Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body that provides structural support to connective tissues, including tendons, ligaments, cartilage, muscles, skin, and bones. Due to its rigidity and resistance to stretching, it helps make these tissues strong.
Collagen is synthesized by the body using different amino acids. Collagen can also be obtained from animal flesh containing connective tissues, while many plant- and animal-based foods provide the amino acids used to make collagen. Because our bodies make less collagen as we age, some people will turn to collagen supplements to reverse the signs of aging, with varying degrees of success.
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Why Your Body Needs It
Your body needs collagen to provide structural support to connective tissues throughout the body. It is the primary building block of muscles, bones, skin, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons and is also found in organs and blood vessels.
All of the tissues are made up of an intricate matrix of cells—think of it as scaffolding—that collagen binds to for support. Depending on the degree of mineralization that occurs within the matrix, the tissue may be more rigid (like bones) or more flexible (like the intestine).
Collagen serves many functions in the human body, including:
- Providing strength and elasticity to ligaments, tendons, and the skin
- Making the lining or organs strong and flexible so they resist damage
- Providing stability to the heart muscle so that it beats properly
- Aiding in the constant renewal of tissues, including the skin, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons, as old cells are replaced with new cells
- Continually renewing bones to keep them strong (called bone remodeling) and repairing them when they break
- Aiding with blood clotting by creating a scaffolding that platelets cling to when a blood vessel is ruptured
Types of Collagen in the Body
Collagen is thought to account for roughly a third of the protein in the human body. The amount contained in tissues or organs can vary, with up to 4% in bones, 35% in bones, 40% in the skin, and 50% in tendons.
There are no less than 28 types of collagen identified in the human body, most of which are created by cells called fibroblasts that reside in tissues. Different types of fibroblasts, such as those in the skin called dermal fibroblasts, create different types of collagen.
Of the collagen types currently identified, there are five main types:
- Type 1: The most abundant form, accounting for roughly 90% of the collagen in the body, which provides the main structural support to the skin, tendons, organs, blood vessels, and bones
- Type 2: Found in cartilage
- Type 3: Found in bone marrow, the liver, arteries, and lymphatic organs like the spleen and lymph nodes
- Type 4: Found in epithelial tissues that line hollow organs as well as the deeper layers of skin
- Type 5: Found in the eyes, hair, and upper layers of the skin
How Collagen Levels Decrease
Collagen is synthesized in the human body using amino acids. The two main types are glycine and proline but others are involved. Fibroblasts are "programmed" by their DNA to construct these amino acids into a three-dimensional, coiled structure called a helix, with different types of fibroblasts configuring them differently.
While the building of these proteins is generally constant, different things can interrupt the process. This can cause collagen levels to decrease or reduce the quality of collagen being produced.
When this happens, it can cause:
- Crepey and sagging skin
- Thinning and hollowing of skin on the face and eyes
- Shrinking and weakening of muscles
- Stiffer tendons and ligaments that are more prone to tears and ruptures
- Deterioration of joint cartilage, leading to osteoarthritis
- Thinning of bones, contributing to osteoporosis
- Changes in digestion and intestinal muscles, increase the risk of chronic constipation
- Hardening and narrowing of the esophagus (feeding tube), leading to swallowing problems
- Reduce blood circulation, affecting tissue health and healing throughout the body
Aging
Collagen can be detected in embryos and will continue to be produced throughout one's entire life. However, the production starts to slow in adulthood. Studies have shown that starting in your 20s, you will produce 1% to 1.5% less collagen each year.
Collagen production generally peaks between the ages of 25 and 34. After that, production will decrease by 25% over the next 40 years. In females, the decline is especially steep after menopause.
Lifestyle
Your lifestyle choice can also influence the production of collagen, often significantly. These include factors like:
- Malnutrition: By not obtaining enough amino acids in your diet, particularly glycine and proline, collagen production can decline.
- Eating too many refined carbs: Refined carbohydrates such as sugar and refined grains bind together to form molecules called advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). These molecules are damaging to proteins and can cause collagen to break down and become brittle.
- Cigarette smoking: Tobacco smoke directly damages collagen as well as an associate compound called elastin that gives the skin its flexibility. It also causes the narrowing of blood vessels, depriving the skin and tissues of oxygen and nutrients that keep them healthy.
- Excessive sun exposure: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can break the amino acid bonds and cause collagen to break down. The same can happen with the use of tanning beds which generate harmful UV radiation.
Other Conditions
There are many collagen-related diseases that can arise from genetic disorders or nutritional deficiencies, resulting in damaged collagen and/or the decreased production of collagen.
Some of these include:
- Alport syndrome: A genetic disorder that causes collagen changes that damage the eyes, kidneys, and hearing organs
- Dupuytren's contracture: A condition in which connective tissues in the hands and fingers form hardened granules that cause them to shorten and contract
- Ehlers–Danlos syndrome: A group of 13 genetic disorders that lead to deformities in connective tissue
- Knobloch syndrome: A genetic disorder that causes the degeneration of the retina of the eye
- Osteochondrodysplasia: A genetic disorder that leads to bone abnormalities, particularly in the arms, legs, and spine
- Osteogenesis imperfecta: A genetic disorder resulting in weakened bones and irregular connective tissues
Foods to Stimulate Collagen Production
One source of dietary collagen is animal flesh containing connective tissues, including red meat, poultry, and fish. With that said, collagen from these sources is poorly absorbed and needs to be broken down into amino acids to be "rebuilt" into functional collagen.
In terms of diet and collagen synthesis, what is more important is to ensure ample intakes of glycine and proline from both animal and plant sources, such as:
- Red meat
- Poultry
- Fatty fish, such as salmon
- Eggs
- Nuts and seed
- Beans and legume
- Quinoa
- Soybeans, including tofu
- Bone broth
- Gelatin (derived from animal collagen)
You also need to ensure an ample intake of vitamins and minerals that contribute to the synthesis, most specifically:
- Copper: Including nuts, seeds, avocado, shellfish, beans, and organ meats
- Vitamin C: Including citrus, strawberries, broccoli, potatoes, and peppers
- Zinc: Including beef, pork, shellfish, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, and dairy
What Research Says About Supplements
Another way to increase your collagen intake is with collagen supplements. Tablet or powdered collagen supplements are usually made using collagen peptides (a short string of amino acids).
Research suggests collagen peptides are “possibly effective” at improving skin hydration and elasticity in aging or environmentally damaged skin. It may also help improve joint pain and mobility in people with osteoarthritis. However, more research is needed.
Collagen supplements are likely safe in daily doses of 10 milligrams or less for under five months. Safety data are lacking for collagen supplements taken for longer than five months.
Collagen Therapies
Many skin care products, including serums and creams, boast collagen in their list of ingredients. While these products can help moisturize and hydrate the skin, they are unlikely to increase collagen levels in the skin.
This is because collagen proteins aren't found on the surface of the skin but rather in the middle layer known as the dermis. When you apply collagen to the surface, it cannot penetrate the dermis, limiting the purported "anti-aging" effects.
Other therapies that use collagen for medical purposes include:
- Skin reconstruction: Collagens derived from cows, horses, pigs, or human sources are widely used to manufacture artificial skin for people with severe burns or wounds.
- Tissue regeneration: Collagen "scaffolds" created in the lab can repair damaged bone, cartilage, tendon, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels, and skin. These products, produced as sheets, sponges, or gels, provide an anchor for collagen to cling to rebuild tissues damaged by disease.
- Bone grafts: When a broken or damaged bone won't heal for whatever reason, including bone cancer, a collagen-based bone graft can aid in the repair. Such bone grafts can also be used for spinal fusion surgery.
How to Slow Collagen Loss
Collagen production will invariably slow with age. Although there is little you can do to actively reverse this decline, there are things you can do to ensure optimal production whatever your age:
- Improved diet: Eat a healthy balanced diet rich in beans, legumes, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish, poultry, and lean meat.
- Sun protection: Avoid excessive sun exposure and use plenty of sunblock (minimum SPF 30) wherever you are out in the sun.
- Quit smoking: If you are unable to quit, ask your healthcare provider about smoking cessation aids, many of which may be fully covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
- Check your carbs: Reduce your intake of sugar and refined carbs found in foods made with white flour, such as white bread, bagels, pizzas, pastries, and crackers.
- Keep well hydrated: By drinking ample fluids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals are better distributed to tissues where they aid in collagen synthesis. As a general guideline, aim to drink around eight 8-ounce glasses of fluids each day. Plain water is best.
Summary
Collagen is the most common type of protein in the human body that provides strength, flexibility, and stability to cartilage, muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, skin, and other connective tissues. It is synthesized from amino acids from the foods you eat.
Collagen production decreases with age, causing wrinkles and other aging-related changes to your body. You can slow this process by eating a healthy diet, limiting sun exposure, using sunscreen, reducing your intake of sugar and refined carbs, and quitting cigarettes. While collagen supplements may or may not help, collagen creams and serums offer little true "anti-aging" benefits.
