Collagen is the basement protein, which is the primary building material of your body's skin, muscles, joints, ligaments, hair, etc. It provides you with structural and strengthening support for your whole body. Nowadays collagen has become more viral because of its plenty of availability in the Indian market. And the usage also. People are mostly eager about whathis is... Why... Is this good? How to get them...? Here is the solution; we will see it.

What is Collagen?  

Collagen is the protein that mainly provides you with the specific features to your skin, such as structure, strength, elasticity, nourishment, etc. It actually helps the process called fibroblasts in your middle skin layer and replaces the dead skin cells with perfectly hydrated new cells. That's why collagen is considered a protective layer for the skin.

In total, there are 28 types of collagen fibers present. But in it only five are widely accepted and used collagen in human life. They are Type I, II, III, IV, and V, in short.

• Type 1: Gives strength to skin; it will provide structure to your skin.
• Type 2: Joint support and elastic cartilage.
• Type 3: Found in muscles, arteries, and some internal organs. 
• Type 4: It was found in the other layers of skin. 
• Type 5: Found in the corner of your eyes, some layers of skin, hair, & tissue of placenta

Collagen for Skin

In skin collagen is mainly helpful to reduce the wrinkles, dryness, and roughness that are present in the skin and gives a naturally youthful skin tone. The anti-aging property of collagen is widely accepted; it also reduces the blemishes, acne, pimple spots and provides a whitening property ,gives more texture to your skin, and it builds up a new, healthy, nourished outer layer with a stronger base. 

But only with collagen It is not possible; you should mix it with some other factors. It may reduce the production of melanin, so collagen should accompany vitamin C, proline, and glycine. 

Collagen maintains skin hydration and gives more youthfulness.our body is constantly absorbed and utilized the purest form of collagen. It is moisturizing , nourishing, reduces wrinkles , fine lines etc . It is good to enhance the elasticity for skin tissue.Skin barrier function, improving the ability to retain the skin's natural barriers and retain the moisture to protect against environmental factors.

Collagen for Hair

So collagen can be a better gift for your health care and also for your hair. It helps to promote the scalp health and maintain the texture of connective tissue, improve the blood circulation of the blood vessels in the scalp, and transport enough nutrients & oxygen to the hair roots. Through this, improve the hair strength and volume. And gave a natural shine. 

Collagen is the supportive factor for growing new baby hair. Why? Because it is useful for the production of the fatty acids in hair growth, and it builds hair growth practices and strengthens the skin of the scalp, it prevents the graying of the hair., removes dandruff, and natural, shiny, smooth hair grain is preferable. For the perfect hair. Supporting your bone growth is important. Bones are the major health factor to grow out your hair longer and retains the natural hair volume and strengthens it. 

Collagen is best  for bone density.  Approximately 30% of body protein comes from an adequate amount of collagen supply. the more the body helps to produce enough amino acids, so bone health is important for your hair health.

The collagens are actually build hair proteins and strengthen it to reduce the shedding and thinning of hair, split ends, etc. Thus, it has made your hair stronger, shinier, and more volumized than before.

Approximately 2.5-10 gm of collagen supplements are ideal for hair growth. It gives a noticeable change if you use them continuously for about 8 weeks. It is generally safe in nature, it is explained briefly in a review published in 2019 as a clinical study.

You can see a significant regrowth of hair while using the collagen supplement. It helps to slow down the graying of hair and mainly protects the hair from UV rays, protecting it from free radical damage. 

What are Collagen Supplements

Collagen is an important supplement made from animal or fish parts. They are mostly rich in amino acids. But Don't worry; plant-based collagen is also available in Indian markets. 

Collagen peptides are considered to be the best option as a supplement. They are mostly seen in soluble form; it is obtained from marine or cow protein. 

Collagen 1 and 2 are composed of vegan proteins , so it will be useful for those ones. who is typically vegan. 

• Type 1: The most commonly seen collagen, because of the presence of connective tissue, Type 1 collagens are the main structural component of bones. That's why it's useful for hair health; also, it can be useful in skin, teeth, bones, ligaments, and muscle health, but if you are allergic to any product related to animals or marines. You should avoid them for the betterment of your health. 
• Type 2: It's the collagen seen in cartilage tissues. They are intended to support your joint health and alleviate the pain during old age or related to any kind of disease, such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. These are the collagens mostly seen in cows and chickens.
• Type 3: It's the commonest collagen that has been abundantly seen in cows and pigs. useful for the skin and connective tissues. So this is the supplement that helps to recover skin damage and is widely seen in muscles and blood vessels.
• Type 4: It's also going to support skin health and various connective tissues present in internal organs. It gives strength to the basement membrane and the layers that cover human tissues; it can be useful in wound healing and kidney function, but it is not typically found in supplements. 
• Type 5: For both hair, skin, and eye. found in hair and the placenta. Usually we won't find type V Collagenes. 
• Hydrolyze collagen: It means the collagen has been broken up into smaller molecules when it was extracted from the animal. Also called peptide collagen, it's easy to absorb by the human body.
• Vegan collagens: They actually didn't contain collagen, but it helps to produce natural collagen supplements, and it's best for you.

Does Collagen Increase with Exercise?

There is a possibility that exercises might increase your collagen level in the body. It also keeps your skin clear and firm. how it will happen, Exercise will stimulate the blood flow, and simultaneously it gives more collagen production and gives a glowy complexion. The blood flow gives nutrients like oxygen and vitamins to the skin and repairs the skin cells nicely and multiplies the collagen. 

So exercise can reduce your stress level and prevent skin damage due to the stress. If stress is elevated the production of collagen decreases gradually, and more acid production will occur. This will stimulate the breakdown of collagen faster. But some hormones produced during the exercise will be the best solution. These hormones are infused into the bloodstream and reduce the breakage of collagen. 

Exercise is the only natural way to produce collagen. Also, if you can, take collagen after exercise. It will alleviate muscle soreness and allow your muscle to bounce back stronger and faster after an intense training session. It improves joint function, maintains the connective tissue, including ligaments and tendons, and collagen supports the tissue to become stronger and more flexible. 

Intake of collagen before a workout repairs the muscle damage during exercise.  it will reduce the risk of injury occurring at the time of the workout and support overall joint health Also Help to improve energy levels and save them for your workout.

The exercise in the face helps to improve the skin texture, chin fitting, jaw jutting, smile stretching, etc. It reduces the wrinkles of the skin and the face massage will boost blood circulation. 

Regular exercise, that was explained before it will regulate the whole body's function and release a growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland, which initiates the fibroblast cells to release the maximum amount of collagen to the body. 

What to Avoid when taking Collagen?

In most of the cases, collagen doesn't cause any kind of side effect on the human body, but some factors you should rule out before including it in your daily life.

Smoking is the main factor that reduces the whole effect of collagen and benefits the body: not only collagen, it also destroys elastin, and it leads to wrinkles and slows the wound healing process; nicotine becomes settled over the blood vessels and reduces the blood circulation naturally.

Too much sugar? It's not advisable; why? Because sugar attaches to proteins and damages the molecules. It will reduce the collagen production of the human body.

UV rays, The rays initiate the breakage of collagen more rapidly. especially; it causes your skin damage, and more wrinkles start to appear. The direct exposure reduces the collagen regeneration for long-term; sun exposure damages your elasticity and degrades the skin quality in a fast way.

The alcohol will dehydrate your body faster. If collages aren't hydrated properly, the fibers start to split and combine with one another; it will cause dry, rough skin and also damage our internal organs, so blood circulation will reduce and we won't get enough nutrients for our health, especially for skin and hair.

lack of sleep. If you haven't had enough sleep

It collapses your body as well as reduces the production of collagen. It will lead to so much wrinkle formation in your skin, especially in the face areai. It initiates the fine lines and wrinkles. So a minimum of eight hours of beauty sleep is advisable for perfect collagen production

Who should avoid the supplements in daily life like, 

If you are prone to being allergic, you should avoid them for better health (marine products, fish or eggs). 

• Pregnancy and Breastfeeding mother
• Kidneys and Liver disease. 
• Skin disease
• Gastric problems
• Taking medications for any kind of major diseases
• Autoimmune disease
• Hypercalcemia (may increase excessive calcium levels)
• Heart problems

What else does the Supplement do?

Collagen supplements may help to promote not only good skin and health. It helps your muscles, joints, and ligaments health, and it improves your skeletal system and other system functions for better health and improved life quality. we will see it

• Osteoarthritis: Hydrolyzed collagen is the most studied collagen type for joint health, reducing joint pain and inflammation, enhancing mobility, and supporting cartilage regeneration. 
• Wound healing: Collagen's primary function is to contribute to the formation of a strong, flexible matrix that supports tissue regeneration and repair. wound healing helps by attracting fibroblasts. These are the cells within your connective tissues that produce collagen and other fibers.
• Reduce inflammation: When collagen is compromised, bones can rub together, causing inflammation. Marine collagen reduces inflammation, which is evidenced by the decrease in inflammatory cytokines, and improves skin hydration.
• Strong bones: Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It's the main component of tendons, ligaments, skin, and muscles: connective tissue. It has many important functions, including strengthening your bones.
• For muscles: Type I collagen is the most abundant. . It contributes to the strength of muscles, which is essential for athletes and bodybuilding enthusiasts.
• Heart health: Taking collagen supplements can reduce artery stiffness and increase levels of “good” HDL cholesterol in the body. It will reduce the risk of cardiac disease. 
• Gut health: Collagen helps to maintain good gut health. Consuming proper amounts of collagen might be helpful to improve your digestion and may reduce abdominal pain and discomfort.
• Nail health: Various amino acids are essential for nail growth. It promotes stronger and healthier nails by reducing brittleness and minimizing the risk of breakage.
• Weight loss: Collagen can help maintain fullness and promote weight loss. But suppress your appetites and initiate the weight loss process fastly.

Do Collagen Supplements actually work?

There is no such research that says that to prove that, but some studies state it may improve your skin quality, like hydrating, texturing, maintaining, reducing the fine lines and wrinkles, and helping to limit acne, pimples, blemishes, dark spots, etc.

As for skin benefits, The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology found that a dose of about 2.5 to 10 gms per day is ideal to improve skin condition.

But still, some research undergoes to find out more relevant details to clarify it's important in the absorption, like it gets into the bloodstream and improves the collagen activity. So eating a healthy diet is a better way to ensure that you get enough nutrients for your body.The supplements may improve some disease conditions. It relieves the joint pain, damages ligaments, and gives better bone mass and muscle bulkiness. Some strong evidence proves that oral or topical supplements are good for anti-aging.  It will work for us as a gym supplement and is useful for the time of a workout to improve your energy, and it has been widely used.

Conclusion

Collagen is a useful product that has been widely used for health benefits. It's a famous protein that the body produces for your skin, hair, and health. It helps your skin structure and function, elasticity, texture, and hair health.

There are 28 types available, but some among them are commonly used. Not only for skin and hair but also for bone, cartilage, and connective tissue etc. It helps to produce the amino acids. The major factor that activates the blood circulation and maintains the quality is explained before. In medically; it is useful for fast wound healing. 

Your body makes collagen naturally but consumes it through supplements or other foods through orally.

So, improving your bone density will be helpful for hair growth, but consume it with protein, vitamin C, D, zinc, etc., for better results and reduce the side effects. A balanced diet is an alternative to collagen supplements. Also, exercise is a supportive factor for the production of collagen and reduces the damage of muscles, joints, and ligaments at the time of a workout, the age-related collagen loss will cause osteoarthritis and reduce body mass index .So people can Consume this supplement from online or nearest local stores; also find it in specific dietary supplements.

But you should avoid them in some situations like smoking, alcohol, any kind of allergies, skin disease, gut issues, cardiac disease, etc.

So always ask your physician before taking them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

1. Is it worth taking collagen supplements?

depends on your individual circumstances. Consuming collagen may have a variety of health benefits, from relieving joint pain to improving hair health. It may contribute to the health of your skin, like skin hydration and skin elasticity. reducing wrinkled muscles, joints, and muscles. Supplementing collagen appears to pressurize and reduce systolic blood pressure and LDL cholesterol and reduce fat mass, all of which are diseases. beneficial cardio protein helps diseases Foods high in protein help with collagen production because they have a lot of amino acids. Oral collagen can reduce lines, slackening, discoloration, and even cellulite in some people. So you can safely take 2.5-15 days worth of hydrolyzed collagen peptides per day. 

2. At what age should I take collagen?

So start taking collagen from your mid-twenties or whenever you start to notice changes in your skin, hair, and nails. The body's collagen levels start to decline in your mid-20s. The amino acids needed to make collagen can start to decline also. So if you want to start taking collagen for its benefits in making your skin look younger, it would be alright to start between the late twenties and early thirties for convenience, but you should choose a quality brand.

3. Which foods have high collagen? 

Consuming more foods high in collagen Some options include chicken, fish, beef, chicken skin, cartilage, pork skin, bone broth, Salmon, egg whites,

Plant foods are high in vitamin C, like citrus fruits and leafy greens are also aid in collagen synthesis. Citrus fruits are considered to be best like Oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are excellent sources of vitamin C, which is vital for collagen synthesis.

Other than citrus apples is also best among them

In dry fruits, dry figs, cashews, almonds, and peanuts, pumpkin Seeds are good. 

In vegetables Berries, Indian gooseberry

• Leafy Greens
• Nuts and Seeds
• Bell Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Legumes

Dairy products like milk, yoghurt and cottage cheese are good sources of zinc, which aids in collagen formation.

4. Is it good for pregnancy?

Collagen supplements promote quality of sleep, because sleep is essential for pregnant women. During pregnancy, the body undergoes many changes that increase the need for nutrients, including collagen. Collagen helps keep the cervix closed to prevent prematurity and helps maintain flexibility as the cervix prepares for childbirth. If mothers are not getting enough collagen in their diet, these supplements can help support the body’s need for this essential protein. It's important to choose a collagen supplement that is specifically formulated for pregnant women, as some supplements may contain additives or contaminants that could be harmful to the developing fetus. Before that, you should consult a medical professional before starting regular supplements in your routines.

5. How is collagen used in the fields of medicine and cosmetics?

Collagen can be broken down, converted, and absorbed back into your body. It has a wide range of uses in medicine and cosmetics. Collagen used for medical purposes comes from humans. Wound healing ,Collagen helps wounds heal by attracting new skin cells. Collagen's moisturizing properties make it a common ingredient in cosmetics. Also in beauty face masks Collagen is a major ingredient in cosmetics, dental composites, skin regeneration templates, biodegradable matrices, and collagen shields, which are also used as solid-support microcarriers in the production of enzymes.

Reference:

1. Yusuf E. Pharmacologic and Non-Pharmacologic Treatment of Osteoarthritis. Curr. Treat. Options Rheum. 2016;2:111–125. doi: 10.1007/s40674-016-0042-y. [DOI] [Google Scholar]

2.Murphy P.S., Evans G.R.D. Advances in Wound Healing: A Review of Current Wound Healing Products. Plast. Surg. Int. 2012;2012:190436. doi: 10.1155/2012/190436. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar

3.Holmes D.F., Lu Y., Starborg T., Kadler K.E. Collagen fibril assembly and function. Curr. Top. Dev. Biol. 2018;130:107–142. doi: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2018.02.004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Dr. Swathy N, BAMS

Dr. Swathy N Ravindran, BAMS, graduate from the prestigious Vaidyaratnam P.S. Varier Ayurveda College in Kottakkal