A few years ago, many of us didn't even know what collagen was - right? And now it's a buzz word all over the health and wellness industry.
Question is... Is the buzz necessary or is it simply another money making scheme?
Research has proved that there are many types of collagen in our bodies! One of them, and probably the most known one, is found in protein.
Collagen is also used as a "drug" to prevent/decrease fine lines and wrinkles - hence the buzz in the beauty health and wellness industry these days! But did you know that collagen's most important function is to strengthen our bones?
Another type of collagen can be found in the cartilage in our bodies. Cartilage is the connective tissue around our bones.
Well wait. Now you might think - why were we taught that we need calcium to strengthen our bones - but no one ever mentioned collagen?
Collagen & calcium, both, are the two main substances in our bodies. And they work together to create strong, yet flexible bones. Collagen is the softer part of our bones - which is encased by the harder part of our bones - which is where calcium plays it's role.
So yes! You do need calcium for optimised bone health! But you actually need collagen as well!
Not only does collagen support strong bones - but it also helps us to move our bones more freely. Joints (such as the knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, etc) allows movement. Joints are the places in our bodies which connects two or more bones. Without cartilage (remember some collagen is found here), ligaments and tendons - movement would be painful - as without it, bones would be rubbing against one another.
When we are young (<20) - our bodies have no problem to produce large amounts of collagen. But studies has shown that from the age of 20, our bodies' collagen production starts to decrease with approx 1% per year. And from the age of 40, the percentage increases significantly.
Collagen deficiencies can cause osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and all sorts of auto-immune joint diseases. Ageing is a natural proces during which our collagen levels decrease. Other factors which could contribute to reduced collagen levels are our diet and lifestyle choices - such as not consuming sufficient collagen rich foods or high sugar consumption, etc.
Collagen represents about 90% of our total organic bone mass & it is VITAL for our body's framework, bone strength and flexibility.
Research has shown that collagen peptides can boost calcium absorbtion, improve bone mineral density & maintain bone strength.
Consuming bone broth or adding pure hydrolysed collagen to your daily diet, will increase your collagen levels significantly.
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