Did you know that collagen is the second most common substance in your body after water?
Collagen is a vital building block for skin, bones, muscles, and tendons. As we age, our body’s ability to produce its own collagen decreases.
So what do you need to know about collagen to maintain and improve your health? How can this vital protein improve your life?
Follow me and we’ll explore the different types of collagen and how they can benefit you!
Have You Heard the Buzz About Collagen?
The wellness world is abuzz with talk of the benefits of adding collagen to your daily routine. With the promise of healthier skin, hair, bones, and joints, it’s no wonder everyone’s talking about it!
Collagen is praised for its beauty benefits, with people claiming it makes hair shinier, nails stronger, skin smoother, and your gut healthier. Others swear by it for relieving joint pain and rheumatoid arthritis. Some people even refer to collagen as a fountain of youth. Could it be true?
If so, what kind should you take? Plus, what even is collagen?
What Is Collagen?
Collagen is a structural protein made up of amino acids including glutamic acid, alanine, glycine, and arginine, and is a crucial building block for our body. Found exclusively in animals, it’s the most prevalent protein in mammals, amounting to 25-35% of their whole-body protein content.
Our bodies naturally produce it, but by the time your 25, it’s production decreases, leading to sagging skin and wrinkles, along with other less visible issues.
By the time we’re 40 years old, our bodies’ capacity to produce its own collagen decreases by 25%, and by the time we’re 60 that ability has decreased by over 50%.
The most prevalent protein in the human body, collagen is a triple-helix protein. This means that it’s a complex, large, one molecule protein that consists of three strands of amino acids woven together.
In addition to supplementing with collagen, taking vitamin C regularly is believed to be an important part of collagen synthesis. Some collagen formulas already contain vitamin C, so just take a look at the label to find out.
I know. Collagen type 1, 2, 3… it’s starting to seem like an unwanted math equation. While human biology is complicated, understanding the benefits of the different types of collagen is easy with this handy guide.
What Are The Different Types of Collagen You Should Know About?
There are 28 different types of collagen, with some of them being far more common and abundant than others. Whether you’re interested in it for skin aging, wound healing, or one of collagen’s many other proposed benefits, we’ll help you understand which type might be best for you.
Let’s take a look at the 5 types of collagen you should know about.
Type 1
Type 1 Collagen is the most prevalent type of collagen found in the human body, making up 90% of organic bone mass and a lot of our ligaments, skin, and tendons. Found in bones, skin, connective tissue, fibrous cartilage, and blood vessel walls, collagen type 1 is vital to the makeup of our bodies!
A real winner when it comes to anti-aging, type 1 collagen could help you increase skin elasticity, minimize fine lines and wrinkles, and improve skin hydration. It’s also thought to help reduce cellulite and aid in weight loss.
If that wasn’t enough, type 1 collagen can help you grow thicker, stronger hair and can improve the health of your nails.
You can find type 1 collagen in hydrolyzed collagen (HC) powder, bone broth, marine collagen, egg whites, protein-rich foods (like beef and fish).
Type 2
Most of the protein in your cartilage is type 2 collagen. This type of collagen is best known for promoting the health of your joints, bones, and cartilage.
Type 2 collagen is believed to reduce inflammation and might help rebuild cartilage because of the presence of glucosamine and chondroitin.
Studies have found that it can reduce the progression of arthritis, and rid others of rheumatoid arthritis. Some have found it helpful for neck pain, back pain, and recovering from surgery or an injury.
Type 2 collagen can be found in inner hide of mammals, chicken and bone broth, and multi-collagen protein powder.
Type 3
The second most prevalent collagen in your body after type 1, type 3 collagen is largely found in your body’s tissues with elastic properties. Type 3 is vital to coagulation, or the process of blood clotting. It’s also important to your organs, muscles, and blood vessels by providing and improving their structures.
Often found in the body in areas that also contain type 1, type 3 is often used in combination with type 1. Some people believe that type 3 promotes a healthy gut as well as improving skin hydration and elasticity.
The best sources of type 3 collagen are egg whites, collagen protein powder, bone broth, beef, fish, and bovine collagen peptides.
Type 4
This less common type of collagen is an important piece of the puzzle that keeps us healthy. Helping to filter the kidneys and other organs, type 4 collagen is also thought to play a major role in the forming of an embryo and wound healing.
Incorporate type 4 collagen into your diet by consuming protein-rich foods and egg whites.
Type 5
Found in the hair, the cornea of the eye, some layers of skin and in the tissue of the placenta, type 5 collagen is critical for eye health and other aspects of your body’s functioning.
Find type 5 collagen in protein-rich foods and multi-collagen protein powder.
Start Incorporating Collagen Into Your Daily Routine
It’s clear that the different types of collagen each have their own uses and they’re not interchangeable. If you are looking to improve your skin, hair, and nails, you’ll want to combine type 1 and 3. If you’re more interested in collagen’s ability to alleviate arthritis pains, give type 2 a try.
As such a vital part of our bodies, it’s important to find out if it makes sense for you to supplement with collagen. With the proposed benefits of feeling healthier and looking better, how could you not?
Do you see benefits from taking collagen that I didn’t mention here? Let me know in the comments below!
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