With all of the vitamins and supplements out there, it can be hard to know what actually works. Collagen — the most abundant protein in your body — is something your body naturally produces. As you age, the amount your body makes can decrease. But do not worry, your collagen levels can be restored by taking a supplement. Collagen is found in skin, bones, cartilage, tendons, and teeth, and provides structure to the connective tissue throughout your body. Some people take collagen as a supplement to keep their skin looking young by helping it hold its structure. High levels of skin elasticity allow you to furrow your brow, smile, and yawn — without causing wrinkles every time you move. It allows your skin to return to normal once you stop stretching or moving it. This all requires collagen because it keeps the skin cells together.
Studies have shown collagen pills or powder supplements improve levels of skin elasticity after just four weeks — particularly in already-aged skin. And it may also be able to increase levels of skin moisture, which can make your skin look healthier and more youthful.
But collagen may be able to help with more than that. The word collagen comes from the Greek word for glue, appropriately, because it keeps your cells “glued” together. If your collagen levels drop, your skin may start to lose its shape, leading to things like facial wrinkles, bags under your eyes, and loose skin on your body. But, the same goes for internal parts of your body, too: low collagen levels can loosen your cartilage and tendons — meaning your joints can be more easily injured.
What is collagen?
Collagen is a nutritional supplement made from animal or fish materials. It's rich in amino acids that play an important role in the building of joint cartilage and it may have anti-inflammatory effects. Trials into collagen’s role in treating osteoarthritis give mixed results.
Collagen is made from beef, pork or fish bones and skins after being processed to make it easier to digest. You can buy collagen supplements from pharmacies and health food shops or online.
Types of Collagen Supplements
From a dietary perspective, your body can’t tell whether you ate a hydrolyzed collagen supplement, a piece of chicken, or some black beans. They’re all sources of protein, and once your digestive system has broken them down into amino acids, they are indistinguishable.
There are three types of collagen supplements: gelatin, hydrolyzed and undenatured.
Gelatin and hydrolyzed collagen have been broken down from large proteins to smaller bits. When collagen is boiled for a long time (as in bone broth), it gets broken down into gelatin. Collagen can be further “predigested” into its basic amino acids and is called collagen hydrolysate, hydrolyzed gelatin, collagen peptides, or hydrolyzed collagen. Undenatured collagen is not broken into smaller proteins or amino acids. Undenatured type II collagen (UC-II) is not intended to be used by your body as a collagen re-builder.
Here are four issues collagen can help with that you might not have known before:
Ease Osteoarthritis-Related Knee Pain
Osteoarthritis — the most common form of arthritis which affects an estimated 31 million Americans — breaks down the cartilage in your joints. This causes the bones to rub together, leading to pain and swelling. Osteoarthritis in the knees can be especially painful and debilitating and can limit your ability to perform everyday activities. Collagen may have the ability to keep muscles and tendons together and even rebuild your cartilage. In turn, it may help fight the symptoms of osteoarthritis in the knee with few side effects.
How does it work? Collagen hydrolysate supplements are rich in a number of amino acids (a group of chemical compounds) that play an important role in the creation of collagen. Type II collagen is one of the main proteins in cartilage. It’s been suggested that taking collagen hydrolysate can improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis by stimulating your body’s production of joint collagen.
Trials for osteoarthritis
Trial 1
In the first trial, 81 participants with osteoarthritis were randomly selected to receive placebo tablets or one of three gelatine (collagen hydrolyse) preparations. Participants in the active treatment groups were treated daily with 10 g of each gelatine product (0.5 g each tablet) for two months.
The most common side-effect was heaviness in the stomach.
Trial 2
In this trial, 250 people with osteoarthritis of the knee were randomised to receive either 10 g collagen hydrolysate or a placebo daily for six months.
Those who received collagen reported a greater reduction in pain.
The most frequently reported side-effects were:
- migraines
- headaches
- gastrointestinal effects.
Trial 3
In the final trial, 52 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee were given 10 mg bioactive undenatured type II collagen or glucosamine hydrochloride plus chondroitin once a day for three months.
There were no differences in pain or functional scores across the trial, but there were differences at some time points which favoured the collagen group when function was measured in a second way.
There was no difference in the proportion of reported side-effects between the groups.
Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can make it difficult to do a lot of things — exercising, standing upright for extended periods of time, and even sleeping through the night. All parts of the lower back — bones, muscles, and tendons — contain collagen. Studies have shown that taking collagen may help ease lower back pain. If you don’t have enough collagen to keep those parts of the spine intact, that can cause pain, so increasing the amounts of collagen through supplements may be a possible fix.
Prevent Bone Loss
Your bones are mostly made of collagen, which keeps them strong and healthy. If your collagen levels are low, it can cause your bones to become weak and risk breaking.
Taking collagen may help to improve bone density and keep your bone strength.
4. Build Muscle Mass
Collagen is also a major part of your muscle tissue. In fact, it’s the most abundant protein in your body. So if you’re looking to build muscle mass, collagen supplements might help. Collagen also has glycine in it, which is an amino acid that’s in creatine. Creatine is known to give you an extra boost to get through tough workouts, such as high-intensity interval training. The result? More efficient workouts and more muscle mass.
https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2018/december/collagen#
http://blog.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/collagen-supplements-helpful-arthritis/
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