Benefits Of Collagen Supplements

Collagen is regarded as the most abundant protein in your body. Thus, you already have collagen in your body, great, right? It helps to make up tendons, ligaments, and skin. Your body produces collagen, but you can also get it from supplements and foods like bone broth. In this article, we’ll share some benefits of collagen supplements with you.

Providing your skin with structure and strengthening your bones are part of the many important functions Collagen can offer you.

Again, it may offer a variety of health benefits, like promoting healthy, strong hair. Thus, you can use collagen for your hair.

Furthermore, consuming collagen might relieve joint pain and improving skin health.

In recent times, collagen supplements have become popular. Most are hydrolyzed, meaning the collagen has been broken down, making it easy for you to absorb.

In this part of this article, we’ll share six science-backed health benefits of taking collagen supplements. with you.

Here they are:

1. It Could Boost Your Muscle Mass

Collagen makes up between 1–10% of muscle tissue. Want your muscles to stay strong and function properly? then you definitely need this protein.

Research suggests that collagen supplements help boost muscle mass in people with sarcopenia. This is the loss of muscle mass that happens with age.

An exercise program was carried out for 12 weeks. Twenty-seven frail men took 15 grams of collagen daily while participating in this exercise. At the end of the program, they gained significantly more muscle mass and strength, unlike the men who exercised but did not take collagen.

Furthermore, some researchers suggest that taking collagen might promote the synthesis of muscle proteins like creatine, and may also stimulate muscle growth after exercise.

However, there is still a need for more research to investigate collagen’s potential to boost muscle mass.

Summarily, research has shown that taking collagen supplements increases muscle growth and strength in people with age-related muscle mass loss.

2. It Promotes Heart Health

Researchers theorize that taking collagen supplements might help lessen the risk of heart-related conditions.

Also, Collagen provides structure to your arteries. The arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body. Arteries might become weak and fragile without enough collagen.

This could lead to atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by the narrowing of the arteries. Atherosclerosis can lead to heart attack and stroke.

A study was done for six months. 31 healthy adults who took 16 grams of collagen daily were part of this study. In the end, there was a significant reduction in measures of artery stiffness compared to before they started taking the supplement.

In addition, there was an increase in their levels of “good” HDL cholesterol by an average of 6%. HDL is a vital factor in the risk of heart conditions, including atherosclerosis.

However, there is still a need for more studies on the role of collagen supplements in heart health.

3. It Helps To Relieve Joint Pain

Relieving joint pain is also part of the benefits of taking collagen supplements. Collagen helps to maintain the integrity of your cartilage, which is the rubber-like tissue that protects the joints.

As you get older, the amount of collagen in your body reduces. Thus, there is the risk of developing degenerative joint disorders such as osteoarthritis increases.

Furthermore, some studies show that taking collagen supplements might help improve symptoms of osteoarthritis and reduce joint pain overall.

A study was done on 73 athletes who consumed 10 grams of collagen daily for 24 weeks. At the end of the study, they experienced a significant decrease in joint pain while walking and at rest compared to a group that did not take it.

Adults took two grams of collagen daily for 70 days in another study. Those who took collagen had a significant decrease in joint pain and were better able to engage in physical activity than those who did not take it.

Also, researchers theorize that supplemental collagen might accumulate in cartilage and stimulate your tissues to produce collagen.

They suggest this may lead to lower inflammation, better support of your joints and reduced pain.

In addition, if you want to try taking a collagen supplement for its potential pain-relieving effects, studies suggest you should start with a dosage of 8–12 grams daily.

4. It Might Prevent Bone Loss

The bones are made mostly of collagen, and that’s what gives them structure and helps keep them strong.

Thus, as collagen in your body deteriorates because of age, bone mass does too. This could lead to conditions like osteoporosis, which is characterized by low bone density and linked with a higher risk of bone fractures.

Also, studies show that taking collagen supplements might have certain effects in the body that help inhibit the bone breakdown that causes osteoporosis.

In a study, women took either a calcium supplement combined with 5 grams of collagen or a calcium supplement and no collagen daily for 12 months. At the end of the study, women who took the calcium and collagen supplement had significantly lower blood levels of proteins that promote bone breakdown than those taking just the calcium.

Again, another study found similar results in 66 women who took 5 grams of collagen daily for a year. The women taking the collagen had an increase of up to 7% in their bone mineral density (BMD), compared to women who did not take collagen.

BMD is a measure of bone density reflecting bone strength based on the minerals content, like calcium, in your bones. Low BMD has to do with weak bones and the development of osteoporosis.

Even though these results are promising, there is still a need for more human studies before the role of collagen supplements in bone health can be confirmed.

5. It Can Improve The Health of Your Skin

Collagen is an important component of your skin. It plays a huge role in strengthening skin and may benefit elasticity and hydration. As you get older, your body produces less collagen, causing dry skin and the formation of wrinkles. (Related: Collagen Loss With Age)

However, several studies show that collagen peptides or supplements containing collagen might help slow the aging of your skin by reducing wrinkles and dryness.

In a study, women took a supplement containing 2.5–5 grams of collagen for eight weeks. They experienced less skin dryness and a significant increase in skin elasticity compared to those who did not take the supplement.

According to another study, women drank a beverage mixed with a collagen supplement daily for 12 weeks. They experienced an increase in skin hydration and a significant reduction in wrinkle depth compared to a control group.

Furthermore, the wrinkle-reducing effects of collagen supplements have been attributed to their ability to stimulate the body to produce collagen on its own.

In addition, consuming collagen supplements might promote the production of other proteins that help structure your skin, including elastin and fibrillin.

Again, there are also many anecdotal claims that collagen supplements are helpful in preventing acne and other skin conditions. However, these are not supported by scientific evidence.

6. It Also Has Other Health Benefits

Collagen supplements might also have other health benefits. These benefits, however, have not been studied extensively.

Hair and Nails

Taking collagen might increase the strength of your nails by preventing brittleness. Also, it may stimulate your hair and nails to grow longer.

Gut health

Even though there is no scientific evidence to support this, some health practitioners use collagen supplements to treat intestinal permeability or leaky gut syndrome.

Brain Health

There is no study that has examined the role of collagen supplements in brain health. However, some people suggest they improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety.

Weight Loss

Some people believe that taking collagen supplements might promote weight loss and faster metabolism. However, there have not been any studies to back up these claims.

Although these potential effects are promising, there is still a need for research before formal conclusions can be drawn.

Summary

Taking collagen supplements has a number of health benefits and very few known risks.

Firstly, they might improve skin health by reducing wrinkles and dryness. Also, they may help increase muscle mass, prevent bone loss and relieve joint pain.

Even though numerous foods contain collagen, it is unknown whether the collagen in food has the same benefits as supplements. (Related: Foods That Increase Collagen Production Naturally)

Generally, collagen supplements are safe, quite easy to use and definitely worth trying for their potential benefits.

Benefits Of Collagen Supplements