July 2018 Newsletter
The July special is a great opportunity… to stock up on supplements at twenty-five percent off the regular price of all our nutritional supplements! There will be even steeper discounts on select products. Stop by today and stock up for the summer!
Collagen…what is it and what does it do? Is there any benefit to eating it? What foods contain it? The answers to these questions and more will be answered in the following paragraphs. You may remember that collagen was once injected into areas of the face (such as lips) to “plump them up”, or to soften lines for cosmetic use only. This practice has fallen out of favor now because it does not last and tends to prompt allergic reactions. These days, approximately eighty-six to ninety million dollars are spent buying collagen, mostly to ingest it for health reasons. So, what’s going on? What’s the buzz about?
What is collagen in the first place? To cut right to the point, collagen is a main structural protein found in extracellular (outside the cell wall) spaces in various connective tissues (tissues that hold us together). The collagen molecule is shaped like three chains wound together in a tight triple helix. Each chain is about one thousand, four hundred amino acids long (amino acids are pretty much synonymous with protein). Collagen contains nineteen different essential and non-essential proteins. The most commonly promoted are proline, glycine, arginine and glutamine. Collagen can be found primarily in animal meat, skin, cartilage, and bone.
Anecdotally, I found three studies. One of these studies conducted in 1990 focused on both osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The International Journal of Medical Sciences did a study in which OA sufferers took a 40 milligram oral dose of non-denatured, Type 2 collagen. Four out of five of the subjects reported that their pain was reduced by twenty-six percent. How and why remain unclear. The second study showed that peptic ulcers healed twice as fast in subjects who were taking an unspecified dose three times a day, for eight weeks. The subjects of the third study were fifty-three elderly men with sarcopenia (muscle loss). One group consumed 15 grams of collagen daily and lifted weights three times a week for three months. They gained “significantly” more muscle and lost more fat that those who only lifted weights.
What benefit, if any, is there to consuming collagen? The short list is that it helps skin and hair elasticity, reduces joint degeneration and pain, heals damaged cell walls in the lining of the gut, boosts metabolism (indirectly), strengthens bones and teeth, protects the liver in detoxifying functions, reduces cellulite and stretch marks, and repairs artery walls, helping them release fat build up, which can then lower blood pressure. A more detailed list would also include what each source collagen does when eaten. There are sixteen types of collagen. To narrow it down, we will mostly discuss types one through five, and also ten.
Type 1 – made up of eosinophilic fibers that help tendons, ligaments, organs, skin, and bones. It is found abundantly in fish. It helps form bones and skin and helps wound healing because it helps hold tissues together.
Type 2 – found more abundantly in chicken, this type builds cartilage, helps joints, reduces stiffness, reduces risk of joint deterioration, helps with daily activities, and perhaps even sleeping.
Type 3 – has reticular fibers that make up the extracellular matrix of our organs and skin. It is usually found along with Type 1 in bovine (cow) sources. It forms blood vessels, tissues within the heart, organs, and skin.
Type 4 – helps nerve and blood vessels function. It is found in the in-between spaces between the top layer of skin and the deepest layer of the skin. It is a gel-like fluid that provides cushion or padding for the tissues above it.
Type 5 – is found on the surface of cells such as hair strands and tissues in placentas.
Type 10 – is found in eggs, especially the yolk. It helps in the formation of new bone and in forming articular cartilage. It is also involved in the process of ossification, which is how new bone is formed in mammals. In addition, it aids bone healing and repair of synovial joints.
The easiest and most digestible food that contains collagen is eggs. Because of how absorbable, digestible, and affordable they are, eggs are practically God’s perfect food. They are second only to mother’s milk for human nutrition. They mostly have Type 1 collagen, but also contain Types 3 and 4, with glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and other amino acids. Eggs also have 15.4 mg selenium, 3 mg riboflavin, 44 IU vitamin D, 10 mcg vitamin B12, 86 mg phosphorus, 293 IU vitamin A, 22 mg folate, 186 mg cholesterol, and only about 80 calories.
Fish, meat, skin and bones are the next most digestible source of Type 1 collagen. To really get the goodies from fish, you eat all of it. Whole sardines or fish head soup are two examples of eating “the whole fish”.
Gelatin is another digestible source of collagen, as it is derived from collagen. When collagen breaks down it becomes gelatin. If you boil the bones of a cooked turkey in water for six to eight hours the water forms a broth. When the broth cools, you see the gelatin.
Gelatin was one of the first foods used medically in China. It is great for people with food sensitivities. Since collagen revitalizes the lining of the gut tube, not only is it easily absorbed itself, it also helps a body’s long-term ability to better absorb other foods. That said, claims are also made that it helps leaky gut, IBS, acid reflux, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, and other gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders.
Collagen needs helper molecules for maximum utilization. Some of these helper molecules include vitamin C, manganese, copper, proline and other foods with anthocyanins, which are found in red and deep orange fruits and vegetables.
There doesn’t appear to be any risks in including collagen in the diet. Sometimes creams or lotions claim to benefit your skin because they have collagen in them. Most nutritionists believe the molecule of collagen is too large to pass through the outer skin cell layers and that claims of any benefits from applying collagen topically are bogus.
Here are a few suggestions for ways to consume collagen:
-- Buy hydrolyzed * collagen powder made
from bone broth and put a couple of
tablespoons in a smoothie.
-- Use unflavored gelatin in soups or
casseroles. Or mix a large spoonful with
juice and drink it down.
-- Take collagen supplements in pill form.
Choose from companies that get their bones and tissues from cage-free/range-free/hormone-free/antibiotic-free sources. Look for trusted third party labels. Steer clear of mixtures combining probiotics, fiber, and other additives which could interact in a negative way.
* Hydrolyzed means the amino acid chains have been broken down to smaller units so it dissolves.
The July special is a great opportunity… to stock up on supplements at twenty-five percent off the regular price of all our nutritional supplements! There will be even steeper discounts on select products. Stop by today and stock up for the summer!
Collagen…what is it and what does it do? Is there any benefit to eating it? What foods contain it? The answers to these questions and more will be answered in the following paragraphs. You may remember that collagen was once injected into areas of the face (such as lips) to “plump them up”, or to soften lines for cosmetic use only. This practice has fallen out of favor now because it does not last and tends to prompt allergic reactions. These days, approximately eighty-six to ninety million dollars are spent buying collagen, mostly to ingest it for health reasons. So, what’s going on? What’s the buzz about?
What is collagen in the first place? To cut right to the point, collagen is a main structural protein found in extracellular (outside the cell wall) spaces in various connective tissues (tissues that hold us together). The collagen molecule is shaped like three chains wound together in a tight triple helix. Each chain is about one thousand, four hundred amino acids long (amino acids are pretty much synonymous with protein). Collagen contains nineteen different essential and non-essential proteins. The most commonly promoted are proline, glycine, arginine and glutamine. Collagen can be found primarily in animal meat, skin, cartilage, and bone.
Anecdotally, I found three studies. One of these studies conducted in 1990 focused on both osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The International Journal of Medical Sciences did a study in which OA sufferers took a 40 milligram oral dose of non-denatured, Type 2 collagen. Four out of five of the subjects reported that their pain was reduced by twenty-six percent. How and why remain unclear. The second study showed that peptic ulcers healed twice as fast in subjects who were taking an unspecified dose three times a day, for eight weeks. The subjects of the third study were fifty-three elderly men with sarcopenia (muscle loss). One group consumed 15 grams of collagen daily and lifted weights three times a week for three months. They gained “significantly” more muscle and lost more fat that those who only lifted weights.
What benefit, if any, is there to consuming collagen? The short list is that it helps skin and hair elasticity, reduces joint degeneration and pain, heals damaged cell walls in the lining of the gut, boosts metabolism (indirectly), strengthens bones and teeth, protects the liver in detoxifying functions, reduces cellulite and stretch marks, and repairs artery walls, helping them release fat build up, which can then lower blood pressure. A more detailed list would also include what each source collagen does when eaten. There are sixteen types of collagen. To narrow it down, we will mostly discuss types one through five, and also ten.
Type 1 – made up of eosinophilic fibers that help tendons, ligaments, organs, skin, and bones. It is found abundantly in fish. It helps form bones and skin and helps wound healing because it helps hold tissues together.
Type 2 – found more abundantly in chicken, this type builds cartilage, helps joints, reduces stiffness, reduces risk of joint deterioration, helps with daily activities, and perhaps even sleeping.
Type 3 – has reticular fibers that make up the extracellular matrix of our organs and skin. It is usually found along with Type 1 in bovine (cow) sources. It forms blood vessels, tissues within the heart, organs, and skin.
Type 4 – helps nerve and blood vessels function. It is found in the in-between spaces between the top layer of skin and the deepest layer of the skin. It is a gel-like fluid that provides cushion or padding for the tissues above it.
Type 5 – is found on the surface of cells such as hair strands and tissues in placentas.
Type 10 – is found in eggs, especially the yolk. It helps in the formation of new bone and in forming articular cartilage. It is also involved in the process of ossification, which is how new bone is formed in mammals. In addition, it aids bone healing and repair of synovial joints.
The easiest and most digestible food that contains collagen is eggs. Because of how absorbable, digestible, and affordable they are, eggs are practically God’s perfect food. They are second only to mother’s milk for human nutrition. They mostly have Type 1 collagen, but also contain Types 3 and 4, with glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and other amino acids. Eggs also have 15.4 mg selenium, 3 mg riboflavin, 44 IU vitamin D, 10 mcg vitamin B12, 86 mg phosphorus, 293 IU vitamin A, 22 mg folate, 186 mg cholesterol, and only about 80 calories.
Fish, meat, skin and bones are the next most digestible source of Type 1 collagen. To really get the goodies from fish, you eat all of it. Whole sardines or fish head soup are two examples of eating “the whole fish”.
Gelatin is another digestible source of collagen, as it is derived from collagen. When collagen breaks down it becomes gelatin. If you boil the bones of a cooked turkey in water for six to eight hours the water forms a broth. When the broth cools, you see the gelatin.
Gelatin was one of the first foods used medically in China. It is great for people with food sensitivities. Since collagen revitalizes the lining of the gut tube, not only is it easily absorbed itself, it also helps a body’s long-term ability to better absorb other foods. That said, claims are also made that it helps leaky gut, IBS, acid reflux, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, and other gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders.
Collagen needs helper molecules for maximum utilization. Some of these helper molecules include vitamin C, manganese, copper, proline and other foods with anthocyanins, which are found in red and deep orange fruits and vegetables.
There doesn’t appear to be any risks in including collagen in the diet. Sometimes creams or lotions claim to benefit your skin because they have collagen in them. Most nutritionists believe the molecule of collagen is too large to pass through the outer skin cell layers and that claims of any benefits from applying collagen topically are bogus.
Here are a few suggestions for ways to consume collagen:
-- Buy hydrolyzed * collagen powder made
from bone broth and put a couple of
tablespoons in a smoothie.
-- Use unflavored gelatin in soups or
casseroles. Or mix a large spoonful with
juice and drink it down.
-- Take collagen supplements in pill form.
Choose from companies that get their bones and tissues from cage-free/range-free/hormone-free/antibiotic-free sources. Look for trusted third party labels. Steer clear of mixtures combining probiotics, fiber, and other additives which could interact in a negative way.
* Hydrolyzed means the amino acid chains have been broken down to smaller units so it dissolves.
