4 Signs Your Body Could Benefit from Collagen
By Nikki Doering, RD, LD
June 1, 2020
Everyone’s talking about collagen powder and maybe your friend swears her joints feel better or her skin looks more youthful because of the collagen powder she is using. To sort through the many claims, we’re sharing what collagen actually does, who could benefit from incorporating it in their daily routine … and the best (and most delicious!) ways to use it.
Because of the many benefits of collagen, we recently created our own Key Collagen powder to source the highest quality available. It’s produced in a cGMP facility (good manufacturing practices), is dairy free, gluten free, and non-GMO.
Consider Collagen If You’d Like To …
- Decrease Joint Pain (And Postpone the Need for Surgery) – Day in, day out I see clients whose knees and hips are so painful it makes their favorite activities off limits. Turns out the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons supports this anecdotal finding of mine, sharing that over 1 million people had hip and knee replacement surgeries in just 2014 alone (1). For all those people (maybe you or someone you love?) looking for something to decrease pain and postpone needing surgery, Key Collagen is a great choice. It helps support healthy joint mobility and tissue – so much so that I’ve had several clients notice a decrease in joint pain shortly after introducing collagen – some even feeling relief in less than a week.
- Support Bone Health – We all know an elderly loved one who has fallen and broken a bone, and research backs that up, as an estimated 200 million women suffer from osteoporosis worldwide (2) and 1 out of 3 women (and 1 in 5 men) over the age of 50 will suffer a bone fracture (2). Yikes! If you want to support bone health, Key Collagen is a great addition. Collagen is a key component of bone health (right alongside calcium!) as it makes up a large part of our bone mass (3). The results of a study of 131 postmenopausal women showed that collagen increased bone density compared to no significant change in bone density in the placebo group (4).
- Reduce Appearance of Wrinkles & Improve Brittle Nails – This is perhaps what you’ve heard most about collagen (Anything that helps wrinkles is a sure-bet media story.) Key Collagen supports the health of your skin and nails. In one research study, a component of collagen (Verisol that is found in our Key Collagen) was shown to reduce the appearance of wrinkles (5) and in another, a 42% decrease in cracked and brittle nails was shown after 2 months of using the collagen powder (6). One of my clients swears by collagen powder because she noticed a decrease in her “crepe-like” (her words!) skin wrinkles.
- Promote Flexibility, Strength & Mobility – Most people don’t go around thinking “how can I help my tendons and ligaments,” but we do. That’s where Key Collagen comes in! Tendon and ligament injuries are a part of life, happening from overuse during exercise but also just during normal daily living and activities (7). The collagen peptide (Tendoforte) has shown to make an improvement in tendon and ligament health (8).
How to Use Collagen Powder
You may wonder if collagen replaces your whey protein powder. The body is not only composed of complete proteins, but is 25% to 30% collagen. Both have important roles to play and are made up of different amino acids with unique functions, and it’s beneficial to have the full spectrum of amino acids if you are concerned about bone or joint health. Collagen is a vital component of our whole body.
Key Collagen powder has no taste making it an easy to use.
- Add scoop of collagen powder to hot tea (my personal favorite) or coffee
- Add scoop to smoothie
- Add scoop to chia pudding like this Overnight Strawberry Chia Pudding my colleague Shelby taste-tested to perfection.
The benefits are many, so take advantage of Key Collagen in combination with a healthy balanced diet of real food to help support your whole body health!
Resources:
1. https://aaos-annualmeeting-presskit.org/2018/research-news/sloan_tjr/
2. https://www.iofbonehealth.org/facts-and-statistics/calcium-studies-map
3. https://www.bones.nih.gov/health-info/bone/bone-health/what-is-bone
4. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/1/97/htm
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24401291/
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28786550/
7. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/sprains-strains-and-other-soft-tissue-injuries/
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30609761/
Jane
Can collagen be used with glucosamine supplements?
June 3, 2020 at 3:27 pm
admin
Yes, taking both glucosamine and collagen supplements together would enhance the support of joint health.
Diane
What’s the difference in taking powder or pill collagen?
June 9, 2020 at 8:50 am
admin
The differences between collagen in capsule form and collagen in powder form is the dose and typically the type of collagen. Many times the collagen in capsule form is specifically a form that may helps with osteoarthritis joint pain and can be utilized in a smaller dose. Collagen powders can have multiple benefits in the body beside only helping with joint pain, thus needing a higher dose.
Teresa Hartman-Lloyd
What are the recommended dosages for collegen?
Should it be taken twice a day or is once a day sufficient?
December 7, 2022 at 4:50 pm
admin
Collagen can be taken 2 times per day. We usually recommend 1 time per day but if you are struggling to get alternative protein sources in, are having problems with your joints/bones/tendons, we will recommend incorporating it 2 times per day. It dissolves in hot beverages easily (coffee, tea) or it can be added to smoothies (in addition or in replacement of protein powder) or added to yogurt.
Michele
I still don't really understand the difference between protein powder and collagen powder.
December 8, 2022 at 2:50 pm
admin
The main difference is they have different amino acid contents. Collagen targets bone, skin, and joint health so it contains a lot of amino acids that are beneficial for that. However, it's not a complete protein like protein powder would be.
It depends on what your goals are. For building muscle mass and satiety, protein powder is the way to go. We often recommend collagen as an "add on" in your smoothie in addition to protein powder.