Is collagen good for the gut?

When we hear the word collagen we immediately think of more supple skin, healthier joints, and prettier hair and nails. But did you know that collagen can help gut health, too?

What is collagen?

Collagen is a connective tissue structure that ties our bodies together. It’s a glue-like substance that webs together our muscles, bones, skin, and everything else.

Collagen, believe it or not, is a type of protein found in our bodies. Since it’s a protein it’s built up by amino acids. This is important information to remember when considering collagen supplements because if our bodies cannot break down the form of collagen we are taking and use it, it’s pointless to take. We will talk more about this in the “collagen supplements” section of this article.

Our bodies contain 28 different types of collagen. Collage types I through IV are the most commonly found in our bodies. Type I collagen makes up a whopping 90% of the collagen found in humans.

Type I collagen is found in the skin, bones, teeth, tendons, ligaments, and organs.
Type II collagen is found in cartilage.
Type III collagen is found in the skin, muscles, and blood vessels.
Type IV collagen is mostly found in the layers of the skin — specifically the basement layer.

Benefits of Collagen

We know a lot of the touted benefits of collagen, but how many of them are scientifically backed by studies? A good majority of them are.

Osteoarthritis
More youthful skin
Stronger joints
Healthier hair and nails
Increased bone density
Better natural collagen synthesis
Muscular health is improved and recovery time is lower post-workout
More ideal body composition (fat-to-muscle ratio)
Increased energy/less fatigue

While research is still new, collagen has also been shown to help protect patients from additional complications during and after COVID-19 infections. It should not be expected to prevent COVID-19 infections or cure any diseases, but the few studies done did show some protective effects from further complications related to COVID-19 infections.

How does collagen help gut health?

Since collagen is made up of amino acids, it actually helps with the integrity of your intestinal lining. With IBS, SIBO, and similar conditions, we notice that the intestinal barrier is often compromised allowing bacteria to free-float — causing inflammation and later disease.

By improving the health of the intestinal barrier, collagen helps to avoid and promote the healing of a leaky gut. Leaky gut is a large part of the problem in conditions like IBS and IBD. A leaky gut is also a prime suspect in the development of inflammation-related diseases. So controlling this is a large part of maintaining your health.

Collagen has also been found to help your digestive system to break down carbohydrates and protein, allowing your body to use and absorb them better. This is great because your body is actually using the food you put in it rather than just pushing everything through as waste. Collagen also appears to improve constipation in some cases.

Multiple animal studies are showing that collagen could have even more benefits for health. Some of these benefits include:

SCFA production — specifically butyrate
Reduced inflammation
Improved gut microbiota balance
Antioxidant effects

So with all of these benefits, collagen seems like a no-brainer. This might bring you to ask the question…

Are there any downsides to collagen?

As of now, collagen appears to be generally safe. The only concern that we can see is if someone has an allergy to the source of their collagen. Since some supplements are derived from fish sources — marine collagen — they can cause allergic reactions in those who have an allergy.

Other than that studies haven’t shown statistically relevant downsides to collagen.

Food or Supplements: What is the best way to get more collagen?

Now this is the big part of it all. Since our bodies stop creating enough collagen as we age, we need to get more to support our health. You’ve likely heard about consuming bone broth and more meat to get your quota of collagen.

But is that enough?

Studies suggest that just consuming proteins and bone broth don’t provide us with quite enough collagen to get us the benefits we want. This isn’t because we don’t consume enough, either. It comes down to if our body is able to use the collagen in the form we are getting it.

This is where collagen supplements come into play. Supplements give us a predictable amount of collagen in the form our body can actually use right away. Supplements (in the right format) not only deliver collagen to our bodies, but they also allow our body to continue synthesizing natural collagen that it makes on its own way later in life than it would without the supplementation.

What to look for in a collagen supplement

1. Gelatin is not the same as collagen. Gelatin is collagen that has been altered by heat which changes the amino acids making them less helpful. Don’t skimp by going for gelatin if you’re looking to truly boost your collagen levels.
2. Vegan collagen does not exist. You cannot get true collagen from any plant sources. Some ways you can do this are by consuming foods high in the amino acids proline and glycine like beans, avocados, soy, cauliflower, and sunflower seeds.
3. Healthy animals make healthy collagen. Grass-fed, pasture-raised, free-range sources of collagen are going to be better for you than factory-farmed sources. If you’re going for marine-based collagen then make sure it’s wild-caught fish.

Watch out for additives.

Tripeptides are easier for your body to use than peptides. Tripeptides are already broken down into easy-to-use and digest peptide forms for your body.
Hydrolyzed collagen is easiest for your body to use as it’s already gone through a process to make it more bioaccessible to your cells.
Vitamin C helps your body use collagen supplements better and create its own collagen.

Collagen is a great way to increase your vitality so you can do healthy things to support your body and gut. Adding a collagen supplement with the NSF stamp of approval that Atrantil wears is a way to ensure you’re getting a healthy and true form of collagen.

Get yourself a good collagen supplement to support joint, skin, and digestive health and let us know what benefits you notice in the comments below!

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