Collagen Peptides for the Win
With each passing decade, my joints get noisier—and crankier. Like a toddler who is sorely in need of a nap, they will begin whining if they’ve been pushed too long, or made to try something new.
Recently, a dear friend, whose son is a personal trainer and body builder, came for a visit and brought me a piece of passed-on advice. Her son had recommended she begin taking a powder form of collagen peptides. This supplement, he explained, would help keep her skin looking young, improve the condition of her hair and nails, supply her muscles and ligaments with the building blocks they need and—the thing which got my attention—improve the health of the cartilage in her joints.
As you and I age, our bodies’ own production of collagen slows down. This ubiquitous protein, which is the main building block of our hair, nails, skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage, can end up in short supply. One result, in our weightbearing joints, is what used to be a smooth and glisten-y (on the inside) lining of the ends of our bones, becomes a rough and less lubricated surface. When these changes begin to take place, joint pain is not far behind.
Adding a collagen peptide supplement to your daily routine has been shown in a number of studies to provide your body with these necessary proteins. The daily serving amount of collagen powder is listed as 1-2 scoops. I’m on the petite side, so I take one scoop mixed into a glass of water each morning. Many people mix it right into their daily coffee or smoothie. Beware, however, if you drink it mixed into pure water, it will have a mild beefy flavor since it is made from the ground up bovine bones(cattle). That said, there is also a pescatarian variety made from fish bones.
From what I’ve read, results will likely not be noticed for the first 3 months. But, one unexpected bonus I noticed immediately was improved bowel motility*. This is because collagen peptides are hydrophilic, meaning they bind to water which would soften stool.
These benefits have made taking collagen peptides a win-win for me!
*Improved bowel motility will not be true of the fish bone supplement as it contains much more calcium and therefore may have the opposite result.
