By: Kyle Kolpin
To put it simply, collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, accounting for about 1/3rd of its protein composition. This makes it one of the major building blocks of bones, skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. There are at least 16 different types of collagen but the 4 main types are:
Type I: Accounts for 90% of your body’s collagen providing structure to the skin, bones, tendons, fibrous cartilage, connective tissue and teeth.
Type II: These are more loosely packed fibers found in the elastic cartilage that typically cushions your joints.
Type III: Supports the structure of muscles, organs and arteries.
Type IV: Helps with the body’s filtration process and is located between the layers of skin.
It’s important to note that as we age we produce less and less collagen naturally, and the collagen we do produce is of a lower quality. So what can we change about our daily diets that will help us get back to the collagen levels of our younger selves? The answer’s not exactly black and white since there’s an ongoing debate on whether or not the consumption of collagen rich foods such as citrus fruit, kiwi, bell peppers, egg whites, bone broth, and lentils, will physically translate into higher levels in the human body.
So, do we supplement? What benefits will supplementing it provide? Great questions, but let’s back up one second. Collagen peptides are unique because their amino acid composition is largely made up of Proline, Glycine, Arginine, Hydroxy-lysine and Hydroxy-proline. Unfortunately, collagen has a low biological value, mainly because it’s fairly low in BCAA’s, Lysine and Tryptophan. So it does not do that much for improving muscle mass. Sorry guys.
However, it is important to note that collagen supplementation may hold other benefits that can help augment an optimal protein diet. At this point in time, mind you, the mechanisms are unknown, however, initial studies have shown positive impact on other health domains.
Collagen’s essential in the make-up of hair, skin, nails and other connective tissues. The problem is that collagen in food cannot be used to make collagen in our bodies because the amino acids hydoxy-lysine and hydroxy-proline cannot be used to make new proteins.
The positive here is that the dipeptide known as hydroxyproline-glycine is found in high concentration in human blood following collagen ingestion. This is significant because some studies suggest that this may be important in the stimulation of HGH release from the pituitary, and we all know the laundry list of benefits that HGH has on sleep, mood, body fat and the human immune system.
Oral ingestion or supplementation of hydrolyzed collagen has also shown a positive impact on osteoblast activity, which are basically cells that develop bones, which in turn helps improve bone and joint health.
Let’s not forget that regular exercise naturally gives us an increase in hormones that have been shown to stimulate the synthesis of collagen in connective tissue. So make sure you are getting those workouts in and staying active.
Studies have yet to pinpoint an optimal amount of collagen, but today’s studies seem to suggest 15g as a suitable minimal dose. Myself? I try to ingest 20g a day on an empty stomach first thing in the morning and recommend the same for all my clients.
So, remember, stay healthy and keep learning friends.
What Is Collagen & What Are The Benefits?
