Collagen has been getting its moment in the spotlight lately as many people are learning about and reaping the benefits of supplementing it in their diets. We’re here to get down to the nitty gritty and give you the full low-down on this protein.
What Is Collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies and helps make up the connective tissues that form ligaments, tendons, muscles and skin. It’s required to maintain the structure of your skin and bones.
It occurs naturally in foods like gelatin and bone broths, but most people choose to get their collagen intake through powdered supplements.
Should you consider adding collagen supplements to your own diet? We recommend speaking with your healthcare professional before making any adjustments, but below we’ve listed some of the potential benefits you may see by boosting your intake.
Joint Health
Supplementing collagen might help relieve those aches by accumulating in your cartilage and stimulating your body to make it’s own.
Radiant Skin
One of the biggest draws of collagen is for it’s skin benefits – helping to prevent dryness and the formation of wrinkles by maintaining moisture and elasticity.
Not only does supplementation encourage your body to produce it’s own collagen, it also assists the production of other proteins that help structure your skin, including elastin and fibrillin.
Heart Health
Collagen is also touted for keeping your ticker tip-top by giving structure to your arteries, the vessels that carry blood away from your heart to the rest of your body, through keeping them elastic and flexible.
Arteries can harden over time as we age, a disease called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis may be aided by increased collagen intake, therefore, potentially preventing heart attacks and stroke.
& More!
The good doesn’t stop there! Emerging research suggests other benefits include, healthier hair, and nails, improved gut health and anxiety and mood.
Like many things with nutrition the science here is relatively new and therefore, more research is needed to be conclusive. Chat to your doctor to see if collagen may be worth adding to your nutrition plan!
Tracking Collagen
While we do not directly track collagen intake in Cronometer, many branded items will appear in the database, allowing you to add it to your Diary. If your specific brand isn’t available, be sure to use our Barcode Scanner and submit the label. This will create a Custom Food for you to use on the daily.
Collagen is not a complete protein, meaning it lacks some essential amino acids that we need in our diet. Therefore, it’s not recommended as a standalone protein supplement but more so in addition to your existing protein intake.
