When it comes to collagen, an important protein type that helps build and support bones, cartilage, skin, hair, eyes, and the digestive system, is located in the bones and the skin.

But surprisingly enough, it becomes something that you will have to supplement your body with as you get older.

During the process of taking a collagen supplement or consuming foods that are rich in collagen, you are taking in collagen that originates from an animal.

Collagen can also be consumed in bone broth. Collagen peptides, on the other hand, are frequently offered in powdered form or capsule form.

Something to keep in mind with collagen supplements is that there is the potential for side effects to occur.

Collagen is fairly safe, but you should always talk to your doctor before adding a supplement to your diet.

Potential side effects from collagen supplements may be the appearance of rashes or, in much rarer cases, liver problems.

Collagen Is an Easy-to-Digest Way of Receiving Protein

The body has to work hard in order to digest protein from multiple sources, such as chicken and beef, leading to some people often dealing with digestive symptoms like stomach pains and burping after they eat.

But collagen supplements are already hydrolyzed, which means that the collagen has already been broken down, saving your body an extra step and making it easier to digest.

Collagen supplements can potentially be a more comfortable way to get protein into your diet, thanks in part to the process of hydrolyzing also makes it possible for collagen peptides to dissolve in water, which makes it fairly easy to use them in smoothies.

Collagen May Help Lessen Joint Aches and Pains

Joint pain can make exercising a tough process; therefore, taking collagen supplements can provide a pain reduction to get your fitness routines up and running again.

Evidence has shown that collagen can be a great support system for connective tissues and improve joint pain after you finish exercising.

In January 2017, a study published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism found that athletes that are experiencing knee pain who took 5 g of collagen peptides daily for 12 weeks ended up having less joint pain during their fitness sessions than compared with a placebo group that didn’t have the collagen peptides.

Cartilage repair can occur with oral collagen and may also have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Collagen May Help Your Heart Health

Stirring You may experience an uptick in heart health by stirring some collagen into your coffee and taking a collagen tripeptide twice a day, according to a study published in the Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis in May 2017.

Researchers also think that collagen may help fortify blood vessel walls to decrease the possibility of artery disease.

Collagen Helps Boost Skin Elasticity and Smooth Out Wrinkles  

It appears that skin health has continued to be the most well-researched benefit of taking collagen, with collagen supplements shown in many cases to improve skin elasticity, helping it gain a better hold onto moisture, and increase the collagen fiber density within the skin.

Ten grams of collagen per day may be just the step that is needed to help preserve your youthful appearance.

Supplements Can Help Replace What’s Naturally Lost Through Aging

Collagen not only works to hold the human body together, but it also accounts for about one-third of the protein in your body.

But once we enter into the age brackets of our thirties and our forties, our bodies produce less collagen, making an intake of collagen peptides an important addition to our diets to replace what our bodies begin to lack and to work as a support system for our overall health.

Peptides Can Keep Bones Healthy

Bone mineral density is something that unfortunately decreases as you continue to get older, even more so after menopause.

Researchers have found that there can be some bone mineral density help for post-menopausal women who take collagen peptides because the collagen may stimulate bone formation and may slow down bone loss.

Collagen May Be Useful in Joint Disease

The various forms of collagen include:  Type 1 (in beef) is helpful when it comes to your skin, while Type 2 (in chicken) is potentially more beneficial when it comes to arthritic joint pain.

Being that your joints are made up of cartilage, which mostly consists of collagen, it would be to your benefit to purchase a collagen supplement that contains various sources of animal collagen.

Oral Supplements May Promote Gut Health

For one final reason why you should drink your collagen on a daily basis, in inflammatory digestive conditions like irritable bowel disease (IBD), collagen has been connected to a “gut healing” theory because some research finds that collagen levels are decreased in patients with these conditions and taking collagen could possibly help correct collagen deficiency.