Are you trying to figure out when to take collagen? Read this article to learn more about when to take collagen and the benefits of collagen.

Collagen is one of the most essential proteins in the human body. This protein is a key component of muscle, ligaments, tendons, bone, and skin. So, making sure that your body has enough collagen is an important part of making sure your body is functioning properly.

One way to ensure that your body is getting the collagen you need is to take a collagen supplement. Wondering about when to take collagen and the benefits of taking collagen? Here’s everything you need to know.

When to Take Collagen Supplements

If you’re having trouble with your skin, chronic muscle and joint aches, and/or recurring digestive issues, taking collagen can really help you feel better. Because collagen is such an important protein, pretty much anyone can benefit from adding a collagen supplement to their regimen.

Benefits of Taking Collagen Supplements

Collagen can help improve overall health. It can also be used to address specific health issues you might be struggling with.

Here are a few benefits of taking collagen:

Healthier Skin

The majority of the facial treatments that you can get at any spa are based on encouraging the skin to produce more collagen. That’s because collagen is the protein that keeps skin looking firm, tight, healthy, and radiant. Collagen is the major building block of healthy, beautiful skin.

Taking a collagen supplement can lead to a reduction in blemishes and wrinkles, more even skin tone, and firmer, stronger skin. It has also been shown to increase the skin’s hydration and elasticity. So, taking a collagen supplement can help make your skin healthier overall.

Healthier Joints

Collagen is an essential part of all the cartilage in the body. The joints are protected by cartilage, which helps them move smoothly and without scraping against other bones. As we get older, collagen production decreases, the cartilage around the joints starts to wear out, and joint pain develops as a result.

Studies have found that taking a collagen supplement regularly can help reduce joint pain and swelling. In one study, athletes took collagen daily for several weeks, and each of them reported significantly less joint pain. In another study, adults took a collagen supplement daily for several weeks, and they reported that they were more capable of being physically active because they were experiencing less joint pain.

Why does collagen help so much with joint pain? The theory is that the extra collagen helps build more cartilage around the joints to protect them. Some doctors also think that extra collagen helps reduce inflammation.

Builds Muscle

Collagen is one of the many proteins that make up the muscles in our body. Collagen is what gives muscles their structure. So, getting enough collagen is crucial to building muscle mass.

Studies have shown that taking a collagen supplement can help you build more muscle than you would if you weren’t taking a collagen supplement.

Studies on people with sarcopenia, a disease that causes muscle weakness and loss, showed that people who took a collagen supplement while strength training built more muscle during their training program than those who didn’t take a collagen supplement. A similar study done on healthy men with little muscle mass showed that the men who took a collagen supplement while strength training built more muscle than those who didn’t take a collagen supplement.

So, if you’re looking to get stronger, taking a collagen supplement can help you get the muscle mass you’re looking for.

Healthier Heart

Arteries also get their structure from collagen. Arteries carry blood to the heart, so they need to be functioning optimally for the heart to be healthy. When the body doesn’t have enough collagen, the arteries can become weak and stiff, which can lead to serious heart problems.

One study found that people who took a daily collagen supplement for several weeks had healthier arteries than those who didn’t. Their arteries were stronger and much less stiff than they were at the beginning of the study.

Participants in the study also raised their good cholesterol significantly while taking the collagen supplement. Since cholesterol is an important indicator of heart health, this is a good indicator that the collagen helped improve their overall heart health.

So, taking a collagen supplement is a great way to keep your ticker in shape.

Decreases Bone Loss

Yet another part of the body that gets its structure from collagen is the bones. Collagen is a key component in keeping bones strong and healthy. As we age collagen production slows and bone loss starts to occur, which puts the bones at serious risk. Both bone loss and slowed collagen production are factors in osteoporosis.

A few studies have found that taking a collagen supplement may help decrease bone loss by increasing the amount of collagen available to provide structure for the bones. In one of these studies, some women were told to take just a calcium supplement and others were told to take a calcium supplement and a collagen supplement. The women who were taking the collagen supplement, as well as the calcium, had lower levels of one of the proteins responsible for bone loss.

More research needs to be done, but preliminary research shows that taking collagen can help with bone health, especially after menopause.

How to Take Collagen

There are a few ways to increase your collagen intake. One is to eat more foods that have a lot of collagen in them. Poultry skin is high in collagen, so every once in a while you have an excuse to keep the skin on your turkey or chicken. Bone broth is also an excellent source of collagen.

Another way to get more collagen is to take a supplement in pill form. These pills can be found in your local health food store or ordered online.

You can also mix organic collagen powder into your food or a drink.

Improve Your Health With Collagen

Since collagen is an important building block of most of the parts of the body, taking collagen can improve your overall health in several ways. So, the answer to when to take collagen is really whenever you’re ready to be healthier!

For more tips on how to live your healthiest life, check out the Health & Fitness section of the site.