Everything You Want to Know About Collagen, but Are Afraid to Ask

No, I don’t know why anyone would be afraid to ask questions about collagen, but it makes for a good title. Anyway, let’s get started, shall we? It turns out that collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, comprising half the protein within us. It forms long, thin fibrils that act as a sort of scaffolding within numerous parts of the body.

Collagen fibrils can be found in our skin, bones, connective tissue (tendons and ligaments) and muscles. Our bodies produce collagen naturally, provided we supply it with the necessary ingredients (more on those later) and, like everything else, collagen production decreases as we age which can cause serious and not-so-serious health problems (more on those later).

For our purposes, let’s focus on the collagen present in our skin and bones which are greatly affected by its declining production as we age. The loss of collagen in our bones has a more detrimental effect on our overall health as opposed to collagen loss in our skin. However, collagen loss in our skin is, obviously, more visible to each of us and to the world. That being the case, many of us overly worry about collagen loss in our skin when we should be more worried about its loss in our bones.

Yes, collagen loss in our skin creates wrinkles, sagging and crepe paper appearance, but that’s all superficial. Collagen loss in our bones, however, can cause osteopenia, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, especially in post-menopausal women.

While nothing can totally prevent collagen loss, its rate can be slowed through two primary methods. One is through diet and the other is through collagen supplements. Let’s deal with diet first. Since collagen itself is a protein, it makes sense that consuming protein helps with its production. And while certain animal protein, like poultry, pork and fish skin, bone broth and gelatin aid the most in collagen production, they aren’t necessary and who the hell wants to eat that?

Lean proteins from poultry and fish as well as from beans and eggs will do the trick. Also essential for collagen production are adequate supplies of vitamins D and C, calcium and zinc. You can also provide assistance to your bones by partaking in resistance and weight bearing exercises.

Collagen supplements come in either powder or capsule form and most are hydrolyzed (broken down for easier absorption). Many studies reveal that collagen supplements can slow the aging process of your skin. Not only do they provide your body with an external source of collagen, they also help your body produce its own as well as other proteins that support skin health like elastin and fibrillin.

Similarly, health studies have found that collagen supplements also can stave of the loss of bone density, which is essential as we age to help prevent fractures from falls or other accidents. One study found that women who took 5 grams of collagen daily for a year increased their bone mineral density by 7% over those who did not take a supplement. Other studies have found that collagen supplements may alleviate joint pain, boost muscle mass, and promote cardiovascular health.

Many health experts recommend using both diet and supplements to promote collagen production within our bodies as we age. Sounds like sound advice to me. Finally, if this post did NOT contain everything you wanted to know about collagen but were afraid to ask, I apologize.