Hello Dear One!
COLLAGEN!
If you’re like me you’ve had this sexy protein shoved in your face, and potentially down your throat, for all it’s miraculous youth defying benefits.
And if you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered…
“IS THIS FOR REAL?”, and possibly, “Which product should I use?”
Here’s what my recent research has provided based on a presentation given by one of the scientists at USANA.
Apparently IS a great idea to supplement with Collagen which supports the health of hair, skin, and nails from the inside out.
What we tend to zero in on (with good reason) is that it supports healthy skin aging and maintains skin’s elasticity.
It also supports healthy joints, bones, the integrity of organs, the vascular system, and the digestive system.
Check it out HERE.
Collagen is essential for the strength and structure of the body.
There are actually over 16 types of Collagen, but Types I, II, and III make up the majority.
As we age Collagen production slows, so supplementing can be a reasonable solution to offset that process.
70% of the skin is comprised of Collagen and adding a digestible Collagen supplement can help reduce sagging of the skin and wrinkles.
Collagen is made from Amino Acids in the Protein we eat, Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Copper.
As we age our ability to synthesize these ingredients into Collagen becomes less efficient.
Lifestyle factors can also decrease the amounts of Collagen present in our skin including increased sun exposure, smoking, a poor diet, inadequate sleep, and insufficient water consumption.
Vegetarian diets as a whole also make Collagen production harder as they’re naturally lower in the Amino Acids that are predominant in Collagen.
Great, so WHICH COLLAGEN to use?
I just started using USANA’s Advanced Collagen and here’s WHY:
It’s made of Type I and III HYDROLYZED PASTURE RAISED BOVINE sourced Collagen.
Type I is associated with the skin’s health, elasticity, and moisture retention that assists in healthy aging.
Type I = hair/skin/nails, bones, muscles
Type III = vascular system, organs, lymphatic system, digestive system
It’s important that this/the product you choose be HYDROLYZED.
What that means is that it’s BROKEN DOWN.
Apparently the structure of Collagen (triple helix – like a braided rope) makes it INCREDIBLY strong.
If Collagen isn’t denatured it won’t be able to be digested.
Hydrolyzing heats it and breaks it down to gelatin.
Then USANA goes a step further and uses steam to further break it down into Peptides so the Collagen can be easily digested and be soluble in hot OR cold liquid.
This product also contains BIOTIN.
This is helpful in the hair and nails effort, but apparently is also needed in the support of KERATIN production.
Keratin acts as a shield for our body.
It’s found in the outermost layer of our skin, hair, and nails.
HYALURONIC ACID is also present in this product.
HA is closely related to Glucosamine, and is most present in our EYES and JOINTS.
HA also functions to keep our skin lubricated and moisturized.
Look for a LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT with the HA you choose (like in this product) which will indicate that it will be more easily absorbed.
VITAMIN C is also contained in this product as it’s an essential precursor to the production of Collagen.
(Incidentally SCURVY, a Vitamin C deficiency disease, denotes a lack of COLLAGEN in the body with bleeding gums, “black leg” = blood pooling+).
COPPER is another essential precursor for Collagen which is NOT in this product, due to the safety margins of putting it into drinkable form.
However it IS present in USANA’s multivitamin, or look for it in the broad spectrum pharmaceutical grade multi you might be currently be rocking.
A FEW MORE THINGS:
There is no such thing as Vegan Collagen.
Plants do not contain Collagen (their equivalent would be Cellulose for structure and strength), so anything that claims to be such is simply inaccurate.
Taking 10-20g a day would be a good dose for most.
Get your Collagen from Pastured Raised Cows free from hormones, antibiotics, GMOs (rBST, rGBH).
What’s the difference between Marine Collagen and Bovine Collagen?
Marine Collagen only contains Type I (hair/skin/nails), while Bovine contains Type I and III (vascular, organs, lymphatic, digestive health).
How does USANA’s Advanced Collagen compare dosage wise to other brands?
Look at the serving size! Some brands only have .3g in a serving. USANA’s has 15g in a serving.
And lastly, if you want Collagen to impact your skin – take a digestible supplement.
Skin products that contain Collagen, especially alongside Hyaluronic Acid, are mostly for moisture enhancement, as it won’t penetrate the skin’s epidermis.
If you’d like to know more about USANA’s Advanced Collagen, check out their article from Ask the Scientists.
Hope that was useful.
If you’d ALSO like to help SLOW the AGING process AND lose weight by getting your body in a Fat Burning mode (while ALSO using our standard Fat Burning products that just happen to contain precursor vitamins that help with Collagen synthesis), please check out Fat Burning PRO (self study) or Fat Burning Mastery (one on one coaching).
To getting you clearer on how the body works, and how to make it work for you.
xox, M