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If sipping on some bone broth does not seem too intriguing to you perhaps a
flavored supplemental drink mix is a better option for you.
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[heart thumping]
Collagen is one of the latest buzz words in the health community.
It's hard to escape a grocery store
or an Instagram feed without spotting collagen creams, drinks, and potions
that promise a youthful appearance for decades to come.
So what is collagen?
Are there any benefits to collagen?
Who should be taking it?
How do you take it?
Is it vegan?
What are the benefits?
Is it the latest fad or is it here to stay?
Today we're going to go over all of that.
Collagen has many uses from food to medication to manufacturing.
In fact for thousands of years collagen was actually used to create glue.
Perhaps the kid eating paste in the first grade was ahead of the times.
Today there’s some debate over whether consuming collagen rich
foods and supplements actually increases the levels in your body.
That's why today I'm here to give you all the need to know facts about this new trendy supplement.
Hey everyone, I'm Dr. Jordan Wagner.
I'm a board-certified emergency medicine physician.
And on my show, I answer your urgent medical questions
and clear up myths about deadly diseases.
If you haven't already done so,
please hit your subscribe button
and turn your bell notifications on.
So what is collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body accounting
for about 1/4 to 1/3 of the protein composition.
Collagen, one of the major building blocks of bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Collagen is also found in many other body parts including blood vessels, corneas, and teeth.
You might think of it as the glue that holds everything together.
In fact, the word comes from the Greek word κόλα which means glue.
As you age your body produces less and lower quality collagen.
One of the visible signs of this is your skin, which becomes less firm and supple.
So are there benefits to collagen supplements and are they effective?
Two types of supplements are gaining popularity, hydrolyzed collage or collagen hydrolysate and gelatin.
Gelatin is created when collagen is cooked, sourced from animal hooves and hides.
These have already broken the large protein down into smaller
peptides which are more easily absorbed in the body.
There have been a few studies conducted that insists collagen might have a priming future
for muscle mass, arthritis, and skin elasticity.
Let's break them down.
Collagen is found in connective tissues of animal foods.
For example, it's found in large amounts in chicken and pork skin.
Gelatin is basically cooked collagen.
So it's very high in amino acids needed to produce it.
But there's a debate whether over consuming collagen rich
foods actually increases the levels in your body.
When you eat protein it's broken down into amino acids and then reassembled.
So the collagen that you eat won't translate directly into higher levels in your body.
Are collagen supplements more effective than natural sources of collagen?
Not necessarily.
Like every health supplement on the market,
they are called supplements for a reason, they’re supplemental.
meaning in place of something.
If sipping on some bone broth does not seem too
intriguing to you perhaps a flavored supplemental drink mix is a better option for you.
How to prevent collagen deconstruction?
As I previously mentioned collagen and its production becomes damaged as we age.
Although we can't stop the clock from aging yet.
We can control outside factors that damage collagen and its production in our bodies.
Collagen destroying behaviors can include the consumption of excess amounts of sugar.
Sugar and other various refined carbohydrates,
simply interfere with collagen's ability to repair itself.
Over exposure to sun, ultraviolet radiation can reduce collagen production.
So lather up the sunscreen and try to avoid excess sun exposure.
Smoking tobacco, aside from the billion reasons as to why smoking is bad for you,
smoking reduces collagen production.
This can impair wound healing and lead to wrinkles.
Collagen has many uses from food to medication to manufacturing.
Alternatively collagen supplements may be beneficial as well.
Some preliminary studies have shown that it may improve skin quality, muscle function,
and reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis.
Some alternative medicine practitioners have also advocated
using collagen supplements to treat leaky gut syndrome.
All right, that's been your five minute collagen conversation with me,
Doctor Wagner.
Let me know in the comments if you have any other medical questions that you'd like me to answer.
And as always make sure you subscribe and hit the bell notification.
Thank you so much for watching and stay healthy my friends.