body produces collagen from the amino acids we obtain in our food. As we age our ability to produce collagen declines so we start looking for magical answers to keeping youthful skin and joints.
Collagen supplements come in pills or powders that can be mixed with liquid to drink. Collagen must be broken down into smaller amino acids in order to be absorbed so the supplements that we take are actually just components of collagen in absorbable form.
The body combine various amino acids in order to make collagen. You have to be eating a healthy varied diet for this to happen even if you are taking a collagen supplement. Taking collagen may give you extra of some amino acids but not all of them. Just eating a varied diet will ensure all the amino acids we need without the expense of a supplement.
All the usual sources of protein contain the amino acids needed to produce collagen, animal and plant-based sources. You’ll get the same benefits from these sources as you would a supplement. Its important to remembers that taking a supplement like collagen for a specific issue like injury, joint pain or to improve skin doesn’t really work. You can’t tell your body how to use the amino acids you are consuming, the body will figure that out for itself and reassemble the amino acids into the the most needed protein.
There’s no real risk to taking collagen but there’s no real benefit either. It’s also important to note that supplements are not particularly well regulated so ingredients are not standardised.
So you want to keep your skin looking good?
- Limit sun exposure – sun exposure damages the skins collagen and results in wrinkles and reduced elasticity.
- Do not smoke – Just don’t, its not good for anything including your skin.
- Sleep – our tissues repair when we sleep, it reduces stress and helps with regulating appetite and food decision making.
- Eat a mainly whole foods, varied diet. Keep added sugar low as it can react with collagen and makes skin less elastic.
The simple answer, eat a healthy diet, sleep well, don’t over do it with sunbathing and DON’T SMOKE!
*There is a potential contra-indication that is worth considering for anyone with a history or family history of breast cancer
Read more on the research here – breast-cancer-research.bimedcentral.com and ncbi
References:
Skin pharmacology and physiology
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Holly Skinner. 