What are the Benefits of Taking Bovine Collagen?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, accounting for about one-third of its protein composition. There are 4 main types of collagen in the body: 

Type I—This type accounts for 90% of your body’s collagen and is made of densely packed fibres. It provides structure to skin, bones, tendons, fibrous cartilage, connective tissue, and teeth.

Type II—This type is made of more loosely-packed fibres and is found in elastic cartilage, which cushions the joints.

Type III—This type supports the structure of muscles, organs, and arteries.

Type IV—This type helps with filtration and is found in the layers of your skin.  

Simply put, collagen is said to be the “glue” that holds our bodies together. In our youth, our body produces all the collagen it needs, allowing for firm skin, supple joints, and strong bones. However, production levels start decreasing after you turn 30, gradually leading to physical signs like older-looking skin, thinner hair, brittle nails, stiff joints, and slower recovery from physical activity.  In addition to the natural loss of collagen with age, other factors such as hormonal changes, use of drugs and alcohol, consumption of hydrogenated oils, sugars, and processed foods, exposure to chemicals and radiation, and stress can all contribute to the loss of collagen in our bodies. Therefore, supplementing with a high-quality collagen supplement is a steadfast way to get ahead of the most common signs of ageing. 

In an ideal world, we would be getting doses of collagen from our diets. Collagen is abundantly found in animal connective tissue, skin, bones and cartilage (especially in bovine—cow collagen), however, very rarely do we consume adequate amounts of these sources. 

1. Improve the quality of your sleep: 

Trouble falling or staying asleep? A good night’s sleep is imperative to optimal health. As the most abundant amino acid in collagen, glycine helps you get a more restorative sleep. Previous human studies have shown that subjects who took collagen before sleeping experienced better sleep quality and a decrease in fatigue the following day. Glycine may also help manage core body temperature, which is associated with better sleep.

2. Support Good Gut Health: 

A diet high in processed foods, high levels of stress, unidentified food sensitivities—all of these things can damage your intestinal lining and permeability, leading to a "leaky gut." When you have a leaky gut, foreign particles like undigested food enter your bloodstream and wreak havoc on your body, encouraging inflammation and upping your risk for autoimmune diseases—as a result, you might experience fatigue, brain fog, poor skin, and other undesired symptoms. Since collagen is a component of the gut's connective tissue and lining, taking collagen may help manage a leaky gut. This may especially be beneficial with those with chronic or recurring symptoms of IBS and poor digestion (even children). 

3. Naturally treat osteoarthritis:

Collagen, which can also be found in bones, joints and more particularly cartilage, may help reduce pain for people suffering from osteoarthritis. Supplementing with collagen can help people whose cartilage is breaking down and causing pain, without the need for medication.

4. Restore smooth, supple skin: 

As it makes up 70% of our skin, it’s no surprise that supplementing with a good quality collagen powder can contribute to improving skin quality. Collagen helps in reducing wrinkles, smoothing out puffiness and age spots, and decreases cellulite for softer, more youthful skin.  In addition, collagen can also positively impact hair and nail health as well. 

5. Support muscle strength and recovery:

As protein is a crucial building block for our muscles, collagen is no exception. Research has shown that pairing a collagen supplement along with strength training has significantly impacted both fat loss and muscle growth. As we learned, collagen is also a good source of the amino acid glycine, which helps your body produce creatine. In turn, creatine has been shown to help with muscle strength and recovery in athletes. In addition, collagen is also easier to digest than other popular protein powders out there like whey, making it a smart addition to your pre- or post-workout.