Have you heard about collagen? To tell you the truth, until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know much about collagen as a supplement and I was surprised to hear all about it recently during a health conference.
The term collagen comes from the Greek word ‘glue’ and it’s the most ample protein in the body and collagen is the main component for muscles,tendons, skin, bones, hair and ligaments. Unfortunately nowadays it seems that there’s a collagen decline due to people eating high levels of sugar. Also trauma, for example when we break a bone, or being overweight which may bring joint issues – which is a very common factor – and menopause as it may affect bone health.
It is understood that with age we loose collagen and this may cause circumstances where one has recurring thinnening of the skin, joints and muscles become stiff and we could become more vulnerable to injuries and fractures.
The questions is, what can we do that can help us in a natural way? What food accounts for collagen? Research shows that there isn’t much food out there rich in collagen that can help, but the ones that do, are pork skin, bone broth, fish with the skin on, chicken, fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C such as citrus fruits, broccoli, kale and red peppers.
If you’d like to boost collagen you can also consider a supplement like Life Botanics marine collagen powder to get results quickly at an affordable price.
Below are some recommendations that may help us better manage our bodies especially as we get older and to help us remain active:
- try to exercise as this is very important.
- try eating more fruit & vegetables, as it seems that we need to eat much more than what we are now.
- take vitamin D, which is recommended to take between autumn and spring, this is because it’s not easy to get vitamin D from food alone as you would have to eat much more than what we are doing now.
- magnesium, which is found in wholegrain, nuts and seeds.
Exercise also reduces cholesterol. diabetes and stress and helps with mobility and is good for mental health. Some good ways to exercise are by doing the following exercises:
- resistance training where we build muscles,
- yoga, which helps with bone density,
- Pilates, which helps to protect the bones,
- good posture
- stretching your muscles.
At the moment research shows that evidence with regards to taking collagen supplements is a bit weak as theres not much information out here with regards to it working or not. The main issue is dosage: how much is enough? What has been learnt is that when taking collagen it is understood that it works only for a few hours, hence the need for more research into it. One bit of advice is not to give it to children at for the time being.
Research has shown that 10grams of collagen supplements should be fine for adults looking to support their overall health and fitness, the best collagen supplements provide a convenient way to alleviate joint aches and promote recovery, allowing you to stay active and enjoy sports.
One company that is looking into collagen more now and doing research, is Colnatur, a food supplement. This product and company is a good quality product which is trustworthy and well researched. Colnatur uses natural ingredients that are easier for the body to absorb and which are enriched with minerals and other natural ingredients. A plus about this product is that you can also bake with this product. I would recommend the pork collagen as its the best choice out there.
