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Collagen
It's no surprise that collagen is often used in health and beauty products - you'll find it as an ingredient in many dietary supplements and well-known cosmetic brands. What you might not know is just how important collagen is for keeping your whole body healthy, not just your skin.
Although there are about 20 different types of collagen in your body, type 1 collagen is the most common. It's found in the digestive system and bones, muscles and tendons, as well as in blood vessels and skin. As you get older, however, the amount of collagen in our bodies decreases. Every year after age 20, your body produces about one percent less collagen than the year before.
This means that by age 50, we have far less collagen than we did in our twenties. This shortage shows up not only in our skin, but throughout our bodies, and it starts to affect our health.
So what makes collagen so important? In normal amounts in the body, it:
- Improves skin elasticity and tone
- Contributes to joint mobility
- Helps manage irritable bowel syndrome
- Strengthens hair, teeth and nails
- Supports liver health
With all these benefits, it's easy to see why it's important to add collagen to your diet if you want to be healthy. But not all products containing collagen are made the same way.
In the following lines, we'll look at the differences between types and brands, so you can choose the best collagen powder for your needs.
Choose the Type of Collagen
Collagen comes from many animal sources, including cows, chicken, fish and eggs. Each of these sources has specific health benefits.
Choose the one you need the most.
Bovine collagen is mostly types 1 and 3. It's important for building new muscle and helps your body produce its own collagen.
Chicken collagen is rich in type 2 collagen, which is best suited for building cartilage. That's good news for your joints, especially since chicken collagen also provides the bone-building compounds chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine sulfate.
Fish or marine collagen is mostly type 1, but it's absorbed more easily than other sources. In addition, this type of collagen contains several amino acids such as proline, hydroxyproline and glycine, which contribute to heart and organ health.
Egg collagen is found in egg whites and eggshells. With its available hyaluronic acid and other amino acids, it's great for protecting connective tissue and improving joint problems.
Choose the Bioavailability Level
Of these collagen sources, marine collagen is absorbed most easily by the human body.
However, there's another “type” of collagen that's the most absorbable of all - collagen peptides.
“Collagen peptides” represent collagen from any of the above sources that has been hydrolyzed (processed with water), so it can be absorbed more easily by your body. Our hydrolyzed collagen COLLAGEN HYDROLYSATE is exactly that.
If you choose hydrolyzed collagen powder, you'll automatically get more for your money, because you'll be able to take a smaller dose than with non-hydrolyzed collagen. At the same time, the effect will be the same.
Choose a Flavor
Anyone who has ever drunk pure collagen powder mixed into water knows that its taste isn't the most pleasant in the world. Unlike other products, Great Lakes Gelatin Hydrolyzed Collagen has no added flavors, meaning it doesn't change the taste of your drink. But if you'd like to flavor your smoothie or coffee, we recommend Hydrolyzed Collagen with vanilla or wild berries flavor.
