The Top 4 Benefits of Collagen

What is Collagen?

Believe it or not, collagen is the most abundant protein in the body.  Collagen acts as the main component of connective tissues like tendons, ligaments, muscles, and skin as well as the organs of the digestive tract, and it’s central function is to help tissues withstand stretching.  

Collagen is naturally occurring in the body,  but as we age–beginning as early as our thirties–collagen production slows down, and thus ultimately we produce less. This is partially why as we age our skin loses elasticity, our joints can get more stiff and bone density can decrease.  Collagen can be found in food sources like bone broth and the skins from proteins like chicken, pork, fish.  How well these sources are absorbed into the body though,  still requires additional research. There is however, a decent amount of research on how we absorb collagen supplements. 

Benefits of Collagen Supplements

Over the last decade, collagen has become one of the it supplements.  Available in capsules or a powder, the collagen in supplements is hydrolyzed (meaning already broken down) and therefore is better absorbed by the body than perhaps food sources are.  Given that we now know the function of collagen in the body, here are the main benefits of supplementing with collagen:

• Skin elasticity: several recent studies have shown that collagen supplementation showed significant improvement in skin elasticity, hydration and anti-aging effects.