Benefits of Collagen and How to Add it To Your Diet
Collagen is a major buzzword in today’s health and wellness industry. Everyone from beauty bloggers to personal trainers seem to be talking about how much they love adding it into their diet. But what is collagen? How can it benefit you, and where can you find it? Get answers by checking out our guide to collagen below.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is the body’s most plentiful protein, giving skin, bones, and tissues their strength and structure. It plays a vital role in helping your blood to clot and keeping the body held together. In fact, the word collagen comes from the Greek word “kolla,” which means glue.
The body produces at least 16 types of known collagen. This naturally occurring collagen is known as endogenous collagen. It is densely packed in the skin, bones, and teeth, but is more loosely packed in areas around the joints. Endogenous collagen also gives structure to muscles and in each layer of skin.
Exogenous collagen is a synthetic form of the same protein, meaning it comes from an outside source like supplements. Collagen production declines with age, exposure to UV light, or because of other harmful habits like smoking and excessive sugar intake. People in these categories can take collagen supplements to avoid the problems that come with collagen depletion.
Benefits of Collagen
As we’ve mentioned, collagen is an essential protein that gives the body strength and structure. But it has many other benefits too. Here are a few of the other important qualities of collagen:
- Increases muscle mass
- Decreases arthritis pain
- Improves skin elasticity
- Protects organs
- Eases joint pain
- May improve digestive health
- Strengthens nails, hair, and teeth
- Improves liver health
How to Add Collagen To Your Diet
Certain foods naturally contain large doses of collagen, like bone broth and chicken. Other foods can aid your body in the production of collagen by providing vitamins and minerals necessary for collagen syntheses, like vitamin C, sulfur, and amino acids. Such foods include egg whites, leafy greens, garlic, beans, and citrus fruits.
Collagen supplements are another convenient way to add collagen to your diet. These supplements come in a wide variety of flavors, or they can be purchased unflavored and added to just about any food. Try collagen supplements in smoothies, coffee, pudding, or even dinner recipes like chili and pot roast.
Contact Us Today
Do you own a nutraceutical company? Increase sales by adding collagen to your product lineup. Consumers are loving collagen and the many benefits this protein has to offer. MBi can help you create a premium collagen supplement they’ll be anxious to purchase.
Contact MBi today to learn more about creating a custom formulation of your own collagen with our help. Choose from thousands of flavor combinations and allow us to help with shipping and packaging. We’re passionate about creating quality nutraceuticals from the best raw ingredients, and ready to help your business shine. Learn more from MBi today.