What is collagen?
It’s important to understand what collagen is and what role it plays in your body. Collagen, a protein, is composed mainly of the amino acids: glycine, hydroxyproline, and proline. Collagen is a part of bones, cartilage, connective tissue, skin, and tendons. One of the jobs of collagen is to provide your skin its structure, suppleness, and elasticity. Collagen is a part of other cellular processes, such as, cellular communication and migration, immune response, and tissue repair. Unfortunately, aging effects the production of collagen which is why many older people have skin that is more wrinkled and looser. Collagen isn’t only needed for younger-looking, more elastic skin, a lack of collagen can also cause joint pain, sore muscles, and poor digestion. Luckily, collagen supplements are available in pill, powder, and injectable forms.
How can you make sure you are getting collagen in your diet?
You know that your body is a complicated machine and a process, such as producing collagen, depends on many other processes in the body working efficiently. When adding nutrients to your diet, the first place you should look is at dietary sources. Make sure you are ingesting foods rich in collagen. Collagen rich foods provide the amino acids needed for collagen production, but just eating collagen rich foods alone won’t help you reach your health goals. This is why it’s good to work with a health care specialist who can help you plan a varied diet with needed supplements. The following nutrients are essential for the body if it is going to be able to produce collagen:
- Copper which is found in organ meats, shellfish, nuts, seeds, and chocolate
- Manganese which is found in whole grains, nuts, legumes, seeds, and leafy greens
- Vitamin A which is found in liver, dairy, eggs, and orange or yellow fruits, and vegetables
- Vitamin C which is found in citrus fruits, berries, peppers, and leafy greens
- Zinc which is found in meat, shellfish, nuts, seeds, and legumes
Also, bone broth contains a bioavailable form of collagen that the body can easily use. Bone broth is made of bones and connective tissue and contains calcium, magnesium, collagen, phosphorus, glucosamine, amino acids, and other nutrients. Chicken is a great choice for making your own bone broth because it has a lot of connective tissue. Fish have bones and ligaments made of collagen, and some people believe that marine collagen is the most easily absorbed.
Why collagen-rich foods may not be enough?
Many people believe that just eating collagen rich foods isn’t enough because the stomach breaks down collagen proteins and keeps them from becoming available. More and more people are looking to injectable supplements to fulfil their health needs. Injectables are believed to be a good way to boost collagen production. Since collagen is one of the peptides, it is part of many peptide injections. Injectable vitamins are intramuscular or subcutaneous injections which deliver vitamins, amino acids, and minerals more effectively to the body. Injectables are used to treat nutritional deficiencies, boost the immune system, provide a boost to the metabolic system, and boost overall health. Injectables are extremely useful at providing vitamins, amino acids, and minerals to older patients who have a less effective gastro-intestinal tract. Injectables are able to bypass the digestive system which may work poorly, due to aging, at absorbing certain oral vitamins, amino acids, and minerals. This injectable delivery system provides almost 100 percent availability of the injected nutrients for the body’s use. These nutrients are readily absorbed into the muscle tissue to provide vital nutrition for the body and its many processes. Injectables are quick and easy. After receiving an injection, you are ready to go about your day. Many people even feel they get an immediate boost as there is no down time waiting for the nutrients to reach the bloodstream.
Is it possible to slow down collagen loss?
By leading a healthy lifestyle, you can help slow down collagen loss caused by the aging process. Smoking and drinking large amounts of alcohol negatively impacts collagen production and may cause premature wrinkling and loose skin. Since consuming refined sugar and refined carbohydrates can cause inflammation in the body and which then affects the body’s ability to synthesize collagen, you should focus on a nutrient rich diet of fresh foods which will provide the amino acids you need for good collagen production. Processed foods contain compounds called advanced glycation end products or AGES. AGEs are toxins that accumulate in the skin causing collagen to stiffen and deactivate proteins needed for collagen production. Only another reason to stay away from processed foods.
How Can Androgenix Help?
If you want to live your best life, the medical practitioners at Androgenix are here to help. If you have any questions about your exercise plan, dietary plan, or supplement plan, please contact us with your questions. If you have concerns about any areas of your health or about giving your body what it needs to be at its best, please contact our office and make an appointment with our staff to get a complete blood work-up and a complete physical examination. Our staff of caring healthcare practitioners are here to answer your questions and develop an appropriate treatment plan for you. You will be monitored by our team for treatment effectiveness and side effects of any recommended treatment on a regular basis. Every person who enters our doors is treated as an individual deserving of care and respect. We can help you feel and look better. Our team at Androgenix is always here to support your journey to a better, healthier, and happier you. Give us a call today.
References:
- 5 Key Nutrients That Boost Collagen Production Naturally (nativepath.com)
- 9 ways to stimulate collagen production in skin (medicalnewstoday.com)
- 13 Foods That Boost Your Body’s Natural Collagen Production (healthline.com)
- Collagen: Benefits, Side Effects, and More (healthline.com)
- Collagen | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Injectable Nutrients – Nutritional Medicine | Defy Medical (defymedicalstore.com)
- www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen#Are%20there%20benefits%20to%20taking%20collagen%20supplements?
