If you’ve ever read the ingredients in your skin care products, you might have seen collagen listed among them. Collagen has been touted as a miracle ingredient to bring back the youthful elasticity of your skin. However, one thing that’s left out is that applying it externally is not going to help. Collagen needs to be taken internally if it has to make any difference. But just what is collagen and why is it considered to be a fountain of eternal youth?
Why is Collagen Important?
Collagen is a protein that forms long chains which act as the glue holding your body together. It strengthens your bones, smooths out your skin and provides your joints with flexibility. It’s also in your hair, nails and all of your other organs. When you’re young, it’s easily synthesized by your body. But as you touch 35, the amount of collagen in your body decreases and the first signs of aging become clearly visible. By the time you touch 60, your body has only half the amount of collagen it had when you were younger. When you get to this age, you will start noticing wrinkles deepening, your hair thinning and your bones becoming more brittle.
With their benefits being understood better, collagen supplements are becoming increasingly popular. These supplements are available in the market under different names, usually collagen peptides or collagen hydrolysate. Here are six reasons why you should start taking collagen supplements when you reach 30.
1. Hydrolysed Collagen Makes Skin Younger
When your falling collagen levels are increased, you immediately start noticing changes. Studies have shown that wrinkles around the eyes decrease by 20% when you start taking collagen supplements. Collagen also helps in increasing your skin’s natural moisture levels and helps protect it against harmful UV rays. You might even start noticing an improvement in your stretch marks and cellulite once you start taking collagen supplements.
2. Fights Against Inflammation And Joint Pain
Many older people find it difficult to walk fast because their joints aren’t very flexible anymore. The connective tissue surrounding our joints is mostly made up of collagen. This collagen is what keeps our joints supple and makes movement easier. As we age, with the loss of collagen, our joints get stiffer and inflamed which makes movement painful. If you feel your knees aren’t as strong as they once were, starting taking collagen peptides everyday. With these supplements you can say goodbye to creaky joints and walk with a spring in your step again.
3. Makes Your Bones Stronger
Women in particular have to deal with osteoporosis as they grow older. Brittle bones are one of the hazards of growing older. Most people only focus on increasing their calcium intake, but collagen is even more important. Your bones are made of 90% collagen. Collagen increases the mineral density of your bones making them stronger. Taking collagen supplements everyday will keep your bones strong and reduce the risk of breakage.
4. Improves Hair And Nails
Hair and nails are made of keratin, minerals and collagen. As you age your nails become more brittle and your hair gets scantier. To halt or reverse this to some extent, it’s important to get more collagen into your body. The advantage of hydrolysed collagen is that it also has amino acids that make brittle, yellowish nails healthier and helps your hair regrow. Since collagen is needed for new hair growth, men suffering from male pattern baldness see an improvement after taking collagen supplements.
5. Helps You Lose Weight
Metabolism keeps slowing down with age but yet our appetites often don’t. The only difference from when we are young is that we are consciously fighting a losing battle to eat less. Collagen supplements help to boost metabolism, while at the same time can help you control your appetite better. Collagen also boosts muscle mass so that you look leaner.
6. Keeps Your Heart Beating Strong
Your heart keeps pumping all through your life, which can put it under a lot of stress. Collagen in your heart and blood vessels are what keeps them expanding and contracting. There is always some amount of wear and tear on these hardworking organs. Damage is normally repaired at once by collagen. However, as collagen in the body reduces with age, fat deposits are used to block these damaged areas. However fat is not elastic and that is why it leads to blockages. Collagen supplements are therefore helpful to counteract these effects.
