Discover the multiple benefits of collagen for healthy bones, cartilage and muscles
1) What is Collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It is particularly concentrated in the skin, bones, cartilage, tendons and blood vessel walls.
Collagen plays a very important role among the structural proteins of our body. It has the function of connecting, supporting and nourishing tissues and organs. It contributes to the health and elasticity of skin, cartilage, bones, ligaments, tendons, skeletal muscles, blood vessels and even teeth.[1]
After all, the term 'collagen' has Greek origins and literally means glue.
Discover more on the multiple benefits of collagen.
2) Sport and Collagen: What you need to know
Sport, despite the many benefits it brings to the body, can cause chronic pain caused by collagen degradation in joints and tendons. Intense muscular exertion with heavy loads and daily training concentrated on the same part of the body can favour the occurrence of these pains.[2]
The consequences of these chronic pains are chronic injuries such as patellar and achilles tendinopathy. Moreover, the older one gets, the more these pains can induce degenerative joint disorders such as chondropathy or, worse, osteoarthritis.
3) Why is Collagen important for cartilage?
Collagen is the primary component of cartilage. Cartilage is a connective tissue that acts as a cushion, protecting bones during movement.
Over time, or for those who participate in intense sports, cartilage can begin to diminish and wear away to the point of friction, especially in heavily utilised joints such as the knees.
Preventing or supplementing collagen deficiency for the health of our cartilage can be important not only for those who play more or less intensive sports, but also to ensure proper and lasting lubrication and protection of our cartilage.
4) Why is Collagen important for bones?
Collagen performs an important function for our bones. Its percentage within bone tissue is quite high, but what makes it even more effective is its combination with the mineral hydroxyapatite. Together, the two substances give bones compressive strength and stability.
When both collagen and the mineral hydroxyapatite begin to decline due to age or other risk factors, such as menopause in women, a process of bone degeneration occurs that can lead to various diseases. [2] The most common is osteoporosis, i.e. loss of bone mass.
A solution to this deficiency may be the intake of collagen through food supplements, which could increase bone density and thus improve bone health.[3]
5) Muscles and Joints: What benefits can a Collagen dietary supplement provide?
In addition to its now well-known effect on our skin, preparations with hydrolysed collagen are also very popular among athletes because they have a high protein content. Combined with specific amino acids, such as L-Arginine and L-Ornithine, a collagen dietary supplement can in fact aid muscle building.[4]
At the level of joints, it can protect and maintain them healthy, promoting mobility and reducing inflammation and pain related to ageing.[5]
6) Marine or Bovine Collagen - which one to choose for bones, cartilage and muscles?
Marine hydrolysed collagen is recommended. This is because acting similarly to collagen types I and II in the human body, it may be helpful in acting positively on cartilage. In addition, fish collagen promotes regeneration of bone tissue.[6]
Due to the smaller size of its peptides, marine collagen has a higher bioavailability than bovine collagen. In addition, hydrolysed marine collagen is used because of its high digestibility and to avoid any risk of zoonotic diseases attributable to the use of raw materials from cattle.[7]
[1] Gelse, K. et al. (2003): Collagens – structure, function, and biosynthesis. Advanced drug delivery reviews, 55 (12), p. 1531-1546.
[2] Brincat, M., Moniz, C. J., Studd, J. W., Darby, A., Magos, A., Emburey, G., & Versi, E. (1985). Long-term effects of the menopause and sex hormones on skin thickness. British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 92(3), 256–259. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1985.tb01091.
[3] Bello, A. E., & Oesser, S. (2006). Collagen hydrolysate for the treatment of osteoarthritis and other joint disorders: a review of the literature. Current medical research and opinion, 22(11), 2221–2232. https://doi.org/10.1185/030079906X148373.
[4] Zdzieblik, D. et al. (2015): Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial. In: The British journal of nutrition, 114 (8), p. 1237-1245.
[5] Clark, K. L., Sebastianelli, W., Flechsenhar, K. R., Aukermann, D. F., Meza, F., Millard, R. L., Deitch, J. R., Sherbondy, P. S., & Albert, A. (2008). 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. Current medical research and opinion, 24(5), 1485–1496. https://doi.org/10.1185/030079908x291967.
[6] Silva, T. H., Moreira-Silva, J., Marques, A. L., Domingues, A., Bayon, Y., & Reis, R. L. (2014). Marine origin collagens and its potential applications. Marine drugs, 12(12), 5881–5901. https://doi.org/10.3390/md12125881; Hoyer, B., Bernhardt, A., Heinemann, S., Stachel, I., Meyer, M., & Gelinsky, M. (2012). Biomimetically mineralized salmon collagen scaffolds for application in bone tissue engineering. Biomacromolecules, 13(4), 1059–1066. https://doi.org/10.1021/bm201776r; Lim, Y. S., Ok, Y. J., Hwang, S. Y., Kwak, J. Y., & Yoon, S. (2019). Marine Collagen as A Promising Biomaterial for Biomedical Applications. Marine drugs, 17(8), 467. https://doi.org/10.3390/md17080467.
[7] Vollmer, D. L., West, V. A., & Lephart, E. D. (2018). Enhancing Skin Health: By Oral Administration of Natural Compounds and Minerals with Implications to the Dermal Microbiome. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(10), 3059. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19103059; Subhan, F., Ikram, M., Shehzad, A., & Ghafoor, A. (2015). Marine Collagen: An Emerging Player in Biomedical applications. Journal of food science and technology, 52(8), 4703–4707. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-014-1652-8.