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Do you know that our skin is the largest organ of our body? This makes it more prone to different kinds of infections and harmful reactions as well as allergies. Some people have oily skin, while some have dry or normal skin. Depending upon the type of skin a person has, one needs a specific skincare routine. However, certain things act miraculously on all skin types. One such protein that plays a vital role in protecting our skin and overall health is collagen. Reading about the collagen benefits, you will surely wonder, why didn’t you know about those surprising benefits earlier?
So, without wasting any more time, let us acquaint you with the various collagen powder benefits for skin and your health. But, before we do that, let us first help you understand what is collagen?
What is Collagen?
Collagen, as we mentioned earlier, is a protein that is essentially found inside our body’s skin, bone, cartilage, and connective tissues. It is present in plenty in our skin, but as we grow old, its production decreases and our body, especially our skin starts showing signs of aging and other old-age signs like wrinkles.
4 Types of Collagen
You will be astonished to know that there are not one or two, but 28 different types of collagens, but out of them only 4 are most effective for our body and they are:
1. Type I
This is the most common type of collagen present in almost all the connective tissues of our body.
2. Type II
This type of collagen is present mainly in the intervertebral discs, and joints.
3. Type III
This type of collagen is found excessively in the blood vessels and skin.
4. Type IV
This type of collagen is found in the inner ear, kidneys, and eye lenses.
Top 5 Benefits of Collagen Peptides
1. Relieves Joint Pain
The first main benefit of collagen is that it helps relieve joint pain. This happens as collagen helps in maintaining the functionality of the cartilage in your joints and reduces the chances of osteoarthritis.
2. Reduces Bone Loss
Secondly, you may not know but the most common component that makes our bones is collagen, which is responsible to give our bones the required strength as well as structure. As we grow old, our bones tend to weaken, but if we take a diet rich in collagen or take collagen supplements, we may prevent bone loss and reduce the risk of bone fractures too.
3. Helps in Healing Wounds
When talking about the surprising collagen benefits, one can’t ignore mentioning its exceptional benefits for healing wounds. This is because collagen is a natural protein that is needed by our body for skin structuring. If used in a supplement form, collagen can keep the wounds sterile.
4. Prevents Ageing
Another remarkable benefit of using collagen is that it helps prevents aging. In a layman’s language, we would explain collagen as a kind of glue that helps to keep the body together. So, one of the most amazing collagen peptides benefits is that when it is added to your diet, it helps prevents aging.
5. Good for Heart Health
Some researchers have also found that one of the main collagen powder benefits is that it is good for your heart health. Your arteries get a structure with the help of collagen and they tend to become more flexible due to this protein. Taking collagen supplements also helps reduce the risk of cardiac diseases too.
Top 3 Collagen Benefits for Skin
1. Smoothes Wrinkles
The number one benefit of using collagen for skin is that it helps smooth wrinkles. Supplements made of collagen peptides help to give you wrinkle-free skin. It also helps in reducing skin dryness by hydrating it with the required moisture through collagen.
2. Boosts Skin Elasticity
Likewise, those eager to understand collagen benefits for skin, must note that this natural protein helps in boosting the skin’s elasticity. It makes your skin supple and soft that it becomes easy to stretch like an elastic and looks so refreshing at the same time.
3. Improves Overall Skin Health
Since collagen is one of the main compounds that form our skin, it helps in improving our overall skin health. It restores the lost hydration and elasticity of your skin and makes it look younger. Collagen supplements may also spark up the production of other skin-friendly proteins in your body.
Foods Rich in Collagen
Although the market these days is full of a variety of collagen peptides supplements, still we recommend you to include collagen in your diet by consuming the following foods that are rich in this protein:
- Egg Whites
- Chicken
- Fish and Shellfish
- Bone Broth
- Berries
- Citrus Fruits
- Tropical Fruits
- Spirulina
- Lean Meat
- Nuts and Seeds
Side Effects of Collagen
No matter how safe any collagen supplement may claim to be, there are chances that one might experience some side effects using collagen supplements. Some of the common side effects of consuming collagen supplements are:
- Heartburn
- Bloating
- Loss of Appetite
- Unpleasant Taste in Mouth
- Stomach Complaints like Diarrhea, Constipation
The Bottom Line
In a nutshell, collagen supplements are one sure-shot remedy for various health issues. It is equally good for your heart, bones, muscles, joints, hair, nails, and skin. Instead, of trying supplements to reap collagen peptides benefits, one must first try to include natural ingredients and foods rich in this protein. Those who take collagen supplements can expect to see positive results after regular consumption of the supplements for 2 months. So, don’t expect overnight results if you want to see the collagen benefits.
