Is it really the fountain of youth and can it slow down the aging process? This is something that most people think about hydrolyzed collagen, which is also known as collagen peptides.
There are certain things that are not in our control and aging is one of those things. Seriously, Who doesn’t want to stay young forever? It is a fantasy of millions but yet it is something that is difficult to maintain.
The reason why you look young and fresh is because of this one protein that helps in keeping us look that way. Yes! You guessed it right. The magical word is “Collagen”. The only issue here is that, as we age the production of collagen in our body slows down.
Now you’ll understand what’s causing those wrinkles on your skin. To increase the amount of collagen in our body, we look for alternative ways to add collagen to our diet.
Collagen has different roles, as it can help your blood clot and improve the structure of your skin.
In this article, I will take you through almost everything that you should know about collagen and why hydrolyzed collagen is considered an anti-aging collagen powder.
WHAT IS COLLAGEN
Collagen is a structural protein that we can find in different connective tissues of our bodies. You will find it in many of our body parts that include teeth, blood vessels, and ligaments.
As it works like a building block that is holding all things down. In our case, it helps to hold down bones, muscles, and skin. Collagen has gained popularity in the last few years as more collagen supplements are coming into production.
As collagen is the most plentiful protein in our body it covers almost 30% of the whole-body protein content. In simple words, collagen provides structure to different parts of your body, so you can guess why it’s so abundant.
TYPES OF COLLAGEN
At first, people used to think that there are four main types of collagen in our bodies, but as they researched more it has increased to over 15 types of collagen. Although they are categorized and most of them are in low numbers. We will still focus on the four main types of collagen and they are type 1, 2, 3, and 4.
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COLLAGEN TYPE 1
Type 1 collagen is mostly found in skin, teeth, tendons, bone, cartilage, and cornea. This covers over 90% of your total body’s collagen. It is made from thick fibers and they provide structure to the body parts mentioned above.
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COLLAGEN TYPE 2
This type of collagen is found in your cartilage and is made up of flexible fibers that help to reduce friction between joints and provide a cushion between them.
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COLLAGEN TYPE 3
Type 3 collagen is found in your ligaments, skin, muscles, and internal organs and it helps to improve their structure.
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COLLAGEN TYPE 4
This type of collagen acts as a membrane under your skin. It is found in your skin layers.
As you can note, collagen fibers also play an important role in the structure of our bones, muscles, and skin.
BENEFITS OF COLLAGEN
You have understood the basics of what collagen is and where you can find it in your body. Now we go forward to something most people love to know. That is why they should bother to add collagen or hydrolyzed collagen into their diet.
If I could list down the benefits of collagen in this article then you will get tired by reading all of them, so we will just stick to the ones that most people are interested in.
Once you understand these benefits, you will come to know how collagen helps in slowing down the aging process.
What defines that you are aging? Your hair, bones, nails, and skin. These are some of the body parts that will make you feel that you are getting old. By adding collagen to your diet you will be able to deal with different skin diseases, skin inflammation, bone disorders, and hair problems.
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COLLAGEN FOR HAIR
As you already know that collagen consists of various amino acids. Your hair cells use amino acids to produce more keratin.
The job of keratin is to provide more strength and elasticity to your hairs. Once you start adding more collagen to your diet it will eventually mean that you are improving your hair health.
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COLLAGEN FOR NAILS
There are different studies that show women who use collagen supplements in their daily life have better nails and they have reported positive results after the addition of collagen in their diet.
Sometimes nail issues can be due to your skin. Your skin layers can get infected if you have collagen deficiency. So, it’s better to maintain your collagen intake. Read More.
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COLLAGEN FOR SKIN
Wrinkles, dark spots, and saggy skin is one step being closer to getting old. When you are a kid the only skin issue you can face is acne. As you grow old the chances of other skin diseases grow with you.
Collagen can help in improving your skin color and increase the elasticity of your skin that will reduce your wrinkles. It’s better to start taking collagen supplements early in your youth so that it can prevent any formation of wrinkles.
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COLLAGEN FOR BONES
Almost one-third of your bone structure is made up of collagen. The other two parts are protein and calcium. You can find it in your joints, ligaments, and cartilage.
Lack of collagen in your body can affect your bones as you can suffer from osteoporosis and autoimmune joint disorder. As collagen is the building block of your bones, it will help to increase your bone density and flexibility.
COLLAGEN RICH FOODS
You can find collagen in foods, pills, powder, and even in liquid form. If you know where to look for them. You can also cut the chase and look at our flavored collagen peptides.
Still, you should keep your options clear and there are certain foods that are rich in collagen and other nutrients that are beneficial for your health.
Some of the main sources of collagen are meat and citrus fruits. You can add these two in your diet and half your job will be done.
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SEAFOOD
When it comes to seafood, trust me it won’t disappoint you. There are certain fishes that are really good for your health. Some of them are:
- Salmon
- Trout
- Mackerel
- Sardines
These fish are rich in collagen, protein, and calcium. So by adding seafood to your diet, you will be boosting the amount of collagen in your body. Seafood is also a part of the keto diet and consuming keto collagen foods is a plus point for your health.
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CHICKEN
When it comes to taste, if you are someone who prefers his food to have a light taste then chicken should be your source of collagen. The meat doesn’t have that much collagen but the joints do.
To extract collagen from chicken bones, you have to separate the good bones from it. The ones that have connective tissues. Boil them for several hours and drink the bone broth that is filled with collagen. You can try our chicken bone broth as well.
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BEEF
Beef bones are also a good source of collagen. Knuckles and hooves will do the job here. Just like chicken, you can also cook the beef bone broth.
It all comes down to the taste you prefer. Beef bones have a stronger taste and they are richer in other nutrients.
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CITRUS FRUITS
Grapefruit, lemons, and oranges are some of the citrus fruits that help in the production of collagen in your body.
Vitamin C does have an important role in producing more collagen in your body, so getting enough vitamin C is important if you want collagen in your body.
Citrus fruits are also known to deal with skin diseases like acne and scars. Drinking citrus juices can improve your skin color. Another thing to slow down that aging process.
If by any chance you are following a vegan diet then adding some citrus fruits in it will be great for your skin as vegetables are also a good source of vitamin C.
COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS
Collagen supplements are all about collagen powder and collagen pills. These supplements come into place when you want fast results. As eating collagen rich foods won’t be enough for your skin and bones.
Collagen peptides that are also called collagen powder usually come in two forms. One is called marine collagen and the other one is called bovine collagen.
The main difference between these two is that marine collagen is extracted from seafoods and bovine collagen is extracted from cows.
If you look up for the best collagen powder then you will notice that most of them are made from cow bones. As it is richer in collagen. In marine collagen, you can find type 1 and type 2 collagen but bovine collagen has type 1 and type 3 collagen that helps in improving your skin condition.
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BENEFITS OF COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS
If you want fast results then collagen supplements should be your first choice. Collagen powder is easily dissolved in water and can be a perfect collagen drink. You don’t need to cook food or bones to extract the collagen.
This is where collagen peptides and protein pills come in handy and you can understand the benefits of collagen peptides now. It is easy to consume and you can take them anywhere you want.
Some of the best collagen supplements come into the powder form and most of them are bovine collagen.
Our Amazon store has different types of collagen peptides, from flavored to unflared, we got you covered.
WHAT IS HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN
Hydrolyzed collagen is also known as collagen peptides and collagen hydrolysate. There is no difference, it’s the same thing with different names. So, when the collagen is hydrolyzed it’s basically broken down into smaller particles that are easily consumable.
It can later be used in different products. This also makes it easy for the collagen powder to dissolve in the water or any other drink that you prefer. Hydrolyzed collagen powder has its benefits but most of them are already mentioned above.
USE IT WITH:
- WATER
- MILK
- SMOOTHIES
As hydrolyzed collagen is a collagen supplement, you should know there are various benefits of collagen supplements. We have discussed some of them. Still, there are some additional benefits that you can get by using hydrolyzed collagen in your diet.
- GUT HEALTH
Although there are no valid studies, there are some who claim that by adding hydrolyzed collagen to their diet they have felt an improvement in their gut health.
- HEART HEALTH
Some studies suggest that collagen helps in improving the structure of arteries. If your arteries are weak then chances are that you might suffer from heart disorders. People who add hydrolyzed collagen in their diet notice a significant change in their heart health.
- BRAIN HEALTH
This is also something that is not proven but according to some people using collagen on a daily basis helps them get rid of depression and anxiety. There can be various reasons behind that but there is no loss in consuming it.
HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN POWDER FOR AGING
Once you start using hydrolyzed collagen powder in your daily routine, you will notice a few things. That your bones are healthier and your skin looks much better. The thing we talked about before was that your skin, hair, and bones are the parts that define if you are looking old.
Hydrolyzed collagen can help you to improve all these body parts. You can go through the normal way and consume all the collagen rich foods but their effect will take some time to show. That’s not the case with hydrolyzed collagen powder, as it is known to show results much faster.
The answer is Yes! Hydrolyzed collagen can help in slowing down the aging process by improving your skin, bones, and hair health.
HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN VS BONE BROTH
When we talk about the foods that are a good source of collagen then the things that come first in our mind are bone broth and collagen powder. So, what’s the difference between the two and which one is better for you?
If we compare collagen powder with bone broth in terms of collagen only then the winner will be collagen powder. The reason is simple that collagen powder provides way more collagen as compared to bone broth.
Bone broth is something that you can use for multiple purposes. It can help in improving your digestive, brain, heart, muscle, and bone health. These are some of the major bone broth benefits that you can get. On the other side, collagen powder is perfect for your skin and bone flexibility.
If you are only interested to look young, have better skin, and healthy bones then you should stick to hydrolyzed collagen as it is good for all these things. You can get other health benefits by having bone broth in your diet.
HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN SIDE EFFECTS
As you have come to know about the health benefits of collagen, in some cases, there are some side effects as well.
Although it is proven that there are no extreme side effects of taking collagen supplements, there can be mild side effects, if you increase your dosage without consulting your doctor.
Some of the collagen side effects are:
- Skin Rashes
- Digestive issues ( Diarrhea )
- Stomach heaviness
All these cases are mild and if you are allergic to fish then you should avoid marine collagen because it’s extracted from fish.
WHY CHOOSE HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN?
Now, you understand all the benefits of collagen and what it can do for your health. There are tons of different ways through which you can add collagen to your diet. There are collagen foods, collagen supplements, and hydrolyzed collagen. Now the thing is which way is the best to add collagen in your diet.
The reason why hydrolyzed collagen powder is a better choice for your collagen intake is that it is easy to consume and most of them are in powdered collagen form, so they are easy to carry as compared to carrying a bucket of citrus fruits and meat. If you are on a long tour then for obvious reasons you wouldn’t want to waste your time looking for collagen foods. So it is a convenient option in that scenario as well.
You can consume traces of collagen in your regular diet. As you grow old, the amount of collagen your body requires also increases. You can’t just pile up collagen foods during your 40s or 50s. So it’s better to use hydrolyzed collagen powder. They are more convenient, easy to use, and there are no other traces of nutrients in it, it’s pure collagen that is easily digestible.
BOTTOM LINE
Collagen as a whole is really beneficial for your health as you already know that it is the most abundant protein in our body. The only way you can slow down the aging process is to have a good fitness routine and diet. Your diet may contain tons of healthy things but it’s your responsibility to add the right foods in it. If you can’t get enough collagen through foods then add collagen supplements in your diet. This will help you to balance out the amount of collagen that your body requires. It’s never too late to add the best collagen powder to your diet. If you can keep your body parts in good shape then there is nothing stopping you from staying young and healthy.