Collagen is the powerhouse protein that holds our body together ... Quite literally. In fact, we get the word collagen from the Greek word “kolla” which means glue!
It's the most abundant protein in our bodies too. It provides structure to our skin, strength to our bones, and resilience to our ligaments.
But as we age, our bodies' collagen production naturally slows down.
The result? Skin that loses its youthful elasticity. This leads to fine lines and wrinkles that tell the tale of passing years.
Fortunately, there are effective ways to boost your collagen levels. It’s a good way to give a little love to your skin and joint health.
Whether it’s through high-quality supplements or dietary changes, you’re going to learn how to do it.
Let’s talk more about how to increase collagen to support your health efforts!
What is Collagen?
Before we talk about how you can produce more of it, what exactly is collagen?
Well, Collagen is a fundamental protein found only in humans and animals. It's actually essential for maintaining the integrity and structure of our bodies.
Collagen helps form our:
• Skin
• Bones
• Muscles
• Tendons
• Ligaments
• Blood vessels
…and more!
Again, it also acts as the glue that holds these tissues together.
One major reason people seek out collagen is for its role in providing strength and elasticity to skin. It can help preserve your skin’s youthful appearance and glow. Being that I recently entered my 30s, this is something I've been working to stay out in front of as well!
Collagen is made up of amino acids, but it’s not the same as other proteins like whey. The amino acids and their structure give collagen its strength and durability.
Not all types of collagen are the same though. There are 28 different types of collagen, each playing a specific role in the body.
For example, Type I collagen provides structure to skin, bones, and connective tissues. It also makes up about 90% of the body’s collagen.
Type II collagen is another common type. It’s predominantly found in cartilage and helps cushion our joints.
Then, there are 26 other types of collagen in our bodies on top of those 2.
As I mentioned, our natural collagen production begins to decline as we get older. This decrease is a major contributor to the visible signs of aging. The most common ones are wrinkles, sagging skin, and joint pain (1, 4).
This loss in collagen doesn't only affect your youthful looks either. It also impacts your overall health and vitality in several ways.
So, what I’m saying is most of us can really benefit from supporting our collagen levels.
What Happens When Collagen Levels Decrease?
Again, lower levels of collagen usually manifest visibly. It can show up as wrinkles develop and your skin becomes looser.
The effects of low collagen go deeper than just affecting your skin though. Collagen depletion also affects the body's internal structures.
Tendons and ligaments may generally become stiffer and less flexible. This can make you feel stiffness and pain in joints (2).
Collagen helps those tissues have tensile strength and flexibility. So, a loss of collagen can do the opposite.
You can also lose muscle and have delays in recovery when collagen production lowers too (3). Isn't that wild? That's just one more reason why I've personally been focused on maintaining my collagen levels.
There is even collagen in your gut lining. When collagen production decreases, the lining of the digestive tract may thin. This could potentially lead to digestive problems.
Now, this is less often talked about compared to collagen’s effects on skin health. That doesn't make it any less important to consider, though!
Understanding the role collagen plays highlights why maintaining collagen levels is essential. It’s not just for skin health, but for keeping our bodies strong and functional as we age.
How to Increase Collagen
So, how do you increase collagen production naturally?
Here are the basics you can start implementing into your diet and other routines. I can tell you, they have certainly made a big difference for me!
1. Consume Collagen-Rich Foods
The first way to start getting more collagen-rich foods in your diet. Bone broth, chicken, and fish are all excellent sources of collagen.
For chicken and fish though, you'll need to eat the skin. You can also make bone broth with them too. Obviously, this isn't really ideal which makes dietary collagen a little harder to take advantage of.
I couldn't tell you the last time I've had bone broth or the skin from chicken ... That is for sure.
2. Take Collagen Supplements
Collagen peptides in supplement form can be a direct way to increase your collagen intake. These supplements are broken down into easily absorbable forms.
They can also be great for improving skin elasticity as well as joint and bone health. However, this will also depend on the supplement you pick out, the types of collagen available, the sourcing, and much more.
However, I've been able to get far more collagen from a supplement than whole foods or any other source.
3. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
It's important to keep your body healthy if you want to keep your collagen production high. To do this, you need regular exercise, quality sleep, and a balanced diet.
Those habits are the foundation for optimizing collagen production in your body (5, 6, 7).
Don’t forget you'll also need plenty of protein! Avoiding excessive sun exposure and smoking can also help preserve collagen levels.
4. Try Hyaluronic Acid
This compound enhances the body's ability to produce collagen (8). It's found in foods like root vegetables, soy products, and is also available as a supplement.
5. Use Aloe Vera Gel
Applying aloe vera can stimulate collagen production and speed up skin repair (9). This could be one of the reasons that makes it a common remedy for sunburn!
6. Get Sufficient Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient in collagen synthesis (10). It's pretty abundant in citrus fruits, strawberries, and bell peppers amongst other foods.
Vitamin C also helps protect the skin from oxidative stress, which could also help maintain higher collagen levels.
7. Take Ginseng
Ginseng can help increase collagen in the bloodstream and has promising anti-aging benefits (11). This is a plant with fleshy roots that has become a popular herbal medicine for its benefits.
8. Try Antioxidants
Antioxdiants combat free radicals, which can break down collagen (12). Berries, nuts, and green tea are all great sources.
9. Get Retinol and Other Carotenoids
These are forms of vitamin A, and are plentiful in carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin seeds. These can boost collagen in your body, and improve skin health (13).
You can even find supplements with high concentrations of antioxidants, retinol, and carotenoids for the benefits they have to offer. In fact, superfood red powders have become popular in recent years for this reason.
Plus, collagen production is just one of the several reasons why I choose to use a reds powder. I've also noticed improvements in blood flow and natural energy!
What’s the Best Way to Get Collagen?
I hope by now you understand the vital roles collagen plays in your wellness and in your appearance. It really speaks to the importance of maintaining our collagen levels as we age.
Collagen can be a key component of a healthy aging strategy. Collagen can support skin elasticity, strengthen joints, and encourage overall vitality.
If you want to add more collagen to your diet, you can do it through whole foods or supplements. Both ways will work, but I am personally a huge advocate for the supplement route.
I say that because it’s easier, more convenient, and for one other reason: consistency. On top of that, with a good collagen supplement, you can get an excellent dose in a diverse blend of different types.
You could be the exception, but most people aren’t going to boil cow and chicken bones to extract the collagen either. It’s much easier to throw a scoop of collagen powder into your coffee or water and move on with your day.
It would likely be far more cost-effective and less time-consuming too.
It is for me, at least, and the collagen powder I use even tastes amazing! The product I'm talking about is 1st Phorm Collagen with Dermaval, and it’s been a game changer.
I never used to be a collagen guy. I used to actually think it was something only women take because they want beautiful skin.
I started using it after I had an injury, and it really helped me heal a lot faster. I also noticed I had less joint pain in my workouts, and I still get compliments on my skin to this day.
This collagen powder is different from many others out there too.
Collagen with Dermaval has 5 different sources of collagen in it. This gives your body a broader range of amino acids to produce the 28 different types of collagen.
It also has Dermaval, which I believe makes it far superior to taking collagen alone. Dermaval is a superfood antioxidant blend that can help preserve elastin levels.
Elastin is a protein in your skin responsible for making it elastic. Preserving elastin can help so much when it comes to preventing wrinkles in your skin!
Check out Collagen with Dermaval for yourself here, and read the reviews while you’re at it. Seriously, it’s phenomenal!
It also comes available in a naturally sweetened version if that's more your cup of tea: Collagen Natural with Dermaval.
In the meantime, don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have! We have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri. Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central.
At 1st Phorm, we're here to help you earn real, long-term results … and we love doing it!
References:
(1) Fisher GJ, Varani J, Voorhees JJ. Looking older: fibroblast collapse and therapeutic implications. Arch Dermatol. 2008 May;144(5):666-72. doi: 10.1001/archderm.144.5.666. PMID: 18490597; PMCID: PMC2887041.
(2) Kwan KYC, Ng KWK, Rao Y, Zhu C, Qi S, Tuan RS, Ker DFE, Wang DM. Effect of Aging on Tendon Biology, Biomechanics and Implications for Treatment Approaches. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Oct 14;24(20):15183. doi: 10.3390/ijms242015183. PMID: 37894875; PMCID: PMC10607611.
(3) Kanazawa Y, Miyachi R, Higuchi T, Sato H. Effects of Aging on Collagen in the Skeletal Muscle of Mice. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Aug 23;24(17):13121. doi: 10.3390/ijms241713121. PMID: 37685934; PMCID: PMC10487623.
(4) Li Y, Wei X, Zhou J, Wei L. The age-related changes in cartilage and osteoarthritis. Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:916530. doi: 10.1155/2013/916530. Epub 2013 Jul 22. PMID: 23971049; PMCID: PMC3736507.
(5) West DW, Lee-Barthel A, McIntyre T, Shamim B, Lee CA, Baar K. The exercise-induced biochemical milieu enhances collagen content and tensile strength of engineered ligaments. J Physiol. 2015 Oct 15;593(20):4665-75. doi: 10.1113/JP270737. Epub 2015 Sep 14. PMID: 26282066; PMCID: PMC4606526.
(6) Kahan V, Andersen ML, Tomimori J, Tufik S. Can poor sleep affect skin integrity? Med Hypotheses. 2010 Dec;75(6):535-7. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2010.07.018. Epub 2010 Aug 1. PMID: 20678867.
(7) Cao C, Xiao Z, Wu Y, Ge C. Diet and Skin Aging-From the Perspective of Food Nutrition. Nutrients. 2020 Mar 24;12(3):870. doi: 10.3390/nu12030870. PMID: 32213934; PMCID: PMC7146365.
(8) Papakonstantinou E, Roth M, Karakiulakis G. Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging. Dermatoendocrinol. 2012 Jul 1;4(3):253-8. doi: 10.4161/derm.21923. PMID: 23467280; PMCID: PMC3583886.
(9) Cho S, Lee S, Lee MJ, Lee DH, Won CH, Kim SM, Chung JH. Dietary Aloe Vera Supplementation Improves Facial Wrinkles and Elasticity and It Increases the Type I Procollagen Gene Expression in Human Skin in vivo. Ann Dermatol. 2009 Feb;21(1):6-11. doi: 10.5021/ad.2009.21.1.6. Epub 2009 Feb 28. PMID: 20548848; PMCID: PMC2883372.
(10) DePhillipo NN, Aman ZS, Kennedy MI, Begley JP, Moatshe G, LaPrade RF. Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Collagen Synthesis and Oxidative Stress After Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 Oct 25;6(10):2325967118804544. doi: 10.1177/2325967118804544. PMID: 30386805; PMCID: PMC6204628.
(11) Song KC, Chang TS, Lee H, Kim J, Park JH, Hwang GS. Processed Panax ginseng, Sun Ginseng Increases Type I Collagen by Regulating MMP-1 and TIMP-1 Expression in Human Dermal Fibroblasts. J Ginseng Res. 2012 Jan;36(1):61-7. doi: 10.5142/jgr.2012.36.1.61. PMID: 23717105; PMCID: PMC3659568.
(12) He X, Gao X, Guo Y, Xie W. Research Progress on Bioactive Factors against Skin Aging. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Mar 28;25(7):3797. doi: 10.3390/ijms25073797. PMID: 38612608; PMCID: PMC11011925.
(13) Cho S, Lee DH, Won CH, Kim SM, Lee S, Lee MJ, Chung JH. Differential effects of low-dose and high-dose beta-carotene supplementation on the signs of photoaging and type I procollagen gene expression in human skin in vivo. Dermatology. 2010;221(2):160-71. doi: 10.1159/000305548. Epub 2010 Jun 2. PMID: 2051
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