Collagen as You Get Older
You can't measure exactly how much you have, but when it drops you may have symptoms such as joint pain or stiff tendons or ligaments. Your muscles may weaken. You could also have papery skin. Taking collagen supplements may help ease these symptoms.
There is no blood test or other way to measure the amount of collagen in your body; however, researchers determined to find a way in 2018 by using assay plates. 1 In the meanwhile, there are ways to tell when your body doesn't have enough. As you age, your body naturally makes less collagen.
While you can't measure your collagen level, you can tell when it's falling. Collagen decreases as you get older, contributing to: Wrinkles and crepey skin. Stiffer, less flexible tendons and ligaments.
Eating foods rich in vitamin C and amino acids can increase the levels of hyaluronic acid and collagen in the body as both are important for skin. Foods such as oranges, red peppers, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and strawberries are all rich in vitamin C.
Collagen levels decrease with age and, unfortunately, there's no way to prevent this. The good news is that there are several cosmetic treatments that can rebuild or restore collagen.
The collagen tissues support the formation of bones, tendons, and cartilage that form depending on the level of mineralization. However, an individual can lose collagen components in the body due to exposure to ultraviolet light, tobacco, excessive intake of sugar, and aging.
There are a few ways that exercise can boost collagen levels: Exercise delivers nutrients, like vitamins and oxygen, to skin cells, helping them repair and multiply. Specifically, these nutrients feed the fibroblast cells in your skin that produce collagen.
You can consume collagen by either eating it naturally through whole foods (e.g. bone broth, organ meats, etc.) or choosing hydrolyzed peptides in supplement form. Collagen has also been linked to skincare products and injections, but neither helps your body's collagen production — collagen protein must be ingested.
Research has shown indicated that adults can safely consume between 2.5 to 15 grams of collagen a day. Read the label on your supplement to see how much it contains. Many people take 1-2 tablespoons of collagen powder per day.
As such, no matter your goal for using collagen, it will take at least 8 weeks to experience noticeable results ( 6 ). Most studies use a minimum of 8 weeks to assess collagen's effects on skin health and joint pain relief, but other studies use longer periods, such as 12 months, for bone health ( 9 , 14 , 22 ).
Your body begins to lose collagen when you turn 30. The effects become noticeable after several years. Even though this is a natural process, it's possible to speed it up with UV exposure, pollution, bad skin habits, and poor diet choices.
How can I naturally rebuild collagen? You can naturally support the collagen production process by using topicals such as vitamin C and retinol, collagen peptide supplements, eating a nutrient rich diet, and avoiding habits that damage the collagen (such as poor sleep and sun exposure.)
Hyaluronic acid is a compound that improves collagen in your skin. You can find it in foods that contain amino acids. These foods include root vegetables, beans, and soy, to name a few. By increasing this type of food intake, you can naturally increase collagen levels.
In fact, water is about 60 percent of collagen's total weight. Experiments that remove water from collagen have shown that it dramatically impacts the tensile force of the protein, which has serious implications for skin health. Drinking more water will keep your collagen hydrated, and wrinkles at bay.
A diet full of protein-rich foods, whether from plant or animal sources, can help supply these critical amino acids. Other nutrients that aid the process of collagen production include zinc, vitamin C, and copper. So, fruits and vegetables high in vitamins and minerals are also a friend to supple skin.
Proponents claim that the silica in bananas can help increase collagen production, the natural proteins that help keep skin hydrated and smooth. Bananas contain nutrients, some of which may help with skin health.
For example, eating too much sugar and processed carbohydrates (like pasta, bread, and baked goods) can lead to damage in your skin's collagen, which keeps your skin springy and resists wrinkles, says Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD.
Crackers, cookies, cereal, pasta, bread and baked goods contain sugar and chemicals that are damaging to collagen molecules, thereby diminishing the quality of the tissue, and can erode the quantity of your collagen as well.
Human studies are lacking but some randomized controlled trials have found that collagen supplements improve skin elasticity. [3,4] Other trials have found that the supplements can improve joint mobility and decrease joint pain such as with osteoarthritis or in athletes.
"Look for hydrolyzed collagen as this is broken down into amino acids and may be easier to absorb," she says. "Products with Types I and III collagen are also best, as these are the predominant collagen types in human skin, with the ratio shifting with age."
After daily collagen supplementation for a few weeks, you will typically start to notice a few things: hair growth, skin hydration and skin moisture, improvement in joint health and skin health, lessening of fine lines, and other possible anti-aging improvements.