Why Collagen Might Be The Answer To Your Muscle, Joint, Or Bone Problem

The newest “it” supplement in the health and beauty industry is collagen. Whenever a new supplement takes off like wildfire, you have to stop and ask yourself whether the reports of its wealth are real or just hype. Collagen supplement manufacturers claim that it can help with everything from skin, hair and nails to gastrointestinal problems. 

If you have been benched from running or see yourself increasingly slowing down, collagen might be the secret to getting yourself back to pounding the pavement without feeling the pounding.

A recent study published in the journal Applied Physiology and Nutrition concluded that not only does collagen help to stave away the functional joint pain, it might also be the secret key to keeping your immune system strong and your athletic performance high. 

When researchers randomly assigned athletes to two different groups, one that received collagen supplementation and one that had a placebo, what they found was that those in the collagen group had less pain and increased mobility in their joints when compared to those in the control group. 

How collagen supplementation works

Collagen helps to supply the body with a broad spectrum of amino acids, which are essential for muscle growth and repair. Therefore, it works therapeutically in the body by enhancing healing in the bones, joints, and muscle tissue. 

There is also evidence that it works in the gastrointestinal tract to cure conditions like leaky gut. Leaky gut is when the integrity of the gut barrier begins to break down. Specific amino acids that are found in collagen help to strengthen and repair the gut barrier wall.

For athletes who have had an injury, collagen can help to expedite the healing and get them back out on the playing field. It can also help to keep them from injuring themselves in the first place. Collagen works by supplying the particular services of the joint. 

In the body, joints meet bones, and then that connection is surrounded by tissues like tendons and ligaments. All of those components can be aided through collagen supplementation to keep the joints strong and injury and pain-free.

Lastly, collagen helps to support the organs in the body. Located around major organs like the liver and the stomach is connective tissue. That connective tissue's integrity is enhanced by taking collagen supplementation, which helps to keep your entire body working optimally. 

What types of collagen is best?

The problem with any supplement that is the new “it” in the industry, is that manufacturers, seeing an increased demand, get in quick and churn out low-quality products that flood the market. The key to maximizing the benefits of any supplement you take is finding the highest-quality. If you don’t, then you really aren’t doing much to help yourself.

When buying a collagen supplement, you will want to find one that has a vast number of “sources”. Collagen comes in many different types, type one, three, five and ten are just some of them. A high-quality collagen product will have as many as four different types. Since each type of collagen works differently in the body, to see the greatest benefit from supplementation, choose one that has various types to work on different body systems effectively.

The quality of the source matters

It isn’t just important to get numerous types through different “sources”, the quality of the source, likewise, matters. When reading the label, you will want to find a supplement that comes from a high-quality source. 

Look for labels that say things like “grass-fed" bovine or eggs that come from “cage-free” poultry. If a manufacturer isn’t stating the source, then, likely, it isn’t a good one, or they would want to advertise that they went the extra mile.

If you are looking for the perfect supplement to help stave away functional joint pain, keep you injury-free, and to aid the healing of your muscle, bone, or joint injury, collagen is an excellent way to boost your performance and keep you out on the road pounding the pavement without punishment. 

Find a collagen supplement that has a vast number of sources, and those that come from various quality sources, to gain all the benefits possible from supplementing with collagen.