What is Collagen? 4 Things You Need To Know About Collagen
In our bodies, collagen is the glue that holds us together. Made of amino acids, it makes up much of our connective tissue. In fact, it’s the most common protein found in humans.
Let’s take a closer look at how collagen supports health, the different types present in the body, and more.
How is Collagen Made?
Mammals naturally produce collagen by combining amino acids with vitamins and minerals. For humans, this process occurs when we eat protein-rich foods, such as chicken, fish and dairy products.
However, as we age, our ability to make collagen diminishes. This is where collagen powders and supplements are incredibly valuable. Examples include bone broth and hydrolyzed collagen.
Collagen powder is the result of processing the proteins from animal tissues into gelatin. This gelatin is further broken down into powder. Hydrolyzing those sources of collagen leaves us with proteins containing smaller amino acid bonds.
What is Collagen Good For?
VeryWellHealth explains that conditions from loss of flexibility to decreased muscle mass can all stem from a lack of collagen.
Collagen supports skin, muscle, and joint health, among other benefits. However, as the body ages, it produces collagen in smaller quantities. We unfortunately stop production of collagen as we get older (around mid 20s) and hence our skin becomes wrinkly and bones weaken. This can contribute to a variety of issues
- Skin elasticity and recovery: Collagen is essential for skin to maintain elasticity. Over time, as collagen levels decrease, wrinkles can form, and recovery time for superficial injuries to the skin can take longer to heal.
- Aching joints and arthritis: Joint pain can also be linked to diminishing levels of collagen. When collagen decreases, cartilage can wear down too, causing osteoarthritis - also known as ‘wear-and-tear’ arthritis
- Digestional problems: Depleting collagen levels can also result in a thinning of the intestinal lining. Maintaining collagen levels in your body can help improve gut health.
By taking collagen supplements, you can introduce more collagen (and amino acids) into your body to rejuvenate your looks and improve your quality of life.
Is Collagen Vegan?
There is no such thing as vegan collagen. Collagen is exclusively made from animal products including hides or skins, cartilage and bones. This is also true for gelatin and other specific types of collagen rich supplements.
While scientists have outlined that animal-free collagen can be sourced from genetically modified yeast and bacteria, WebMD notes that their efficacy has not been firmly established. Results from these such products may not achieve the same results as animal-based collagen.
At Gelpro Australia, we believe natural is best, which is why we always steer clear from using any GMO ingredients and always source the best quality ingredients available (grass-fed & finishes, organic, sustainable & ethically sourced).
Nevertheless, there are other vegan-friendly options to boost the body’s ability to produce collagen naturally. These include seeking plant-based support for collagen by introducing foods high in vitamin C, zinc and copper into your diet. In fact, a diet high in vitamin C improves collagen synthesis and absorption; when paired with a collagen powder, vitamin C supplements such as Gelpro’s Raw Native C can greatly improve the effects of collagen.
What are the Different Types of Collagen?
There are many different types of natural collagen within the human body - at least 28 types have been identified. A few of the most well-recognized and understood include:
Type I collagen: This is the most common type of collagen in the body, it’s present in skin, teeth, tendons, ligaments, and many other areas. Type I collagen is known for being the strongest type of collagen and is the ideal choice to help support healthy skin and reduce signs of ageing
Type II collagen: This is mostly seen in joints, specifically cartilage. Type II collagen helps support the connectivity tissue between your bones. Bone broth collagen supplements contain Type II and are useful in boosting joint mobility
Type III collagen: This is commonly found in muscles, skin and the intestines. Similar to Type I, Type III supports skin and organ health.
Type V collagen: Type V collagen helps regulate the development of collagen fibres. Working with Type I and III, this type of collagen is responsible for improving tissue quality, improving the bone matrix and has benefits for eye health and cell membranes.
Understanding the benefits of variety, and the difficulty of incorporating some of these collagen types into our everyday diet, we've set out to create a unique blend of these pure collagens known as our Multi Collagen. Much like our Peptipro, it's unflavoured and completely flavourless so it can be conveniently added to any beverage or meal.
Advanced and Ethically Sourced Collagen Supplements
Finding a quality collagen supplement you can reliably and conveniently include in your wellness routine shouldn’t be difficult or frustrating. Know that you can count on our undeniable high quality standards and our ethical and sustainable advanced manufacturing processes for a reliable collagen supplement.
We offer a wide range of sustainably and ethically sourced collagen, wholefood and superfood supplements to support your wellness journey. Our collagen supplements are specifically manufactured using only sustainably sourced ingredients, such as cattle hides from Australia and New Zealand, and cod skin from the pristine North Atlantic & Arctic ocean. We transform these raw ingredients by applying advanced manufacturing processes that deliver a unique Microactive collagen peptide powder that offers advanced bioavailability.
Discover the benefits of our ancestrally inspired daily wellness essentials and shop our Original Hydrolysed Collagen Peptides at Gelpro Australia.
