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What are the Top Health Benefits of Collagen Peptides?

What is collagen in the human body?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body, making up about 30% of the total protein content. Collagen is comprised of fibre-like protein molecules made up of amino acids & known as the 'glue' which is the main structural component in our connective tissues. The primary role of collagen is to maintain connective tissue health & mechanical properties of the skin.

We produce collagen naturally within our body, a process known as ‘collagen synthesis’ where three key amino acids, proline, glycine & hydroxyproline, play an important role.

There are 28 different types of collagens found in the body, with the most important, Type 1, making up around 90% of the total. The natural process of aging, along with other factors such as stress, inflammatory foods, excessive UV light, lack of sleep & exercise negatively impact collagen production, however there are ways we can slow this process down through diet.

 

How Can I Add Collagen to My Diet?

The richest source of collagen comes from animals such as cows, fish & chicken, however it is not always the easiest to include in your diet as the collagen-containing cuts of the animal are not so commonly consumed, or easy to prepare. This is where collagen supplements or collagen powders can help!

Some of the key food sources include:

Bone broth 
Made by slowly simmering animal bones & connective tissue for an extended period of time in which the collagen is extracted into the liquid, creating the bone broth. This method can be very time consuming, however does taste delicious so we still love to make this for a treat. When making bone broth, always source good quality bones.

 

Fish 
You will only get collagen when eating the whole fish (bones, eyes, skin, & scales) which makes smaller fish like sardines perfect for increasing collagen intake. If eating fish flesh (such as wild caught salmon), it is best to leave the skin/scales on when cooking & eating. 

 

Chicken
Good quality, free-range & organic chicken with the skin on is a another source of collagen. Plus make sure to include the cartilage when eating the neck, drumsticks & wings…or slow cook the feet if this doesn’t give you the heebie jeebies! Chicken bones also make for a great bone broth.

 

Bovine Beef Collagen Peptides
As much as we LOVE eating all the above, gram for gram, the simplest & most convenient way to add collagen into your daily routine is to source a good quality grass-fed & finished beef collagen peptides which can be easily added into water or your favourite hold or cold drink. It is best to source unflavoured beef collagen and unflavoured collagen powder as many of the flavourings can be unnatural, synthetic or take away from the overall nutritional profile of the product. If you desire some flavour, a great suggestion is to use freshly squeezed organic orange juice, however our personal preference is to keep things simple by mixing it in with pure cold filtered water in the morning. 

 

What is Hydrolysed Bovine (Beef) Collagen?

Beef Collagen is a naturally occurring protein found in the bones, tissue, cartilage & hides of cows. These have mostly been considered by-products within the cattle industry, until recently with the increased popularity of beef collagen powder supplements.

Most collagen supplements and collagen powders are created from cow hides, a rich source of Type 1 & Type 3 collagen which are very similar types of collagens to that present in our body. Good quality collagen supplements use an enzymatic hydrolysis (water) process to breakdown the hides & produce the final powdered collagen product. 

Depending on the source, manufacturer & specific process, the final molecular weight of the collagen will vary. When the molecular weight is low, the powder is then known as ‘peptides’ or ‘hydrolysed collagen’.

What sets collagen peptides apart is that they are much finer & more easily absorbed than standard collagen powders and supplements, making them much more nutrient efficient when compared to the denser powders. 

How Does Collagen Impact Your Health?

 

What are the Health Benefits of Collagen Peptides?

Research is continuing to explore the many benefits of exogenous collagen intake for the body, with a particular focus around bone, muscle, skin, & gut health. Let’s explore some of the key benefits of integrating collagen peptides.

 

Supports Bone Strength & Joint Flexibility

Our bones are densely packed with flexible fibres called ‘Collagen’ and then hardened by minerals calcium & phosphorous.A whopping 50% of the bone is formed by collagen, making it an essential prerequisite for maintaining bone quantity & quality

Collagen not only gives us strong bones but also allows us to move them flexibly via our hinge joints. Moving our joints would be painful without cartilage, ligaments, & tendons, all of which collagen is the major component of.

Bone is a living tissue that is constantly renewing itself, however the density of minerals contained in our bones peaks by age 30. If we provide our bones with the relevant nutrients alongside weight-bearing exercise, adequate sleep & sunshine, our bone mass & mineral density can stabilise, however it will eventually begin to decrease. Bone reduction occurs when the new bone is not renewing fast enough to replace the deterioration of the old bone.

Research has been exploring the role of collagen powders and supplementation in the maintenance and regeneration of bone mass & density, with evidence indicating that supplemented collagen peptides have “…a potential increase in bone mineral density, a protective effect on articular cartilage, and especially in the symptomatic relief of pain”.

 

Helps Maintain Healthy Skin

Collagen is abundant in our skin & connective tissue, making it a foundational building block for healthy skin. 

Bovine collagen peptides are well known to maintain & improve overall skin health, repair damaged skin, manage the effects of aging, plus improve the elasticity, firmness & hydration of skin. 

The main reason for this is bovine collagen is mostly made up of the exact same three key amino acids as human collagen: Proline, Glycine,& Hydroxyproline. Together, these aminos play a vital role in keeping our skin healthy, strengthening skin structure, stimulating new skin cell growth & replacing dead cells. 

There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating the positive effect of collagen peptide supplementation on overall skin quality. One study demonstrated a significant increase in skin hydration after 8 weeks of supplementation, along with increased collagen density in the dermis. It also reported a reduction of the break-down of dermal collagen in only 4 weeks, exhibiting evidence of collagen’s anti-aging properties.

 

Can Repair the Gut Lining

Gut health is on the decline these days, and it’s no wonder with the overly processed foods and high-stress lifestyles so prevalent for many. Science is only starting to catch up to how our dietary & lifestyle choices play a role in the dysfunction of the intestinal barrier, leading to conditions such as IBS, IBD, & Leaky Gut and how such dysfunctions determine the state of our overall wellbeing.
While it is well known that collagen assists with skin health, it is often not realised how collagen can improve gut health by repairing, building & maintaining the digestive systems’ connective tissue.
Glutamine (the fourth highest amino found in bovine collagen) has been shown to support gut health by rebuilding & strengthening the intestinal lining & improving immune cell activity. With that being said, Glutamine is considered an important nutrient for the healing of leaky gut syndrome, reducing inflammation, supporting gut microbiome, detoxification & may even reduce IBS.

 

Muscle Repair & Recovery

Although collagen makes up to 10% of muscle tissue, it is technically not a complete protein because it is missing one of the nine essential amino acids - Tryptophan. Aside from Tryptophan, bovine collagen is stacked with 18 unique amino acids that each play a role in supporting muscle repair & recovery.
Type 1 & 3 collagen is high in specific amino acids lysine, glycine, arginine, & proline, making it well-suited in improving lengths of recovery time by supporting muscle repair. 
Collagen indirectly contributes to muscle growth by supporting performance with amino acids lysine & arginine. Lysine increases the plasma levels of human growth hormones, contributing to muscle growth, whilst arginine increases the Nitric Oxide levels in the body which helps to improve muscle pump, workout performance, & improved endurance.

Collagen also contains the 3 active amino acids involved in creatine synthesis - arginine, glycine, & methionine. The production of creatine supports athletic performance by allowing the body to produce more energy during times of activity.

 

How to choose the Best Collagen Peptide Supplement or Collagen Powder

This can be very difficult these days with the number of different choices. The first suggestion is to look for a well-known brand you already trust & may purchase other proven products from. Another is to investigate the information the brand is providing; how much do they understand their product, & it’s potential benefits? 

The most important pre-requisites are the sourcing, the process & overall quality of the product.

Here are some key areas to check:

  • Grass-fed & grass finished cattle
  • 100% Australian sourced, made & owned
  • Natural enzyme hydrolysis 
  • Low molecule weight - highly absorbable
  • GMO & Glyphosate Free
  • No pesticides, antibiotics, hormones
  • 100% natural nutritional profile - no additives (such as synthetic vitamins or flavours)
  • Independently tested amino acid profile

 

What are Low Molecular Weight Collagen Peptides?

The molecular weight of collagen is an important factor when considering how much to consume & from which sources (such as bone both VS a hydrolysed collagen) as the molecule size affects its absorbability. The lower the molecular weight (measured in Daltons), the easier the cell can absorb the collagen. The molecular weight of native collagen (animal bones, cartilage etc) is 285,000-300,000 Daltons, where as many 'standard' hydrolysed collagens result in a low (2000-6000 Daltons) molecular weight. 

Some brands have developed this even further, such as Cell Squared’s premium standard, Grass-Fed & Finished Bovine Beef Collagen Peptides. CellTomic™ is the collagen peptides’ atomic molecular weight of 960 Daltons, this ultra-low molecular weight results in much more highly absorbable nutrients; our body is able to uptake & use the aminos within the collagen peptides at a much greater efficiency. 

Gram for gram when compared with others, this collagen maximises the potential benefits from all 18 amino acids. Cell Squared collagen is sourced from 100% natural, certified pasture-raised, grass-fed & finished, Australian farmed cattle. Gently processed right in here in Australia using natural enzymatic hydrolysis to create an ultra-fine collagen powder & highly bio-available amino acid profile which is then tested & verified while also checking for impurities like heavy metals. 

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