4 Ways Collagen Can Help You Feel Better In Your Body
Admittedly, I was initially drawn to collagen for its skin-loving benefits, which I think is one of its more widely-known benefits. As I've started to move into my late 20s, I've noticed my skin isn't as youthful as it used to be, which may be a result of my former tanning years (oh, do I ever regret those!). But it’s also very likely due to the fact that our rate of collagen production actually starts to decline by 1.5% every year after our mid-20s.
As much as I’m excited to reap the skin-loving benefits of collagen, what also drew me to it is all of the other benefits it has for our overall health that can ultimately help us all to start feeling better in our body, despite our age
Before I dive into that, I wanted to share more about collagen and why everyone is raving about it as of late (for good reason!).
What Is Collagen?
Collagen, or collagen peptides (which are a long chain of linked amino acids) is the protein or "glue" that holds our body together. It's found throughout our connective tissue, including our skin, muscles, bones, blood vessels, digestive system, and tendons.
We naturally produce collagen in our body (think of a baby with their plush, super soft skin), but as I mentioned previously, as of our mid-20s, our body's natural collagen production begins to decline by 1.5% every single year. That means, by the time we're 40, we are producing 25% less collagen in our body than we did in our 20s, making us feel and look older. That can manifest in a number of ways including: joint pain, gut-related issues, increased appearance of wrinkles, droopy skin, weakened immunity, as well as dry and brittle hair, skin and nails.
I’m the first to accept that aging is a natural bodily process, but I'm also a huge fan of doing things that will help us to feel and look our best no matter what stage we're at in our lives, which is why supplementing with a high-quality collagen supplement is so important once we hit our mid-20s.
Where Does Collagen Come From?
There are two types of collagen – Marine and Grass-Fed Collagen.
Marine Collagen is derived from wild-caught fish scales. It’s made up of Type 1 Collagen, which is the most abundant type of collagen in our bodies. While it comes with all of the previously mentioned benefits collagen comes with, it’s especially known for its skin-loving benefits.
Grass-Fed Collagen is derived from the hides of cattle, or bovine. It’s made up of Type 1 and Type 3 collagen, which can be found all throughout the body and connective tissues, making it great for skin and overall health.
In terms of which is the “better” source of collagen, there isn’t a huge difference. Some say that the Marine Collagen is more beneficial for its skin-related benefits, but it really comes down to your personal preference. If you don’t eat meat or have a sensitivity to fish, then your choice is rather easy. But either way, your consistency and compliance with taking collagen daily will ensure your “success” and determine to what degree you will experience the benefits of collagen.
4 Ways Collagen Can Help You Feel Better
1. Collagen Can Alleviate Joint Pain
In all honesty, joint pain is something I thought I wouldn’t have to address until I reached my 50s (ha!). But after 5 years of CrossFitting and years of living in an inflamed state (as a result of stress and eating processed 100-calorie snack packs, alongside other processed foods), joint pain came on a lot earlier for me.
What I’ve found through supplementing with collagen is alleviated joint pain, likely due to the support it provides in the way of elasticity and strength of joints. What happens is that the collagen peptides accumulate in the cartilage of the joints to maintain joint health, which can help to reduce the risk of joint deterioration and relieve the pain associated with degenerative joint changes.
I also found the results of a 2009 study to be super interesting that showed osteoarthritis symptoms to decrease by 40% when taking a type II collagen supplement derived from chicken necks for 90 days. Just further evidence of how effective collagen can be for joint pain and overall mobility!
If you’re currently struggling with joint pain, you may want to explore a collagen supplement, or rather Sproos’ Enhanced Blend “Sproos Up Your Joints” that contains a synergistic combination of 5 active ingredients (grass-fed beef collagen, glucosamine sulfate, MSM, organic turmeric and hyaluronic acid) that helps to provide relief to tired, achy and stiff joints so you can move and feel better in your daily life!
2. Collagen Can Provide Relief For Digestive-Related Issues
According to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation, every year, more than 20 million Canadians struggle with digestive disorders, including lactose intolerance, Celiac disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and food sensitivities. The result of each of these is a compromised, or permeable, gut intestinal lining that can actually result in more issues, including inflammatory and allergic reactions, migraines, eczema, chronic fatigue, and food sensitivities.
But what collagen has been proven to do, is heal and seal the gut intestinal lining to make it impermeable, preventing things like metabolic waste and undigested proteins to leak through the intestinal barrier that would have otherwise contributed to digestive-related issues. It does so, thanks to the amino acids found in collagen, such as glycine, glutamine and proline, which are known for their role in healing the gut lining.
3. Collagen Can Promote Satiety
Let me be clear – hunger is not a bad thing. But constantly feeling dissatisfied after eating or left feeling hungry can leave us feeling obsessed or preoccupied with food. In some cases, it can leave us feeling distracted, moody or “hangry” too.
What I love about collagen is that, while it may not be a complete protein (since it only contains 8 of the 9 essential amino acids), it’s very satiating! When I have it in the morning with my coffee (specifically the Sproos MCT Collagen Creamer, which is INSANELY delicious), it tides me over until lunch. Or, on days where I may not be hungry for breakfast yet (usually on days where I don’t go to the gym in the morning), I like it as an alternative, also because the protein from the collagen and healthy fats from the MCT Collagen Creamer make it blood sugar-balancing, energizing and great for mental clarity and concentration.
Before I would feel like I needed a treat to get me through the morning, which I’m certainly not against, but as someone who likes to be productive in the morning, I was finding that food started preoccupying too much of my brain in the morning. When you feel truly satiated as well, you are also less likely to overeat, which might otherwise result in discomfort or guilt and take people through the restrictive dieting cycle, which I work to help my clients avoid.
4. Collagen Can Alleviate Workout-Related Soreness
Some workout-related soreness is normal to a degree, but when your post-workout soreness turns into a bit of a 3-4 day bender, it might be a sign that your body is in need of additional healing support.
Collagen is great for speeding up the repair of connective tissues that are damaged from an intense workout by promoting a healthy inflammation response in the body. And since our ligaments are almost entirely made up of collagen (75%, to be exact), it can be a great way to rebuild connective tissues that might be getting strained as a result of physical activity.
The great thing about collagen too is that it's very bioavailable, making it easier to rapidly absorb the amino acids (especially post-workout) so the proteins can quickly go to work in repairing and replenishing the proteins that were broken down during exercise.
Remember though, because collagen isn’t a complete protein, it wouldn’t necessarily replace your post-workout shake that does contain complete proteins but it still acts as a great aid in supporting healing and recovery.
Sourcing a High-Quality Collagen Supplement
Sourcing is really important when it comes to choosing a collagen supplement, which is why I use and recommend Sproos Collagen Supplements. There are a growing number of collagen supplements on the market today, but when it comes to choosing one, you want to ensure they are prioritizing high-quality non-GMO ingredients, which Sproos does with success.
My personal favourites are the Sproos Marine Collagen (as I’m a hot and cold meat-eater), the MCT Collagen Creamer (seriously, it’s a sad day if I forget it at home and can’t put it in my coffee or warm drink) and their Collagen Bars!
If you're new to collagen or love collagen and want to stock up, you can use “sproosrachel15” over on sprooslife.com to save 15% off of your order!
Have you used collagen supplements? How has it helped you to feel better?
This post was created in partnership with Sproos. However, all opinions are always my own.