What are collagen peptides? Why are they essential inside of your body? What are the benefits you’re going to get out of them?
And what are the key components that need to go with it to ensure you can get the most out of your collagen peptides?
Collagen peptides make up one-third of the body’s protein composition and are the most abundant protein inside the body.
They’re the building blocks inside our system to help strengthen, support and keep everything together.
The word collagen itself derives from the word “kolla,” which means glue. Collagen is the glue inside our system that holds us together.
Our skin depends on it; our aging, connective tissue, blood vessels, and a whole range of things depend on it.
Types Of Collagen
There are many different types of collagen—28 in total—but the first four are the main ones.
Number one is the most prevalent type. It makes up about 90% of the collagen inside of your body.
This type of collagen is in the connective tissue in your teeth, bones, tendons, skin, and cartilage.
Type two is found in the elastic cartilage, which is the substance that cushions your joints.
This type creates padding that reduces the friction of movement on the joints, which can help prevent bone-on-bone movement, knee issues, joint issues, and so on.
Type three promotes better skin elasticity. So if you’re looking for that cosmetic beautification benefit from collagen, type three is what provides it!
Type four is the basement membrane of our skin that provides nearly all the tissue nearby with the stability to be solid.
Those are the top four collagens, but the main ones we want to focus on are type one and type three.
Why Take Collagen Peptides?
We need to take in collagen because our bodies’ own collagen starts to decrease as we get older.
It naturally becomes less efficient and we start to make less of it. Then we start having issues as we age, whether with the gut, cartilage, or skin.
That’s why supplementing with it has become very popular.
It’s formed from two amino acids, glycine and proline, which are the building blocks inside our body. They’re glued together with the help of vitamin C, copper, and zinc.
So, from a supplementation or food standpoint, collagen needs to be broken down and decoupled, like Legos, so that it can be fully absorbed.
Basically, if you were to stack up a lot of Legos, that’s what collagen would look like. But if you take them apart, that’s what “hydrolyzed” collagen, otherwise labeled as collagen peptides, is.
So taking collagen peptides is an excellent idea because research shows the body will absorb more collagen.
They can even be absorbed from certain foods and smoothies!
But what’s the payoff? Well, there are nine amazing benefits to taking collagen peptides!
1. Improves Skin Health
Collagen benefits our skin. As we’ve discussed, 80% of our skin is made from collagen.
And here’s an interesting fact: our skin cells roll over every 14 days.
The body is constantly producing new skin, and collagen gives the skin its strength.
Taking hydrolyzed collagen peptides helps with the skin’s hydration, overall skin care, and skin elasticity. It helps reduce signs of aging, such as wrinkles.
2. Supports Joint Health
Collagen peptides support joint health by strengthening the padding. This padding softens the friction between bones and joints as they move in our bodies.
It strengthens joints by adding better structure to the cartilage that cushions them. Without this, the cartilage can become worn down over time.
3. Aids In Digestive Health
Increasing your collagen helps digestive health by keeping the intestinal lining strong and thick.
Some of the things that we consume, such as coffee, sugar, and antibiotics, make the gut weaken so that it’s more penetrable and can start to leak. Collagen helps to seal those weakened areas back up.
4. Assists In Cardiovascular Health
Collagen assists cardiovascular health by providing support to blood vessels and creating stronger arteries.
It also improves circulation throughout the entire body, so collagen is the protein of choice for heart health.
5. Muscle Health
One of the significant benefits of collagen is that it supports overall muscle health.
Since the heart is a muscle, collagen works with the heart to increase lean body mass in addition to increasing heart health.
6. Bone Health
Number six is bone health. Collagen is crucial for the creation and structure of strong, healthy bones.
An adequate amount of collagen can help increase bone mineral density.
7. Cosmetic Support
As we’ve discussed, collagen can help keep skin supple, but it also helps to strengthen skin, hair, and nails.
Often, when you start taking a collagen peptide, your nails visibly strengthen. Hair can also benefit—hair might even start to regrow.
Hair loss can be thyroid-related, but collagen is a protein source you want to take in to help hair health.
8. Exercise Support
Collagen does help with muscle mass for those who frequent the gym and want to work out.
But according to research, it also helps athletic performance and recovery.
9. Supports Feeling Full
Collagen also helps you feel full longer.
If you have enough collagen, when you eat, you can do so without compromising nutrients and sacrificing the body’s energy levels.
Consuming Quality Collagen
There are many incredible benefits with collagen, but there are a couple of critical things to ensure the body is getting proper collagen.
Many years ago, I switched from dairy-based whey proteins because I didn’t need more dairy in my life. It’s a lot of sugar and can come with antibiotics and hormones, so I switched over.
Those same principles also apply to collagen by getting it from grass-fed cows.
The brand you buy must feed their cows a proper diet so that the collagen sourced from them doesn’t cause inflammation. Bovine collagen is going to mainly provide type one and type three collagen.
You can get collagen from other natural sources such as:
- Fish
- Chicken and Chicken Skin
- Pork Skin
- Egg Whites
- Cabbage
- Asparagus
- Mushrooms
Dairy does have some in it, but I don’t recommend it. I can’t stress enough that we want to ensure that the cows, chickens, or fish we eat are cared for and fed properly.
And for some added protection, it helps to look for collagen that’s been third-party, heavy metal tested.
Collagen supplements have to be processed through machines to derive collagen from its animal form. Some of these devices give off heavy metals that can end up in your collagen.
So, we want to make sure our collagen supplements have been heavy metal tested, and that any collagen is sourced from healthy animals.
If we do those things, we can enjoy all the benefits collagen has to offer!
