A-Z collagen Articles

Gut health is not something that should be taken lightly. If there are problems with your gut health, it will affect other parts of your body. So it’s important to take proactive measures to keep your gut healthy. In this article, we will look at the benefits of collagen for gut health and why you should use collagen supplements to promote gut health.

Anatomy of the Intestines and Why Gut Wall Integrity is Important

It's not just the stomach that needs attention for healthy gut health. The lining of your intestines must also be strong, and collagen is an essential nutrient for this. Collagen is a protein found in healthy connective tissues such as bones and skin. It has been shown to promote healing in wounds as well as strengthen joints, which can help reduce joint pain associated with osteoarthritis.

The gut wall is a barrier to prevent toxins from entering the bloodstream. It is made of layers of cells that connect and form tight junctions. These join together to form an impermeable layer that keeps out harmful substances, bacteria, and viruses.

The gut wall is also important for immune health because it regulates how well nutrients are absorbed into your system. The more nutrients you absorb, the healthier your body will be overall. Which is why many consider taking collagen for gut health optimization.

The gut wall is made up of collagen and elastin, which help it be strong enough to withstand pressure from the process of digestion.

It is also made up of mucus and cells that help protect your body from harmful substances. The gut wall plays an important role in digestion and the absorption of nutrients into your body. It helps break down food and absorb the nutrients that are needed for good health.

What Happens When the Gut Wall's Integrity Fails?

When your gut wall's integrity fails, the pathway for toxins to enter the bloodstream is opened up. This can result in "leaky gut" syndrome, also known as intestinal hyper-permeability or intestinal permeability. Leaky gut has been linked with a variety of health issues, including IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), fibromyalgia, depression, and autoimmune conditions.

Dysbiosis 

Dysbiosis is the term used to describe an imbalance of the gut flora. It can lead to leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and other digestive problems. Dysbiosis is caused by several factors, including:

• Antibiotics
• Chronic stress
• Environmental toxins (such as chemicals in plastics)
• A diet high in sugar, processed foods, and artificial ingredients

The gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These microorganisms live in your intestines and are essential for your health. They help digest food, prevent illness-causing germs from multiplying, and assist with the absorption of nutrients. This is a very important bodily process that you want to keep operating well, nutrients such as collagen can bolster your guts health and keep it operating smoothly.

IBS 

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition that causes your bowels to become swollen, and painful, and have a lot of gas or mucus in them. Some people with IBS may also have diarrhea or constipation. The symptoms can be mild or severe, and they frequently worsen when certain foods are consumed.

It's not clear what causes IBS symptoms in most people with the condition. But things like diet and stress can make them worse. Good news: It's usually easy to manage your symptoms so they don't get in the way of your life and supplementing with nutrients like collagen can enhance your gut health profile.

Signs and Symptoms of Gut Health Problems

• Bloating: the accumulation of gas in the stomach or intestines.
• Diarrhea: frequent watery, loose stools.
• Constipation: infrequent bowel movements and hard stool.
• Abdominal pain: discomfort in your abdominal area, including cramping and bloating.
• Nausea/vomiting (or both): feeling sick to your stomach and throwing up from it.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, or bloating that comes and goes for at least three months but doesn't last as long as six months.
• Vitamin deficiencies: loss of appetite and weight loss, muscle weakness, dry skin; brittle nails, fatigue, pale gums, tingling sensation in hands or feet, muscle cramps, anemia. 

Gut Health and Collagen

There has not been a lot of research on collagen and gut health as of yet. To date, most of the research has been on animals. But to understand the role of collagen in the gut, we must look at the amino acids found in collagen.

• Glutamine helps to build connective tissues and heal the gut's lining, which can be helpful for those with leaky gut. Glutamine can also support healthy gut microbiota (aka gut bacteria), which can help to strengthen the gut wall. Interestingly, glutamine is sold on its own as a supplement and is used in many leaky gut protocols.
• Glycine and proline are two amino acids that help seal and heal the gut lining when it is damaged, improving digestion.
• Arginine is another amino acid involved in wound healing in the gut.

Collagen naturally contains all these amino acids, making it a helpful supplement to accompany your gut health regime.

How to Use Collagen for Gut Health

The dosage and best collagen supplement for you will depend on your individual needs. Most collagen supplements are sold in doses ranging from 5 to 10 grams.

Collagen is available in many different formats, but the powder is ideal. Simply stir your collagen into a beverage of your choice (it dissolves in water) and drink. It is also helpful to make sure you're getting additional probiotics in your diet, as well as a fibre source that is easy to tolerate, such as beta-glucan.

References

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464620305028

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25368996/ 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9198822/

The great collagen rivalry: Marine vs Bovine collagen.

Touted as a supplement that will aid in healthy and strong hair, skin, and nails, collagen is actually a protein that's found throughout your body. It's especially concentrated in connective tissues, including skin, tendons, and ligaments, in the form of collagenous fibres composed of densely packed amino acid chains. 

So why do so many people take this supplement? People often take collagen in supplement form because, even though your body naturally produces it, as you age, your natural production vastly decreases. 

In supplemental form, collagen comes in two main varieties: bovine and marine. In this article, we will discuss the difference between the two, which form is better for certain health concerns and goals, and what to look for when purchasing a quality collagen supplement.

What is Collagen?

Before we can compare marine to bovine collagen, it’s important to understand what collagen is. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, making up 30% of your body's protein content. It’s also a key component that provides structure and strength to all connective tissues, including skin, tendons, and ligaments.

The main functions of collagen are:

• To provide support for your bones and joints
• To help maintain flexibility in your joints
• To provide elasticity to your skin

Types of Collagen: Marine vs Bovine Collagen

You may have heard of the three main types of collagen before: types I, II, and III. However, there are actually at least 28 types of collagen. When it comes to marine collagen and bovine collagen, it's important to know which types of collagen each one contains.

Types I, II, and III comprise about 90% of the collagen in the body, which is why they are the most well-known. 

• Type I is most highly concentrated in bone, skin, and connective tissue such as ligaments and tendons. It is also found in the gut lining.
• Type II is mainly found in the cartilage tissue that cushions our joints.
• Type III is found in the skin, muscles, and blood vessels.

Marine collagen contains types I and II collagen, while types I and III are found in grass-fed beef.

The combination of types I and III makes grass-fed bovine collagen superior for overall health because it's these two types that are most abundant in your body. 

Amino Acids and Collagen

To understand more about the differences between marine collagen and bovine collagen, we must look at how collagen is broken down and absorbed by the body.

The body doesn't simply absorb collagen in its entirety and deliver it directly where it needs to go. The individual amino acids in the collagen are absorbed and utilized by the body.

Bovine collagen contains more of the amino acids glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. These amino acids are used by the body as building blocks for protein synthesis. Bovine collagen contains less of the amino acid arginine, which is necessary for wound healing and tissue repair.

Marine collagen contains more of the amino acid arginine. It also contains more of the amino acids aspartic acid and glutamine, both of which are known to be vital for tissue repair.

Dietary Preferences

Diet choice is a personal decision, so it's important to choose wisely. If you don't eat meat, you may want to consider marine collagen. But if you do eat animal products, you might choose bovine, depending on your health concerns. 

How To Choose Marine vs Bovine Collagen

When to Use Marine Collagen

Marine collagen is a type of collagen that comes from fish. Most marine collagen supplements are made from the skin, cartilage, and bones of fish. But what else makes it different from bovine collagen?

There are many different uses for marine collagen supplements because this type may be able to support hair health, joint health, and skin recovery from signs of aging. Marine collagen is used for skin care products as well.

Studies have shown that marine collagen can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles on your face, improve the texture of your skin, reduce redness and inflammation around blemishes or acne scars, and even out your skin tone.

When to Use Bovine Collagen

Bovine collagen is extracted from the tendons, cartilage, and bones of cows, and it's rich in types I and III collagen. You can choose bovine collagen if you are interested in treating your skin health, bone health, or joint health.

Marine vs Bovine Collagen: Which is Better? 

So, which one is better? When it comes to choosing the best collagen supplement and comparing marine collagen to bovine collagen, It really comes down to your personal preferences and what you’re looking for in a supplement. If you want something that’s easier on the stomach, then bovine collagen may be a good choice for you. But if you have joint pain or other health issues that require marine collagen, it may be worth trying. You can also note that those without dietary preferences often alternate between these two collagens on a daily basis to reap the maximum benefits.

When shopping for a collagen supplement, regardless of type, it’s advised to look for a hydrolyzed formula because this enhances digestibility and absorbability. Here are a few key things to look out for when shopping for a collagen supplement: 

• When choosing bovine collagen, you will want to make sure it’s sourced from grass-fed cattle, organic when possible, and doesn’t contain contaminants such as hormones or antibiotics.
• If you prefer marine collagen, make sure you look for one that’s wild-caught and third-party tested to make sure it’s free from contaminants and mercury. On the plus side, marine collagen is often considered one of the cleaner forms of collagen.