Caring for yourself is crucial for living a long, healthy life. The pillars of healthy living are exercise, sleep, hydration, and a balanced diet, but many people also benefit from supplements to enhance their bodies’ functions. One such supplement is collagen, which can provide many health benefits. Read on for some reasons why you should start taking collagen.
What Is Collagen?
Collagen is the body’s main protein, providing strength, support, and structure to connective tissues, muscles, skin, and bones. Your body naturally produces collagen, but production rates begin to decrease between the ages of 23 and 26. Eventually, this drop-off in collagen production can increase signs of aging, such as sagging, sun spots, wrinkles, and dullness.
Reasons To Take Collagen
Collagen does many beneficial things for your bodily health. Below are some potential reasons to consider adding collagen to your diet.
Slows the Aging Process
As we previously mentioned, signs of aging can begin between the ages of 23 and 26 due to collagen loss. However, increasing your intake of peptide collagen can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, improve skin moisture, and give your skin a healthy glow.
Supports Skin and Hair Health
Because collagen contains beneficial amino acids, it can aid in keeping your skin looking soft and supple. The amino acids in collagen can help reduce the appearance of scars and dark patches resulting from acne. Furthermore, it can promote the growth of healthy tissues, which can accelerate the skin’s healing process.
Collagen also contains hydroxyproline, proline, and glycine, which are nonessential amino acids that can support hair health. Hair contains keratin proteins, which share a similar structure to collagen. Plus, because collagen contains antioxidants, it can protect your hair from environmental free radicals.
Soothes Joint Pain
As your body loses collagen with age, there’s a risk of degenerative joint health, which can increase the risk of osteoarthritis. Therefore, another reason to start taking collagen is how it can support your joint health. Collagen supplements stimulate your tissues to produce collagen, thus reducing joint inflammation and pain and promoting better joint support.
How Can You Take Collagen?
Collagen can do wonders for your overall well-being and aid in your health goals. Similar to protein powder, you can take collagen as a supplement with milk, coffee, smoothies, and more. However, don’t get the two confused; there are some major differences between collagen and protein powder, such as their amino acid chains and how they support the body.
Now that you know more about collagen and its benefits, you might consider incorporating it into your lifestyle. A small change like this can have huge long-term benefits for your health!
