COLLAGEN – do you know what it is ?

Collagen the new wonderous thing we all been hearing about makes you look young, good hair, good skin etc etc all the pros.

But what exactly is collagen ? What are the food sources one can include in the diet to get a good dose of collagen ?

Do you have these questions in your mind then pls read below to understand what exactly this marvellous thing is.

What is collagen ?

Collagen is nothing but protein made from amino acids. It’s one of the major component in bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Collagen is also found in many other body parts, including blood vessels, corneas, and teeth.

Collagen is derived from Greek word “kolla” which means glue. So basically collagen is the human glue which holds all things like skins muscle tendons etc together.

Collagen is divided into 28 types. () % of collagen in human body is Type 1 collagen which is found in skin tendons and internal organs. The vast majority of the remaining collagen in the body is made up of the following types: 

• Type 2: Found in the cartilage.
• Type 3: Found in the bone marrow and lymphoid tissues.
• Type 4: Found in the basement membrane (thin sheets of collagen that surround most types of tissues).

Type 5: Found in the hair and the surfaces of cells.

Benefits of having a collagen rich diet

Having a collagen rich diet has various benefits in the human body. Which are listed as follows

• improved skin tone
• reduced hair loss
• improved sleep
• build stronger muscles
• promote bone health
• strengthen the immune system
• healthy for the heart
• increase antioxidant and detoxification
• increase your lifespan
• restore sexual and hormone health
• promote bone health
• help individuals to be calmer and more upbeat mood
• help with weight control

Also a study in January 2018 found that post-menopausal women who had age-related reduction in bone mineral density who took 5 g of certain collagen peptides for one year benefited from increased bone formation in the spine and hip.

How can one add collagen in their diet

The body naturally makes collagen when protein is broken down into amino acids.

So if one eats a healthy protein rich diet. Your body will automatically break the protein and make more collagen( yup you guessed it right that’s why all the bodybuilder look younger than their age). In order to make your body’s collagen production level high eat a varied diet filled with whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, seafood, and nuts.

However I must also state that’s the richest source of collagen is mainly found in the connective tissues of animal foods. For example, it’s found in large amounts in chicken and pork skin. One particularly rich source is chicken bone broth.

Food sources of collagen include the following:

• Fish
• Chicken
• Egg whites
• Citrus fruits
• Berries
• Red and yellow vegetables
• Garlic
• White tea
• Leafy greens
• Cashews
• Tomatoes
• Bell peppers
• Beans
• Avocados
• Soy
• Herbs high in collagen (Chinese knotweed, horsetail, gynostemma)
• Herbs that help to produce collagen (gotukola, bala, ashwagandha)
• Collagen supplements

The other various sources of collagen nowadays are the various collagen beauty creams, massage oils etc.

As we age body’s collagen producing ability reduces. And hence when the skin looses its elasticity the skin starts to get wrinkly and saggy. Decrease in collagen may also lead to stiffer and less flexible tendons and ligaments, shrinking and weakening muscles, joint pain, osteoarthritis, and gastrointestinal problems.

Conclusion

In the end all I would like to say just having a collagen rich diet, applying beauty creams or adding collagen supplements in your diet alone wont much affect the production of collagen in your body. One also needs ato have a fit and active lifestyle to make the maximum of any diet one follows.