It was not a faraway past when collagen was used for topical use only but now the scene has changed, and collagen supplements are a thing. It is claimed that collagen has countless benefits and some even go too far by claiming that two spoon full of collagen every day is enough to make you a superhuman. It will enhance your workout capacity, improve joints and muscles, and even make your gut health better. Not to mention it is way expensive than the rest of the protein powders.
Table of Contents
What Is It?
In simple words, it is a fibrous protein. It helps in making up the connective tissues of the body. It is found in organs, joints, hair, skin, muscles, bones, and veins which defines why more than 30% structural protein of the body is collagen.
What Does It Do?
It acts like a glue to hold the tendons together and provides elasticity to the skin. As amino acids are known to be the building blocks of proteins, collagen is also made up of them. It comes from cowhide and pigskin, but due to the bans in some areas, safer options are being used like fish, poultry, sea cucumber, bullfrog, and jellyfish.
Where Can We Find It?
However, it is not necessary to take supplements for collagen as they are not the only way to get the protein. Our body produces the protein naturally although this ability decreases as we grow old. Between the ages 25 to 30 years, the levels of the collagen begin to drop but the process is still slow, and they only drop by 1% per year.
How Its Deficiency Affect?
The decrease in the levels of collagen in the body results in the joint pain, breaking of bones, and wounds start to heal slowly. To recover the deficiency people consider taking supplements but this is not so simple.
What Are The Issues With Its Use?
The problem with the ingestion of this supplement is not a lot of research is done on the topic which gave way to false information. There is a lot of deceitful info out there regarding the use and effects of collagen supplement.
There is no evidence or research about the collagen taken in the form of supplements. As in no evidence that it transfers into the tissue collagen. The simplest way to understand this is we can’t eat sweets and tell our body where to store the fats. We have no control over the internal processes of the body once we have ingested the supplement we can’t direct it.
However, one thing that we know is that these amino acids will be broken down and distributed to the parts where they are needed the most. The reason collagen supplements doesn’t show immediate results is the major organs uses this protein for their functions. These organs include the heart and brain. Now, you can imagine how long it can take our muscles and joints to receive the protein in enough quantity to show any difference.
What Are The Factors Of Its Deficiency?
Age is not the only reason that causes collagen deficiency. Consuming too much sugar can lead to AGEs. AGEs make the collagen fragile inside the body, and as a result, a high sugar diet ends up depleting this vital protein.
The undeterred UV rays from the sun can also cause damage to the collagen present in the skin. Wrinkles are a sign of damage as they appear when it rebuilds.
The deficiency of Vitamin C makes blood vessels and skin weak and thin as a result the production of the protein is affected.
Collagen and elastin are also damaged by the chemicals found in tobacco. People who smoke are deficient of not only just collagen but also Vitamin C.
What Should You Know?
If you plan to take supplements, it is essential to understand that not every supplement is manufactured the same. You should be well informed about the types of supplements available in the market.
Multiple sources are used to derive collagen for example gelatin. Then there are many variations like undenatured and hydrolyzed collagen. There are high chances that several variations may add almost zero value once digested because our digestive enzyme breaks them down.
Nevertheless, the type two hydrolyzed collagen also referred as UC-II and collagen peptides have shown itself effective in the studies so, it is a better option. They can make it through the digestive system.
Your health is important even if it costs a little extra try to buy the products only from trusted manufacturers.
People who already have sensitive stomachs may experience heartburn, nausea, and other minor stomach related issues. If the supplement is not working for you, it doesn’t mean you should avoid it completely instead try a product with fewer ingredients or smaller serving at a time. If it is still problematic, then stop having the supplement.
On a lookout for protein supplements you are most likely to get your hands on discount codes 2019, just pick the right one for you.
End Note
On the other hand, it is extremely crucial to do detailed research before jumping on the bandwagon of any health trend or taking a supplement. Consulting your healthcare specialist can’t be ignored in any case.
