What is collagen? What causes deficiency in the body? Is it ok to use as a supplement? What food can we provide for the college? Istanbul Okan University Hospital Nutrition and Diet Specialist Dyt. Derya Fidan explained.
Today, consumers turn to natural products, functional foods and safe food supplements instead of drugs to protect their health and beauty and to find solutions to their problems. Functional foods are defined as foods that have a health-protective, corrective or disease-reducing effect, depending on one or more effective ingredients, in addition to their nutritive effects. When we look at the food scale we consume daily, it is possible to see that we are already meeting with many functional foods without realizing it.
Supplementary foods are one or more nutrients; It is defined as products consisting of vitamins, minerals, proteins, herbal, botanical, plant-derived substances, amino acids and similar components and their concentrates and/or extracts and whose daily intake dose has been determined. When we cannot complete the amounts we need to take from the foods daily, we need to take them as supplements and ensure their bio-usefulness in the body. It is precisely for this reason that collagen hydrolysates, which has been the popular choice lately, are spoken and highly preferred.
What is collagen hydrolyzate? Does it need to be taken daily?
Collagen hydrolyzate, which is a functional ingredient, has become a popular ingredient used in bone and skin health regulating foods by increasing the production of collagen in the body. The matrix in collagen tissues is a complex structure located between cells, filling the cell spaces and supporting them. It also retains water and minerals and adjusts tissue tension. Collagen is an important protein that makes up about 25 percent of the proteins in our body and makes up 75 percent of our skin. It is mostly found in skin, tendons, internal organs, bone, cartilage and connective tissue and is produced naturally by fibroblast cells by the body.
What causes collagen loss in the body?
Due to aging, smoking and alcohol, lack of oxygen in the body, nutritional deficiencies, sun and other external factors, collagen synthesis in the body decreases from the mid-20s. As a result of collagen loss, the skin loses its elasticity, shine and softness, becomes dull, wrinkled, and brown spots and other color changes occur. As a result, sagging and wrinkles occur in the skin. A similar situation as a result of decreased collagen synthesis is valid for connective tissue and cartilages. With the decrease of collagen synthesis due to aging and other reasons, connective tissues and cartilages lose their flexibility and various disorders occur, especially osteoporosis. Decreased synthesis of collagen, which is an important source of protein and amino acids, causes symptoms such as delayed healing of wounds, fatigue and poor performance.
What are the effects of collagen hydrolyzate on human health?
As a result of clinical studies, researchers have proven that hydrolyzed collagen is safe and has positive effects on human health. Considering the effects of collagen hydrolyzate on human health, which has been proven as a result of clinical studies;
- Nutritional support due to its high protein content
- Hair strengthening and lengthening effect
- antioxidant effect
- The youthful appearance and elasticity-enhancing effect on the skin
- The effect of adjusting the water holding capacity of the skin
- Skin smoothing effect
- Anti-inflammatory effect
- Reducing effect on joint pain
- Bone resorption inhibitory effect
According to clinical studies, in order to benefit from the positive effects of collagen hydrolyzate, its regular and daily recommended use has beneficial effects on joint, bone and skin health, and since the effects of increasing the hydroxypyrrole concentration in the blood have been determined by experimental data, the daily intake dose of this substance is recommended as 10 grams. As a result of researches, it has been seen that vitamin C is used in product formulations. The reason for using vitamin C in product formulations is that vitamin C supports collagen synthesis.
What are natural foods containing collagen?
If you want to support your body’s ability to produce collagen, you can produce natural solutions with collagen-containing foods that you will add to your diet list. When the nutrients that should be included in daily consumption are completed, it may not be necessary to use additional supplements as external collagen hydrolyzate.
- Bone Broth: Bone broth is an excellent source of collagen with its essential amino acid content such as glycine, proline and arginine. Adding bone broth to your diet from time to time is ideal to replace the decreased collagen in your body. However, it is very important to avoid bone broth consumption if you have cardiovascular disease or any disease associated with high cholesterol, as routine consumption of bone broth can increase blood cholesterol levels.
- Red, Purple Fruit Group: Foods such as raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, strawberry, cherry, black grape, apple, beet, red capia pepper, tomato stimulate collagen production thanks to the strong antioxidants they contain. They reduce the effects of the sun’s harmful rays on the skin. This group of alternatives, which you will prefer for your breakfast or daily snacks, will contribute to a glowing skin health as well as strong immunity.
- Dark Green Leafy Vegetables: Indispensable for my nutrition lists; Thanks to the vitamin C it contains, spinach, purslane, cress, arugula and parsley are the biggest supporters in the production of body collagen.
- Avocado: A great source of vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, which protect your skin from damage caused by free radicals and protect skin cells from oxidation. It also increases collagen production and reduces the risk of skin cancer. Get ready to start the day with half a portion of avocado in your breakfast.
- Soy Products: Soy contains a compound known as genistein, which is a natural plant hormone. This compound increases collagen production. The presence of antioxidants in soy also has an important place in skin care. Antioxidants protect the skin by regulating the production of free radicals, which can be the main cause of cell damage. Tightening the skin is another major benefit of antioxidants.
- Milk and Dairy Products: Milk has very rich nutritional values. It contains alpha hydroxy acid, vitamins B, A and D, calcium, selenium, magnesium, biotin, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6. Milk increases collagen production. It increases the elasticity of the skin and fights free radicals. Products such as curd cheese, feta cheese and cow’s milk contain high levels of proline and lysine. These amino acids accelerate the formation of collagen.
- Garlic: Sulfur-containing foods such as garlic and onions increase collagen production in the body. In addition to being a natural source of antibiotics, they contribute to the formation of collagen for the skin.
Excessive consumption of collagen, which has become popular in recent years; At the same time, it is necessary to avoid high consumption in your daily diet, as it may increase blood cholesterol levels and have a negative effect on the prevention or treatment of heart diseases.
Source: (BYZHA) – Beyaz News Agency
