The Curious Case of Collagen
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline
There are many vital nutrients our bodies need, yet we don’t always know what they are or what they do. One such curious case is collagen. Maybe you’ve seen bottles of collagen supplements in the health food aisle or heard your friends talk about a new collagen protein powder they’re using. What is collagen, exactly, and why do we need it?
Collagen is actually the most abundant protein in the human body! It’s one of the most important, too, as it helps build bones, hair, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Collagen’s prefix comes from the Greek word “Kolla”, meaning “glue” because it holds parts of the body together. Collagen is also important because it is a “complex” or structural protein made of a long amino acid chain. One of these amino acids is called hydroxyproline. It doesn’t occur in other proteins and is used everywhere in the body, which makes collagen all the more vital to have! Our bodies can actually produce collagen naturally by combining other amino acids (the building blocks of protein) provided we’re getting enough of those foods that give us the building blocks.
Collagen is found in our skin, joints, bones, muscles, and blood vessels. It provides structure to our arteries, helping carry blood to the heart and the rest of the body. As we age, our bodies naturally produce less of this important protein, which can mean a hardening of our arteries and other body parts that are composed of collagen.
As mentioned before, our bodies can make collagen from amino acid rich foods we eat. To ensure we can produce enough collagen, you’ll need proline, glycine, vitamin C, and zinc. Proline can be found in egg whites, dairy, cabbage, mushrooms, and asparagus. You can get your glycine from pork and chicken skin, gelatin, and bone broth. Vitamin C is abundant in citrus fruits and bell peppers. And finally, zinc’s in beef, lamb, pork, shellfish, chickpeas, lentils, beans, milk, cheese, seeds, and nuts. Here’s your grocery list for this week! (You’re welcome.)
Supplements are also an increasingly popular way to ensure we get enough collagen. These supplements could be in powders, capsules or in liquid form. I recommend one that has collagen Type I and Type III hydrolyzed concentrate from non-GMO sources. Type I and Type III collagen account for greater than 70% of the collagen essential for healthy skin and connective tissue. We choose concentrate because it’s highly versatile and offers a multi-gram serving of collagen in a small package. Hydrolyzed collagen peptides refer to collagen that has been broken down into much shorter chains of amino acids, which creates a form that is better absorbed or offers increased bioavailability of the collagen for the building blocks of our bodies.
All in all, collagen is a key part of our body. It plays a pivotal role in maintaining healthy skin, joints, and arteries throughout life. Giving our bodies the nutrient-rich foods and supplements they deserve to support both proper structure and function so we can live each day to our fullest potential!
