Collagen decreases with age! Some foods and supplements can help
Keeps the tissues and joints young and pain-free. Supplements and diet stimulate the natural formation of this molecule.Some people retain a lush skin and agility in movements , despite the years, which cause admiration. Quite the opposite of young people who seem aged. The secret may be in collagen, the molecule that provides structure, elasticity and resistance to tissues and organs.
Collagen is composed of soluble fibers that withstand high stresses because they are very crosslinked. It is the basic component of cartilage, intervertebral discs, ligaments, tendons, bones, skin, scalp, gums, dentin, walls of blood vessels and ocular cornea.
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Collagen fibers provide resistance and tensile and compressive capacity to ligaments, tendons and muscles; they reinforce the walls of the blood and lymphatic vessels; regenerate the gums; They strengthen the epithelial tissue and help increase bone density.
Age decreases your collagen production
With age, as a result of a slower metabolic processes and hormonal deficits, the ability to regenerate is lost. At the age of 25 it starts to decrease and from the age of 40 its synthesis is reduced by 1% each year. Therefore, at 70 years, 30% has been lost.
Aging does not destroy collagen, but it affects less production and hardening of the fibers. As a result, the skin loses thickness and elasticity, while the joints become stiffer. Flaccidity and wrinkles appear, loss of bone density and joint pains .
To slow down these processes we are interested in stimulating the formation of collagen . The best way to do this is to encourage our organism to produce it naturally.
For this it is necessary that the feeding is adequate and contains both the structural amino acids of this complex molecule and the cofactors involved in its production.
It is also important to avoid those factors that accelerate the loss of collagen : excessive sun exposure, tobacco, pollutants, stress and exaggerated exercise.
The food needed to produce collagen
Collagen is a long and complex molecule of exclusively animal origin .
But there are plant foods that stimulate their natural formation , since they contain the precursor amino acids glycine, proline, threonine and lisian. Among them, legumes, asparagus, nuts and seeds.
Micronutrients that help the formation of collagen
Amino acids are the structural molecules of collagen, but as necessary as they are the chemical cofactors that intervene in the reactions necessary for their synthesis and that protect the connective tissue: vitamins C, E, B1, B2 and B6, coenzyme Q10 and the magnesium.
Ascorbic acid or vitamin C plays a fundamental role. The human being does not have the necessary enzymes to synthesize this nutrient, so he needs to ingest a minimum intake of 60 mg a day.
The ascorbic acid does not intervene as a substrate in the main reaction of collagen formation, but it is convenient to redirect the intermediate products until reaching the synthesis of the final molecule.
Magnesium and vitamins of group B contribute to protein synthesis and osteomuscular functioning. Hyaluronic acid is the natural lubricant of cartilage and ligaments, which improves joint mobility. All of them act in synergy to maintain the functionality of the connective tissue.
The importance of proper hydration
The extracellular matrix of the connective tissue is constituted by water, salts, polypeptides and sugars.
If hydration decreases, the fibers become caked and the functions of nutrient input and cellular waste exit become difficult. This accelerates the aging of the collagen fibers.
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Collagen supplements: are they really necessary?
If the diet is balanced supplements are not necessary, regardless of age. They are recommended when there is an obvious degradation of connective tissue .
The daily dose is 10 g that can be dissolved in milk, juices, soups or infusions. It can be taken continuously, as it has no negative side effects.
The most recommended supplements
A good collagen must have been extracted and predigested by a natural process (not chemical) to be assimilable.
In the market hydrolyzed in the form of pills, powder or liquid . It is common to find it together with hyaluronic acid, magnesium or vitamins C and group B.
Hydrolyzed collagen is, among the supplements, the most assimilable form, since it has been subjected to an enzymatic process that fragments the native collagen particles to such a size that, when ingested, it is able to cross the intestinal wall and reach the bloodstream.
The "plant collagen" does not exist . Years ago the main source was bovine but, as a result of mad cow disease, it is currently of avian, porcine or marine origin. Erroneously referred to as "plant collagen" is the gelatin that is obtained from red algae, agar agar or laminaria.