The popularity of collagen as a daily health supplement is on the rise. Countless people are taking collagen as part of their daily routine, and it seems like everywhere you look there is a new collagen pill, liquid, or powder that you can try.
While most of us are aware that collagen can be beneficial for certain aspects of our health, like the appearance of our skin, many people are a little fuzzy on what exactly collagen is or why it is beneficial for our health.
If that sounds like you, don’t worry. We’re here to help clear things up.
Defining Collagen
In the most simple terms, collagen is a protein that acts as the glue that holds your body together. This fiber-like structure accounts for approximately 30% of your body’s protein content and is the main component of your body’s connective tissue (the tissue that connects all the other tissues in your body).
Just like every other protein in your body, collagen is made up of amino acids. In this case, the amino acids of glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline are the main building blocks. Collagen comes in a variety of different types, and each type has its own responsibilities within your body, but in general, you can think of collagen as the protein that gives your bones, joints, and tissues the structural support it needs.
The strength and abundance of collagen in your body isn’t consistent over time. As you age, your collagen can loosen and lose its structural integrity. This is often accelerated by certain lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, eating a diet full of processed foods, and too much exposure to the sun. On top of all of that, your body doesn’t always produce collagen at the same rate. In fact, it’s estimated that by the time you are in your 20’s, your body’s collagen production begins to decline by approximately 1% per year.
The Different Types of Collagen
In total, there have been 28 different types of collagen discovered, but there are 5 that are much more common than others.
Type I Collagen
Type I collagen is the most abundant protein found in humans and makes up 90% of the protein found in the human body. This densely packed collagen is used to provide structure to your bones, skin, tendons, and ligaments, and it is thought to help with both skin health as well as wound healing.
Type II Collagen
Type II collagen is best known for offering support to your joints. This is because it is the major collagen that is found in cartilage, which is the connective tissue that is located in your joints to protect the ends of your bones. Your ears, nose, and bronchial tubes are also composed of cartilage. Because of where it’s located, type II collagen is great for promoting joint health as well as digestive and immune health.
Type III Collagen
Type III collagen works hand-in-hand with type I collagen. This means they are often found in the same locations—bones, cartilage, bone marrow, muscles, and connective tissues. Type III collagen is also found in arteries, blood vessels, and many of your body’s other hollow organs. Digestive health, muscle support, and blood clotting are a few of the areas of your health that benefit from type III collagen.
Type V Collagen
Type V collagen not only coexists with type II collagen in cartilage, but it has the important job of helping to support the fibers of type II collagen. In addition to that, type V collagen is a structural component of hair, helps form cell surfaces, and is used to create the cells that make up a pregnant woman’s placenta, which makes it important for neonatal development.
Type X Collagen
Another type of collagen that is commonly found in joint cartilage is type X. While this type of collagen doesn’t get as much attention as type II, it is just as important. The main role of Type X collagen is to keep your joints healthy and help with the formation and healing of bones. This means that when your joints or bones are injured in any way, it’s the job of Type X collagen to come to the rescue and help with the repair process.
Where to Get Collagen
If your body naturally makes less and less collagen as you age, then how can you ensure that you have enough collagen to keep your muscles, tendons, and joints healthy? The key is your diet and supplement routine.
When we’re talking about diet and collagen, there is one important thing to understand—your body cannot absorb collagen in its whole form. Instead, when you consume food or supplements that contain collagen, your digestive system breaks that collagen down into amino acids and absorbs those to be distributed throughout your body. Don’t be discouraged, though. Just because your body can’t absorb dietary collagen in its whole form doesn’t mean it’s useless. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Remember that your body needs the right amino acids to produce collagen, and dietary collagen contains those same amino acids. This means that when you consume foods that contain collagen, you are providing your body with the exact building blocks it needs in order to create more of this important protein.
So what are the best foods for supporting collagen production? A few of the most notable contenders are bone broth or soups and the skin from popular meats like chicken or beef. Eggs and legumes are also great options here.
Certain nutrients, like zinc and vitamin C, also play an important role in the production of collagen. This means that foods like shellfish, whole grains, nuts, seeds, berries, leafy greens, and tomatoes are all great options to help boost your body’s collagen production.
As our bodies age, not only does our collagen production slow down, but we are often not able to absorb and utilize nutrients as efficiently. In order to help make sure your body has enough of the ingredients it needs to make collagen, you can always try adding a collagen supplement to your daily routine.
Over the last several decades, collagen supplements have been a topic of interest for scientific studies. The results of these studies have provided good evidence that taking a collagen supplement can not only improve the hydration and elasticity of your skin but also help improve the health and functionality of your joints.
As with any other supplement you decide to take, it’s important to take your time when selecting a collagen supplement. After all, not all supplements are created equal, and the last thing you want to do is choose a supplement that is going to do more harm than good. When choosing your collagen supplement, look for something that is made from all natural ingredients and is backed by third-party certifications. That way, you can rest assured that the supplement you’re getting is the highest-quality possible.
Meet Flex: Your Daily Joint Support Supplement
No matter what kind of lifestyle you live, taking care of your joints will help you stay mobile and comfortable enough to focus on the task at hand, and adding a natural supplement like Flex to your routine can help you do just that.
This proprietary blend of natural ingredients was designed specifically to help you maintain healthy, flexible and strong joints and cartilage. This special formula features the patented UC-II® collagen which is composed of undenatured type II collagen and has been widely studied for its benefits for joint health. Flex also contains joint supporting ingredients like Boswellia extract, glucosamine, chondroitin which all provide additional benefits for your joints and connective tissues. Last, but certainly not least, this special blend also contains organic Wild Microalgae™, which contains a wide spectrum of nutrients to nourish and support every system in your body.
Flex is free from gluten, soy, dairy, and GMOs. It is also produced in a facility that is registered by the NSF to the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and GMP for Sport™.
The best part is you can put Flex to the test risk-free with our 60-day money-back guarantee.