Collagen

What is collagen?

The name collagen comes from the Greek “kólla”, meaning glue, and “gen”, denoting producing. It is an important building block of the whole body: collagen is the major component of connective tissues that make up several body parts, including skin and muscles. Figuratively, it is the glue that holds your entire body together.

Collagen is composed of several amino acids, like glycine, proline, alanine, hydroxyproline, and glutamic acid. Hydrolyzed collagen and collagen peptides are much smaller pieces of collagen that is even more easily digested by the body.

The collagen produced by our body decreases with age. By the age of 40, the body has already lost about 15% of its natural collagen content. But other factors such as alcohol, smoking, poor diet and exposure to high UV radiation all have a harmful effect on collagen production.

Collagen deficiency results in wrinkles, dry, sagging skin, brittle hair and nails, joint pain and inflammation, increasing joint injuries, and slower healing processes.

What is collagen good for?

The beneficial effects of collagen impact our entire body. It gives elasticity to our skin, hair, ligaments, tendons, and strength to bones and cartilages. It also affects the digestive and immune systems.

The effects of collagen on the health of our skin, hair and nails.

Several studies have shown that the usage of collagen supplements can improve the elasticity and moisture content of the skin, can reduce wrinkles - in other words, it can make your skin much more beautiful!

As the body gets older, it produces less and less collagen, causing wrinkles. In one study, women who were following a diet containing 10 to 15 g of collagen a day for eight weeks, found their skin more hydrated, more elastic - and the depth of wrinkles decreased significantly. The anti-wrinkle effect of collagen has been explained by its ability to stimulate the body’s own collagen production and incorporation in the body. They also promote the production of elastin and fibrin, which are responsible for tighter skin.

Based on scientific studies, researchers have found that there is a strong correlation between the destruction of collagen in the body and hair loss with ageing. In addition to collagen, you can stimulate hair and nail growth with Peak Keratin Capsules! Along with collagen, it is a real beauty-combo, and lots of baby hair are guaranteed!

Collagen supplementation can reduce cellulite.

A study from 2015 has demonstrated that long-term consumption of collagen peptides can significantly improve the condition of cellulite in women, especially in overweight subjects.

However, it should be noted that this is only true for internally consumed collagen supplements because in externally applied creams the collagen molecules are too large to be absorbed through the skin.

Collagen as a joint protector: it also helps to regenerate cartilage!

Healthy joint cartilage is made up of cartilage cells that are covered with synovial fluid (water, collagen). Collagen is a connective tissue in which cartilage cells are located. Their water-binding ability ensures the elasticity of the cartilage, protects the joint against inflammation.

Cartilages are able to regenerate. Cartilage cells can proliferate and produce collagen. If the nutrients needed for cartilage regeneration are not present in sufficient amounts, tissue strength will be reduced.

Athletes who suffered from joint pain experienced reduce or complete disappearance of pain when receiving a collagen supplementation for 24 weeks.

In brief, anyone who is suffering from joint pain should give a try to collagen supplementation. If you want to take advantage of the anti-inflammatory and painkiller effect of collagen, experts recommend at least 20-30 g of collagen intake per day.

Collagen also plays a role in preventing bone thinning

The occurrence of bone thinning is most common in women. They are advised to use 10-15 g of collagen per day. Several studies have shown that comparing the effects of calcium and collagen on bone mass, collagen reduced bone degradation much better than calcium.

The effect of collagen supplementation on muscle growth and regeneration

High-protein diets are the most effective for building and maintaining muscle, so it is necessary to consume a lot of protein to keep your body tight and in shape.

As we mentioned above, collagen is a protein, so it can be included in the total protein intake, thus having a positive effect on maintaining and developing muscle mass - especially in the elderly.

The effect of collagen on the digestive and immune systems

Collagen can also be found in the connective tissues of the bowels and is essential for the protective functions of the digestive system.

Glycine in collagen helps the growth of beneficial bacteria in the stomach. These beneficial bacteria help with digestion, absorption of nutrients and take up the fight against harmful bacteria and various gastrointestinal inflammations.

In addition, the intestinal system is responsible for the proper functioning of the immune system. 70% of the strength of the immune system comes from the intestinal tract, as it is primarily the intestinal flora that protects your body from bacteria and viruses, so strengthening it is absolutely necessary.

Types of collagen

There are several well-known types of collagen. About 90% of the body’s collagen is type 1, so type 1 is the most common building block of collagen in our body. This type helps keep bones, hair, tendons and ligaments healthy.

Other common collagen types are: 

Type 2: this type can be found in the cartilages. This elastic tissue material relieves the movement and friction of the joints together, so type 2 collagen helps us to move painlessly.

Type 3: in addition to type 1, it is the second most common type of collagen in the body. It can smooth the inside of the skin, organs and arteries. It is found in skin, muscles and bones with the type 1 collagen.

Type 5: they are located on the surface of the cells and they are good for the hair as well. Interestingly, this type of collagen is also present in the placenta.

Type 10: his type of collagen contributes to the formation of bone and cartilage, preventing the development of diseases such as arthritis and osteoporosis.

Collagen can also be grouped according to where it is obtained from. The most popular is bovine collagen, which is extracted from the skin, bone and cartilage of cattle. Bovine collagen contains the most important types of collagen, so it can cover almost any collagen need. This has been the most researched type, and it has the most proven health benefits.

Besides this, there is also pork, chicken and marine collagen. They do not contain all the important types of collagen, and research that examines their health effects is also poor.

What is the difference between collagen and gelatin? 

Hydrolyzed collagen is not the same as gelatin. To achieve the hydrolyzed form, collagen is processed much more intensively, which breaks down the proteins into even smaller parts - making this hydrolyzed form easier to digest and better absorbed by the body.

Collagen intake - exactly for whom and how much is it recommended?

5 grams of collagen: the minimum intake for maintaining a healthy lifestyle - up to about 30 years of age. Over the age of 30, your body’s production of collagen begins to decline, so this amount needs to be increased to 10-15 grams.

18-30 years: 5 g collagen / day

31-50 years of age: 10 g collagen / day

Over 50 years of age: 15 g collagen / day

This is an age-based threshold. If you want to take advantage of collagen, you may want to take a higher dose!

10-15 grams of collagen is the amount that will visibly make the skin more beautiful, smooth out wrinkles, strengthen nails and hair when consuming regularly. This amount is anti-inflammatory and also improves digestion.

30 grams of collagen is what is recommended to reduce joint problems or increase muscle mass.

In addition, you need higher collagen intake (even at a younger age) if your lifestyle counteracts collagen production: these are factors such as smoking, sunbathing, or unhealthy eating.

What should you pay attention to when taking collagen?

Vitamin C is important for the body’s own collagen production. Vitamin C intake is, therefore, a must - Peak Collagen THEREFORE CONTAINS VITAMIN C.

The best is to consume hydrolyzed bovine collagen. It is more easily digested and absorbed - and contains all the important types of collagen that provide the health benefits mentioned above.

The powder texture is efficiently absorbed and can be easily mixed with your favourite protein smoothie, tea, juice - or even with yoghurt!

What should you combine collagen supplementation with?

If you want more beautiful and youthful skin, you may want to combine collagen with hyaluronic acid (as you’ll find it in Peak Collagen Drink Powder) to make it more efficient. Hyaluronic acid is as much a part of your body as collagen. Hyaluronic acid connects and fills the cell-like network in the connective tissue, ensuring the elasticity and firmness of your skin.

So the combination of collagen and hyaluronic acid is truly effective in anti-ageing! Important to note, that the effect of hyaluronic acid is weaker when applied externally. When used as a cream, you can positively affect the water balance of the epidermis, but not your connective tissue - that's why you should take THESE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS FROM THE INSIDE!

If you are using collagen for joint problems, it is recommended to include a complete joint protector - such as Peak Arthro Stack - for an even stronger effect.

If you want to use everything against cellulite, you should also use Pyruvate, a metabolic booster in addition to collagen, with which you get the strongest combination against cellulite.