Table of Contents
Introduction
Often, the secret to youthful skin and healthy joints is said to lie in collagen, but the benefits of collagen for men & women are much more than that. It is a type of protein essential for health, which is produced naturally in the human body. Collagen makes up about 30% of the total protein the body needs. Its properties such as flexibility and stiffness make it a suitable matrix for various parts of the human body such as skin, bones, ligaments, and tendons.
It is also a vital component of connective tissues, which not only provides strength and elasticity to human skin but also plays a key role in skin cell renewal. It also acts as an external structural support to connective tissue cells. Before see the benefits of collagen for men and women, let us see what is collagen.
What Is Collagen ?
Collagen is a protein composed of essential amino acids, which are mainly formed by combinations of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. It is the primary building block of our skin, bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, which includes a variety of 19 amino acids such as glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and arginine.
It acts as a kind of glue that holds our whole body together and enables us to move, stretch, or bend better. It can also be beneficial in improving the health of human skin, keeping it nourishing, relieving physical problems such as joint pain, and reducing bone loss.
Types Of Collagen
There are approximately 16 different types of collagen found in our human body, but Type I, II, and III play the most significant part.
1. Type I
Type I collagen is a versatile type of collagen, as it plays a key role in the structural components of our human body such as skin, bones, tendons, muscles, and other connective tissues. This type of collagen is usually sea-based, which is also very absorbent compared to other types. ‘Marine collagen’ is also known as a Type I collagen.
These are very useful for strengthening your nails and for dealing with hair-related issues. If you’re looking for a collagen supplement to boost your skin’s hydration and elasticity, or to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, then Type I can serve as an ideal contributor. Bone broth, fish, chicken, egg whites, berries, and citrus fruits are rich sources of Type I collagen.
2. Type II
Type II is mainly found in chicken cartilage, which is a rich source of chondroitin and glucosamine. Chondroitin is a major component of cartilage, known as a nutritional supplement for the human diet. Some studies have found that consuming chondroitin can help in the prevention of cartilage breakdown. It is a complex type of sugar that is mainly produced by the cartilage of animals such as cows and sharks.
Glucosamine is used by the body to make other important chemicals that help to make or increase the amount of special fluid around tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and joints, making them less likely to break.
3. Type III
Type III collagen works in conjunction with Type I collagen, which is found in various parts of the human body such as joints, muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, and skin. This type of collagen, like collagen Type I, plays a crucial role in increasing the elasticity of human skin and keeping it healthy. Fish is a rich source of Type III collagen.
Why Collagen Is Crucial For Men ?
Collagen is not only a buzzword in the beauty industry but is also a valuable protein for men’s health. There are various benefits of collagen for men. As we age, the body’s natural production of collagen declines, while other factors such as smoking, excessive sun exposure, and poor diet can also reduce collagen levels as well.
As a result, things like stiffening of joints, loss of muscle mass, and appearance of wrinkles can be seen. These may negatively affect men’s daily comfort or sports performance. This is why collagen supplements have become increasingly popular. So now let us what are the valuable benefits of collagen for men and women.
Benefits Of Collagen For Men &
Women
There are number of various benefits of collagen for men & women by which you can enhance healthy lifestyle, which are follows.
1. Growth In Muscle Mass & Speedy Recovery
Muscles in the human body are made up of approximately 1 to 10% collagen. For men, maintaining muscle mass becomes more challenging as they age. Collagen can be an ally for gym enthusiasts to repair and grow muscles during their daily workouts. Amino acids such as glycine and arginine in collagen can play a crucial part in the rapid growth of muscles, which help to relax and widen blood vessels along with increasing blood flow in the body.
Meanwhile, when the muscles increase in size, they get more oxygen. So for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, collagen supplements are a great addition as they have a positive impact on increasing muscle strength as well as repairing damaged muscle tissue after exercise, and facilitating faster recovery. So we can consider that this collagen benefit is specially dedicated to gym lovers among all benefits of collagen for men.
2. Enhances Joint & Bone Health
As people age, their joint health often declines. This is usually caused by the body’s natural decline in collagen, which causes symptoms such as sagging skin and joint pain which starts around the age of 20. Due to the lack of collagen in the body, the joints become stiff and their flexibility is likely to decrease, which increases the chance of injury when you do some strenuous activity (for example – a heavy workout).
To avoid this risk, people can protect their joints by supplementing the collagen that the body needs. Apart from this, the contribution of collagen is not only in strengthening the muscles and ligaments but also in strengthening the bone mineral density. So we can say that this benefit of collagen is specially helpful for the senior citizens among all benefits of collagen for men and women.
3. Contributes To Gut Health
Gut health is most necessary for the overall health of the human body. Collagen, as we have already discussed, is a protein that is essential for many other areas of our health, including the health of our gut. Among its various amino acids, glycine, and glutamine help in the protection of the intestines.
These are beneficial for people who are facing digestive problems or have weak immune systems. It helps in keeping out bad material from the body by strengthening the lining of the intestine, allowing your intestines to function properly and comfortably. Thus, this collagen advantage is among the most important benefits of collagen for men and women.
Impaired nutrient absorption is a common side effect of digestive disorders such as leaky gut because nutrients in the body that should be effectively absorbed and digested in a healthy gut can instead leak through the intestinal lining. As collagen supports the integrity of the gut wall, however, increasing your collagen intake can help reduce this loss of nutrients due to reduced bowel function. So for dealing with any above mentioned issues regarding gut, this benefit of collagen can play a significant role as compared to other benefits of collagen for men and women.
4. Promotes Skin Health
This collagen perk is especially devoted to those people who are always eager to take care of their beautiful and healthy skin. Collagen is known as an essential component that gives elasticity and structure to the skin. As the amount of collagen in the body decreases, the skin becomes less firm, resulting in wrinkles. Men and women can promote healthier, more elastic skin by adding or increasing collagen in their daily diet.
Not only this, collagen can play a major role in rejuvenating a person’s dehydrated skin or turning it into hydrated skin. It also assists in skin repair and regeneration. Wounded areas require additional collagen and other structural proteins to heal as well. So this benefit of collagen can play a crucial role in skin care routine among all benefits of collagen for men and women.
5. Supports Heart Health
Some studies have also found that collagen plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy heart. It works by providing structure and strengthening the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to all other parts of the body. If the body does not have the required amount of collagen, these blood vessels or arteries are likely to become weak, fragile, or narrowed, resulting in serious heart-related problems such as heart attack or stroke.
Some researchers have also shown in studies that daily consumption of collagen not only reduces the stiffness of the arteries but also increases the amount of good cholesterol known as HDL in your body, which helps to ward off various heart-related issues. So for overall healthy heart, this benefit is specially dedicated for its care among all other benefits of collagen for men and women.
6. Assists In Hair Health
Not only does collagen help your hair grow and reduce hair loss, but it also helps your hair in many other ways by promoting thicker and healthier hair, which can be a concern for many people as they age.
It contributes to strengthening and thickening the hair at the roots by replenishing the lost collagen on the scalp. The benefits of collagen don’t stop there, it also works to accelerate hair growth and increase thickness and volume along with it.
If a person is facing the problem of premature graying of hair, collagen also has a great solution to this problem. If a person’s body receives the collagen it needs, it continuously delivers essential amino acids to the hair follicles, helping to prevent hair follicle damage. Thus, graying of hair can be reduced and its texture can be improved.
Collagen can also provide an excellent answer to serious hair problems such as breakage and split ends or hair dryness. As a person ages, the natural decline in collagen production can lead to loss of elasticity and hair breakage, split ends, or dryness. It will provide the necessary hydration and nutrients to the hair and solve these problems. So for dealing with hair related issues like either hair loss or hair graying, this benefit of collagen is most useful among all its benefits of collagen for men and women.
7. Indirect Assistance In Weight Loss Journey
If someone wants to lose weight, collagen does not play a major role in that process or directly help one lose weight, but instead, it can indirectly support that weight loss journey by helping to regulate metabolism in a faster way. Research on the exact benefits or impacts of taking collagen on a person’s weight loss process or journey has yet to be done.
8. May Help With Anxiety Relief
If you are going through any kind of anxiety, collagen can boost your overall mood. The exact role of collagen in brain health is not yet researched.
9. Aids In Nails Health
Collagen contains essential amino acids to maintain strong and healthy nails. This can support their rapid growth along with reducing their brittleness which can lead to their breakage or damage. So this benefit is specially devoted for taking care of nails among all benefits of collagen for men & women.
Which Foods Are Enriched With Collagen ?
Generally, animal products may contain or be derived from collagen, so here is a list of the main collagen-rich foods that you can use to assist your body to meet its collagen levels –
- Fish
- Beef
- Chicken
- Meat
- Eggs
- Bone Broth
- Pork
- Gelatin
Along with this, vitamin C is also a significant component of collagen. For that, you can add following various foods in your diet.
- Berries like Strawberries
- Spinach
- Citrus Fruits
- Cauliflower
- Oranges
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli. etc
Apart from the above different fruits & vegetables, you can take collagen powder or collagen pills of well-known & established brands with the recommended dosage to meet your body’s collagen requirements in daily life for taking pleasure of benefits of collagen for men & women.
Side Effects
Collagen supplements are generally not harmful, but you should discuss with a good nutritionist whether you need them before adding them to your diet or consuming them. He will be ready to input the recommended dosage taking into account your daily eating patterns, your age, and your diet. After taking his or her suggestion regarding dosage, you should start consuming it to enjoy the benefits of collagen for men & women.
It is usually derived from animal sources such as fish and chicken, so the quality of collagen is critical before using it. Usually, when the quality of collagen is poor, side effects of collagen are seen, which can lead to allergies, high calcium levels, digestive problems, intestinal issues, etc.
In addition, one of the disadvantages associated with the use of collagen is that when you stop using it, the level of collagen in your body starts to decrease again.
Conclusion
Thus, as we discussed earlier, collagen is one of the major proteins required by our body, which includes different amino acids that contribute to maintaining the health of our body and play a major role in our body’s need for movement or stress. Hence, it is a powerful protein, which has many health benefits for both men and women.
It is a great choice if you are looking for a supplement that promotes muscle repair and growth as well as faster recovery during your daily workouts. Also, whether you’re looking for a good supporter to take care of or improve your skin, reduce the risk of serious problems like heart disease, and gut health, strengthen hair and nails, relieve joint pain, or support muscles and bones, collagen is an excellent choice.
FAQs –
1. Are collagen supplements safe ?
Yes, Collagen supplements are usually safe. But it also depends on the quality of collagen. So you can solve this problem by taking collagen powder, collagen pills, or gummy of well-known & established brands with the recommended dosage mentioned on respective products. So by adding them in terms of either powder or pills or gummy, You can take pleasure of different amazing benefits of collagen for men & women.
2. Why collagen is important ?
Yes, It is important. Because as we age, the body’s natural production of collagen declines. So for fulfill the requirement of collagen levels that the body needs, it is necessary to take it either via natural sources like animal products like beef, bone broth, fish, .etc or via collagen powder supplements. After fulfilling its levels that body needs, you can enjoy the various number of benefits of collagen for men & women.
3. Are collagen peptides good for you ?
As we age, the body’s natural production of collagen declines. It is one of the major proteins required by our body, which includes different amino acids that contribute to maintaining the health of our body and play a major role in our body’s need for movement or stress. Not only this, but it also help in maintaining the health of skin, hair, gut, joints & bone health. Etc. So as above mentioned, there are many benefits of collagen for men & women for boosting their health.
4. Will collagen break a fast ?
Yes, It may break your fast, because usually, Collagen is derived from the animal products like fish, chicken or pork.