5 Benefits of Collagen

I feel Collagen is one fibrous protein that does not get enough light shed on it. I feel we all know what it really stands for “Hair, Skin, & Nails.” But we don’t ever dive into it as far as benefits… what is it really… why is it so important.

What is Collagen?

Whelp collagen is a rich source of protein found throughout the body. Its fibrous structure is used to make connective tissue. Since it is commonly known for “Hair, Skin, & Nails,” that is accurate since its fibrous connections are throughout bone, skin, tendons, and cartilage. Sadly, as we get older, we start to make less collagen in our bodies (sun exposure doesn’t help either). Hence the sagging skin, fine lines & wrinkles. Other ways that decrease the production of collagen are poor habits like eating poorly, excessively drinking, smoking, and lack of sleep/exercise. Collagen is a protein that is made up of the amino acids glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline which make up a triple helix structure.

Benefits

Gut Health

The intestinal wall is made up of microscopic folds also known as ‘villi’. Villi is made up of collagen. So how does this help gut health? Well like we have said before in previous blog articles gut is the main area for internal health. If your gut is not right, then most likely everything else is being affected too. We will be doing a section for leaky gut next week diving into more and tying it back into this week. However, when toxins and particles get through the villi they can cause erosion. By intaking in collagen regularly, you are providing nutrients to the gut to sustain the villi. Making it stronger, and able to restore and absorb the right nutrients.

Weight Management

Since collagen is a triple helix amino acid structure like mentioned above…

Glycine is the amino acid that forms muscles by converting glucose to energy. AND… if you didn’t know… now you do muscle burns more calories than fat does. This is also why people recommend weight lifting and not just cardio. Anyways the body having more lean muscle mass it is naturally boosting the metabolism. Other studies have shown collagen to make people feel satiety too.

Joint Health

As we get older, we know from above that collagen production starts to decrease in our bodies. And we know that collagen is one of the fibrous proteins that help out joints. So, as we get older, and we start to feel all those aches and pains. Well, it is also part of the decreased production of collagen. So besides stretching and having a great workout regimen. It is important to help boost collagen-making production by adding a supplement to help build up the joints. Since collagen has proline and glycine those two amino acids help support joint mobility and act as a healthy inflammatory response.

Liver Function

Everyone can say I love you with all my heart but can survive on half a heart. The liver is one organ that is irreplaceable. You only get one liver and can’t survive without the whole organ. Also, the liver is the main organ for detoxing out all of the toxins in our bodies. We do not need any fancy juicing, or magic herb pills to detox. The liver can detox all on its own. That is why it is important to make sure the liver is healthy and detoxing properly. Glycine can support the liver during harsh detoxing impurifications. So, if an alcoholic is detoxing off alcohol, a collagen supplement can aid the support of the liver while it kicks out all those toxins.

Heart Health

This is a huge one for me. If you are anything like my genetic makeup, we do not have a great record for heart health. In fact, heart disease runs deep into my family roots. So, for me to understand how to keep my heart healthy and supplements to prevent anything is important. So, why is collagen so important for heart health…

Proline, the amino acid Proline, can minimize fat from being deposited into the arteries and repair the tissues in the arteries too. This is huge for strokes, and heart attacks.

After seeing those five reasons…

Those are just a few of the many benefits that collagen helps with. And since we all know the cosmetic reasoning, I wanted to provide more health benefits. Collagen can come in the form of pills, or powders. Powders can be flavored or unflavored and mixed with other beverages.

I personally take my collagen with my supplements. I mix my Axe & Sledge greens, SuperHuman Woman supplement, and unflavored Vital Collagen. Some will say to use collagen at night will help promote healthy sleep. However, I have not noticed if I take it morning or night if it makes a huge difference.

I also started to use collagen as a post-workout protein shake. I found that other protein powders were not digesting well and causing major bloat. So, I switch to utilizing my collagen powder and notice better gut health from it.

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