Collagen is one of the most crucial building blocks in your body, but many people aren’t aware it even exists. This protein is present all throughout your skin, and it’s responsible for a wide range of skin functions that you might not know about.

Many people don’t realize that they have a lack of collagen, and that it could be contributing to all sorts of negative skin effects. But it doesn’t just do wonders for your skin. Collagen is present all throughout your body. It can help with joints, hair, muscles, and more.

Collagen supplements are becoming more and more popular, particularly for joint health, so you may be considering trying one for yourself, if you feel you could use some of its benefits.

The Many Benefits of Collagen Supplements

1. Skin Health

The most obvious benefit of collagen is in the skin. Collagen helps regulate the aging process by keeping your skin pores plump and full of protein. This can help reduce the appearance of aging skin, including wrinkles, crows feet, crepe skin, and other unsightly issues.

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Collagen also helps keep skin moist, so it can help reduce that dry flaky feeling you sometimes get when your skin isn’t properly hydrated. Better still, collagen supplements can help your body start producing more collagen on its own, which is especially effective when it comes to wrinkles.

2. Promote Heart Health

Another understated function of collagen is that it helps provide structure to your arteries and blood vessels. When you get older and your collagen supply starts to decrease, it can cause your blood vessels to lose their shape, which can affect other parts of your cardiovascular system.

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Studies have shown that taking a collagen supplement can not only improve your arteries, it can also work to help with cholesterol levels. This is still a fairly new area of research, so more studies need to be done on the effects of collagen in relation to heart health, but the results so far have been promising.

3. Help With Muscle Mass

Up to 10% of your muscle tissues is composed of collagen, so this protein is no joke when it comes to your muscles. Taking a collagen supplement while engaging in a rigorous exercise routine has been shown to help improve muscle mass.

As we age, our muscles naturally degrade somewhat in a process called sarcopenia, but there are ways to help mitigate this. Working out is obviously incredibly important, but your efforts could be boosted if you take a collagen supplement for increased mobility.

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It may not be the first thing that comes to mind as a workout accessory, but adding a collagen supplement to your exercise routine could really help you get the results you desire.

4. Boost Gut Health

Some people swear by collagen as an effective means to strengthen your gut lining, which can help protect against leaky gut syndrome. Gut health is incredibly important to the health of your entire body overall.

If your gut lining is weak, your ability to pull valuable nutrients from your food is impaired, and it becomes easier for bad bacteria and other harmful pathogens to enter your digestive tract.

Taking a collagen supplement could help efforts to restore your gut lining, which can affect everything from energy levels to mood, even your quality of sleep.

5. Joint Support

Collagen is an essential component of cartilage, which you may know exists in your joints, in the spaces between your bones. Cartilage is a very important part of your body, as it keeps your joints running smooth and pain-free.

If you’ve noticed stiffness in your joints, or if they just don’t feel as smooth as they used to, a collagen supplement could be worth a try. It’s an easy, effective way to boost your body’s collagen count, and not just in the skin, but in your joints as well.

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As we age, the cartilage in our joints wears thinner and thinner, and that’s often what causes joint pain. So a collagen supplement, especially one with other ingredients designed to help joints, might be the solution you need.

6. Hair and Nails

A lack of collagen can cause your nails to become brittle, supplementing with collagen could help prevent this and keep your nails from breaking too easily. Collagen is also important when it comes to hair growth, so taking a collagen supplement may encourage your hair and nails to grow longer.

Many people often overlook the health of your hair and nails, but they involve many of the same proteins as your skin, including collagen.

The Bottom Line

These are just a few reasons why a collagen supplement may be right for you. Of course, there are a lot of options out there, and the selection can be daunting. On top of that, there are multiple forms of collagen available.

You primarily want to think of what sort of benefits you want most. If you are looking for improved joint health, for example, look for a supplement designed with that in mind.

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