8 Things You Didn’t Know About Collagen

…and how this powerful nutrient keeps you altogether.

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CES—Level 1 Certified Precision Nutrition and Certified Personal Trainer

By now, you’ve heard all the wondering benefits you can expect to see from using collagen supplements. From improve hair and skin, to less achy joints, it seems that maintaining your collagen levels as you age is vitally important.

But I bet you didn’t know these interesting facts about collagen.  In fact, knowing these 8 things—and how supplementing with collagen can improve them—could help with the aging process, smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, and even prevent stiff, painful joints from derailing your social life as you age.

Table of Contents

What is Collagen?
8 Facts You Didn’t Know About Collagen
Conclusion

What Is Collagen?

Collagen is a substance that is produced by your body.  Although it’s a natural process, as you age, your collagen production starts to decline.

So by the time you’re 40, or even in your 50s, you have significantly less collagen in your body.  and this could lead to skin, joint, and other health issues.

Although you can’t slow the aging process, no matter how hard you try, you may be able to slow the loss of collagen in your body.

Studies currently show that supplementing with collagen may slow collagen loss, therefore adding structural integrity to your skin, hair, bones, joints, digestive system, spine, and many other areas of your body.

Even though collagen is important, there are 8 things your probably don’t know about collagen that you should.

Stick around…because the next section is going to reveal the 8 things you don’t know about collagen—an d how these factors can change everything.

The 8 Facts You Didn’t Know About Collagen (but should)

Collagen is not some mystery nutrients.  It’s an important component in your body, and supplies structure to the rest of your body.

But, before you think you know everything about collagen, you probably don’t.  In fact, here are 8 things you didn’t know about collagen—but you should:

1. There Are Many Types of Collagen

In case you didn’t know, there are 20 different types of collagen in your body.  And even though there are many different types, 80% of your collagen stores come from only 3:

Types I, II, and III.

The fact is, these three types of collagen are responsible for better skin (types I and III) and joint health (types II).

If you’re trying to find a good collagen supplement, you should put your focus into a collagen supplement that contains these three types for best results.

2. May Slow Down Aging In The Skin

As we age, our skin may be the first are we notice the age process the most.  Not only do collagen levels start to decrease, but we lose essential amino acids needed to maintain collagen levels, and slow the aging process in our skin.

Luckily, if you replenish these amino acids, it may help produce more collagen, therefore slowing down the aging process.

3. Improves Fibroblast Health

There are specific cells in your skin that aid in wound healing and to help produce connective tissue.  However, as we age, these cells start to decline in function, therefore speeding up the aging process.

However, collagen supplementation may regulate our fibroblasts, therefore improving their function to enable them to do the essential functions they need to.

4. Collagen Is Essential For Skin Health

Collagen is integral to your skin health.  It makes up roughly 75% of your skin, and makes your skin stronger and younger looking.

As you age, collagen levels start to decline, which often leads to wrinkles and saggy skin.  By supplementing with collagen, you may provide the building blocks your skin needs to stay firm, giving it a more youthful appearance.

5. Collagen is Like Glue

Collagen is often referred to the “glue” of the human body.  Without adequate collagen, your body starts to degrade.   And this is why it’s often associated with glue.

But the actual named collagen means glue.  It comes from the Greek word “kolla,” which means glue.  So when you supplement with collagen, you’re actually supplementing with something that produces the “glue” that holds your body together.

6. Collagen is Comprised Of Three Amino Acids

Collagen is comprised of three potent amino acids: Glycine, Proline, hydroxyproline.  Although each one contributes to improvements in collagen stores, hydoxyproline maintains the structure of your collagen.

This is vitally important, since without structure, your skin may droop and sag, and it could speed up aging in your skin.

7. Collagen Needs Vitamin C

A diet rich in vitamin C not only improves your immune system, it also speeds up wound healing, and may help produce collagen. 

And this directly impacts your skin, bone, and joint health.

Maintaining a healthy vitamin C level could help speed up collagen production, and may load to firmer, healthier looking skin by improving your skin function.

8. Aging Impacts Collagen and Fibroblasts

As you know, fibroblasts are cells in your skin that aid wound healing and help produce connective tissue.

However, as we age, our fibroblasts may decrease in function.  Likewise, as we age, our bodes may slow the production of collagen, which could impact the function of
our fibroblasts.

This may ultimately lead to less collagen produced over time, which impacts elasticity in the skin, covering of your joints, and impacts other areas of your body.

Conclusion

As we age, our collagen levels start to decrease.  And this often leads to achy joints, saggy skin, wrinkles, leaky gut, IBS, and many other common issues.

However, supplementing with collagen has been shown to slow down collagen loss, therefore adding firmness and softness to your skin, smoother and more flexible joints, better digestion, and even some degree of weight loss.

Although there are over 20 collagen types found in your body, the majority of your collagen stores comes from types I, II, and III—as these types make up nearly 75% of the collagen in your body.  This is also why, supplementing with a collagen supplement that contains these three types is important to maintaining your collagen production as you get older.

Get Collagen I, II, and III Types Right Here For Smoother Skin, More Flexible Joints, and Better Digestion >>

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