Let’s talk about Collagen and how it’s more than a beauty and ageing supplement.
When most people think of collagen, they associate its use with reducing wrinkles and increasing collagen cells that naturally decrease with age. But did you know that collagen is used for more than ageing? And, there are 16 recognised forms of collagen, with three (3) used most of the time. To discuss which collagen best suits your personal needs, ask one of our friendly Naturopaths. But for now, in this blog, we will briefly touch on the other uses of collagen, such as how it heals gut issues, may improve heart health, and get your body moving through arthritic pain. Let’s go!

Gut issues and Collagen
Most people would not consider taking collagen supplements for gut issues. However, collagen repairs the gut by lining and strengthening the gut walls, whilst also soothing due to the potent anti-inflammatory and increasing immunomodulatory benefits. At Nurtura Health, we provide a Microbiome Screening and Interpretation, which may assist in having a healthy gut. Consider making an appointment with us if you have any questions.

Heart Health and Collagen
Offering the benefit of strengthening the arteries and connective tissues in the heart, researchers believe that collagen supplements may reduce the risk of heart conditions, thus improving its continuous function. The structure in the collagen allows more elasticity, so that the blood vessels can carry blood to your heart and your body with ease. Therefore, when the arteries can flow freely, potential blockages are mute. Ask us about our Fitgenes DNA Genetic Test if you have cardiovascular health and other concerns.

Arthritis and Collagen
Like all tissues of the body, the 213 bones of the skeletal system are in a constant state of remodelling. Evidence suggests that peak bone mass, and later fracture risk, are influenced by the pattern of bone growth in childhood and by nutritional exposure to bone nutrients, especially protein, thus affecting the period between utero and adolescence. Bone nutrition is therefore important throughout your entire lifetime, not just middle age and onwards.

Did you know that eighty to ninety percent of bone is made of collagen, consisting primarily of collagen types 1 and 111. Therefore, it is collagen that is the key determinant of bone strength.

So, if your arthritis is causing you to suffer, where you’d do anything to make the pain subside, the most common go-to solution is to grab off-the-shelf pain medication. However, at Nurtura Health we can provide more natural alternatives than off-the-shelf pain medication. “Some small studies, including a 2017 review article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, have shown that people taking collagen supplements do experience pain relief”. (ref 1.) And with more studies taking place, collagen used for arthritic conditions is looking promising.

Additional treatments and supplements will complement the collagen, so ask us how we can make your life more gain than pain.

As you can see, collagen is far more helpful than previously thought. And this blog has just skimmed the surface of its benefits. If you’d like to chat about how collagen may improve areas of your life, book into one of our knowledgeable Naturopaths at Nurtura Health.