Amber StewartThe Whole Body Benefits of Collagen Powder
Its funny how joint pain or discomfort shows up after we give up our high school (or college) sports and hobbies and we finally quit trying to drop it low like Megan the Stallion. We cut back on hobbies we enjoyed before we had bills and priorities, to sit behind a computer for hours on end to bring in an income that will eventually fund the medical expenses needed to repair the body and health we sacrificed for the sake of our career/success.
We may call it old age and laugh it off while popping a few aspirin to drown out the pain but the truth is, a lot of the chronic issues we deal with can be avoided if we are nourishing our body correctly.
Dealing with chronic stress or anxiety for long periods of time can cause our body to use up nutrients more quickly negatively affecting our energy, brain responses, hormones and immunity causing them to work at a higher and faster rate.
Individuals could be suffering in silence for years ignoring their body’s warning signs until one day, they visit their doctor to hear unsettling, life changing news that will make them finally get serious about their health. Most individuals would come home and head over to google search engine or amazon to start price checking the top rating supplements to improve their health and reverse aging, but this blog post will show you why collagen powder is the first thing (and in some cases the only thing) you should use to help you get your health back on track.
What is Collagen Powder?
Collagen is a special type of protein that accounts for as much as 30% of the body’s total protein. In particular, it’s a primary structural component of connective tissue. It constitutes 75% of skin, 70% of ligaments, 65-80% of tendons, 50% of cartilage, 30% of tooth dentin, 16% of bone, 10-11% of muscle, and also contributes to the structure of arteries and veins. The amino acid composition of dietary collagen is very similar to those in human collagen, making dietary collagen peptides ideal for supporting body collagen turnover and renewal. These processes go on continually, so it’s important to ensure the body has enough raw materials to build healthy new tissue.
Compared to other proteins, collagen has a unique amino acid composition and a distinct role in human anatomy. Collagen proteins are rich in the modified amino acid hydroxyproline (approx. 12%), and they have an unusually high content of glycine and proline (approx. 22% and 13%, respectively). While other dietary proteins—beef, poultry, or fish, for example—can provide these, but collagen itself is a much more concentrated source, and as such, may be a more effective choice when concerning health issues such as: the strength and flexibility of bones, tendons and cartilage, as well as the appearance of skin and nails, and GI tract health.
Many individuals—the elderly in particular—do not consume adequate protein. Even among those with a higher protein intake, food sources with the richest sources of collagen—animal skins, bones, and tendons—are not typically part of the modern Western diet. Since it can be incorporated into shakes, coffee or tea, soups, stews and other foods and beverages, collagen is a convenient way to ensure you are getting adequate intake of amino acids. In addition, collagen supplementation can help individuals with special conditions such as: athletes, aging individuals or those recovering from injury.
The Many Benefits of Collagen
Collagen Powder for Mental Health
Supplementing with collagen can improve your ability to perform basic tasks such as thinking, learning, memorizing, solving problems, making decisions and focusing. In addition, supplementing with collagen powder has been found to help individuals improve their mood and experience a boost in overall mental well-being as well. The benefits of using collagen powder for brain health has been so promising, that many doctors are actually encouraging the use of collagen powder in their patient’s daily regiment.
Collagen Powder for Joint Health
Although research quality varies, most findings are positive in regards to using collagen for reduced symptoms of osteoarthritis. In addition, it has been shown that collagen supports the joint tissue health & function especially when concerning cartilage, tendons & ligaments. I know the joint pain in my lower back and knees have gone away as a result of using collagen powder as well as other clients that I have referred it to.
On top of all these wonderful benefits, using collagen powder can even support proper bone mass and bone quality which is important for individuals suffering from bone density issues, recovering from fractures or elderly individuals.
Collagen Powder for Chronic Stress
Research has also shown how collagen even offsets the effects of chronic stress by preventing chronic stress from depleting your nutrient storage. The inability to maintain healthy stress levels can cause your body to rapidly burn through important vitamins and minerals which can throw off your hormones and overall nutritional balance. Using collagen powder to supplement can prevent the negative physical effect of stress so you can have the energy and strength to tackle another stressful day.
Collagen Powder for Hair, Skin & Nails
This shouldn’t be a surprise to many but skin health is the most well-researched benefit of taking collagen and it has been shown to even reduce the appearance of wrinkles and improve the overall quality of our skin by improving both skin hydration and elasticity.
In addition to tighter and plumper skin, collagen supplements have been shown to increase the body’s hair protein production, which can result in longer, thicker hair. Collagen may also assist in minimizing the appearance of gray hair by supporting the structure of the hair follicle where the pigment that gives hair its color is produced.
Although there are plenty of other benefits of collagen as it pertains to the skin and hair but when it comes to our nails, supplementing with collagen powder has been proven to decrease nail brittleness, or breakage, which thereby improving nail growth.
Collagen Powder for Gut Health
The gut microbiome is a very complex environment and when it comes to gut health, it’s important to focus on the health of your intestinal tight junctions which are critical for keeping the outside world from getting into our inside world. A tight junction is a protein complex between two cells that creates a seal to prevent any leakage of the content through the cell membranes.
There are various conditions such as obesity, depression, anxiety, pain, autism, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease that are all caused by an imbalance of the gut microbiome. A good way to avoid, or manage, these conditions would be to supplement with collagen powder in addition to adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Collagen Powder for Muscular Health
Collagen may also benefit body composition and muscle health, which includes:
- Increased fat‑free mass
- Improved muscle strength and
- Reduced fat mass, especially when combined with exercise.
In middle‑aged, untrained men, 15g of daily supplementation of specific hydrolyzed collagen peptides in combination with a 12‑week resistance training program significantly increased fat‑free mass and decreased fat mass compared to the placebo. An animal study suggests that supplementation with a blend of collagen peptides may reduce menopause‑related obesity. In addition, collagen supplementation after exercise may also support exercise recovery and reduce muscle soreness.
The Best Collagen Powder for Overall Health and Well-being
The STEW Project offers Whole Body Collagen from Designs for Health which contains a unique blend of three patented collagen peptides (Fortigel®, Verisol® and Fortibone®) supported by clinical research showing their efficacy for supporting collagen production, bone strength, joint health and integrity, skin elasticity and more! Read below to learn for more details:
Fortigel® collagen peptide blend has been shown to improve collagen production in joints resulting in improved cartilage structure (increased glycosaminoglycans content as evidenced by MRI and joint space by X-ray), reduced osteoarthritis symptoms (pain, stiffness), improved joint function, reduced post-exercise joint pain in young athletes and improved ankle stability.
Verisol® collagen peptide blend has been shown to upregulate synthesis of collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans in the dermal layer of facial skin, resulting in reduced wrinkles, improved skin elasticity and hydration. Verisol® has also demonstrated the ability to improve cellulite appearance by increasing dermal thickness and elasticity. These benefits may also be useful in counteracting age-related skin thinning, manifested as a “crepe-like” appearance.
Studies have also shown that Verisol® supplementation resulted in:
- Improved nail growth and reduced occurrence of brittle nails.
- Reduced inflammatory processes in the skin, with the potential for alleviating various clinical inflammatory conditions in epithelial tissues such as eczema and psoriasis
- Increased synthesis of collagen, elastin, fibrillin, and glycosaminoglycans in the dermal layer of facial skin, resulting in reduced wrinkles and improved skin elasticity that can last for at least 4 weeks after collagen supplementation ends (see image below)
The third and final Designs for Health patented collagen peptide blend, Fortibone®, has been found in studies to help improve bone health where one research group experienced an improvement in bone mineral density (BMD) in the femoral neck and spine, along with increased markers of bone formation as well as no change in markers of bone breakdown.
In addition, postmenopausal women with osteopenia experienced a big improvement in bone health when supplementing with Fortibone®, elemental calcium and vitamin D3. Whereas the group taking only the calcium and vitamin D3 experienced no change.
Lastly, when it comes to bone health, in a separate study, post-menopausal women supplemented with a previous version of Fortibone® for 3 years reported a fracture rate of just 9%, compared to 42% in a group treated only with calcium. For a list of references cited in this document, please click here.
What's the difference between Protein Powder, BCAAs and Collagen Powder?
There are so many different products in the wellness industry that claim to offer the same thing which can cause confusion as to which one is best for you. Although protein powder, BCAAs and collagen powder are all comprised of amino acids, they all have different benefits which I will explain below:
Proteins
Protein is a necessary component of the human diet with many important roles. Proteins are the main structural component of muscles, bones, hair, skin, nails, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Numerous hormones (e.g., insulin and human growth hormone) are made from proteins. Enzymes are also made from proteins, such as the digestive enzymes that help break down food for their nutrients to be absorbed. Our bodies have no way of storing protein, so we must obtain protein daily from our diet.
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
BCAAs are a direct source of energy for skeletal muscles while also serving as intermediates in the ATP-producing citric acid cycle. They stimulate the building of protein in muscle, help reduce muscle breakdown during exercise, and regulate protein metabolism throughout the body.
BCAAs are unique in that even in the absence of resistance training (weightlifting), they’ve been shown to stimulate lean muscle synthesis.
For this reason, they may be helpful for anyone looking to build lean mass, in particular those recovering from injury or trauma, individuals with conditions that may result in accelerated breakdown of muscle tissue, and older individuals who may be at risk for losing muscle mass through the natural aging process.
Collagen Powder
I am not going to go into too much detail about collagen because I spent most of this blog discussing the topic, but I will say that compared to other proteins, collagen has a unique amino acid composition and a distinct role in human anatomy. When our collagen levels decline, the result is saggy skin, weak bones and joints, wrinkles as well as weak hair and nails.
Ok… So what’s the Difference?
Molecularly, Protein, BCAAs and Collagen are the exact same, just a bit different in composition. Whereas protein contains all twenty amino acids, BCAAs contain only three essential amino acids. All amino acids perform countless biological and enzymatic reactions as opposed to BCAAs which primarily support muscle protein synthesis.
Collagen proteins are rich in the modified amino acid hydroxyproline, and they have an unusually high content of glycine and proline. While other dietary proteins can provide these, collagen is a more concentrated source, and as such, may be a more effective choice when the clinical goal is related to collagen as a structural protein, such as in supporting the strength of bone, tendons and cartilage, as well as the health and appearance of skin, hair and nails.
Improve Your Health and Life with Whole Body Collagen
With research backed and highly recommended, Design’s for Health‘s Whole Body Collagen should be your first choice for choosing a collagen powder supplement to improve your overall health and wellness. We offer free shipping and as a perk, members of the STEW Crew receive 10% off all supplement shop purchases. With over 300 research-backed nutritional products formulated with quality-tested ingredients, trusted and utilized by health-care practitioners worldwide, visit the Supplement Shop today to order your, Whole Body Collagen as well as protein powder and BCAAs today!
Sometimes Supplementation is not Enough…
It can be hard to experience the life changing benefits of your collagen supplements if you don’t have the have the right eating and lifestyle habits to support them, or if you struggle with chronic stress or burnout.
If you need more than just collagen powder to reclaim your health (and life) from chronic stress or burnout, then I can show you how to recover from burnout, ease stress related digestion issues, lose weight, and increase work productivity while finding the time to do the things your enjoy in just 21 days! This program is equipped with everything you need to look and feel your best and even includes a full container of Whole Body Collagen along with other beneficial supplements at no extra cost. If you’re interested to learn more about it, then just click here. Not sure if collagen powder is the right supplement for you health situation? Submit a question so we can chat about which option would be best for you! I hope this helps.
In Good Health,
Amber Stewart BS,
Holistic Nutritionist
Certified Master Life Coach
CTNC Mental Health Specialist
Hi! My name is Amber and I’m a Body Goals Builder, Master Life Coach, Certified Health Coach, CTNC Mental Health Specialist, Stress Alchemist & Fear Conqueror
I used to be a people pleasing, work-a-holic who stressed herself out to climb the wellness industry’s corporate ladder, while obsessing over her self image. I soon realized that none of it mattered if I wasn’t happy with myself, inside and out, and surrounded around people who loved and respected me.
I now help individuals who are stressed out, out of shape and struggling to find balance in their lives learn how to ease their worries, improve their health, create 10x more joy in their lives and manifest the life of their dreams. At the STEW Project, we are maximizing our living potential by Simply Taking an Emphasis on Wellness.
