Mobility is something many of us probably take for granted. The ability to exercise or climb a flight of stairs comes naturally for lots of people. As you age, however, your mobility can decrease as your joints and bones start to feel stiff and painful. If you’re looking to build a healthier lifestyle, you’re likely already aware of important habits such as exercise and diet. But despite a focus on everyday health, joint and bone health can be overlooked, particularly when you’re younger. The reality is that joint and bone health is vital. Any time you move, one of your joints is activated, so looking after them is important for long-term health. And that’s where collagen comes in to support these joints.
The most abundant protein in the human body, accounting for around 30% of our overall protein, collagen helps keep your body moving more smoothly and pain free for longer.
Let’s look at what collagen is, how it helps you move, the importance of good collagen intake for your bones and joints, and ways to boost it as part of your healthy lifestyle.
What is collagen?
Collagen is the main component of your body’s connective tissues. These include tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bones, which makes it an essential part of supporting good joint and bone health.
It’s naturally produced in your body, and is made up of amino acids (often proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline for collagen). These group together to form the structure and framework for cells and tissues, essentially acting as the glue for various parts of your body.
Traditionally, collagen has been more well known as being good for your skin and signs of aging. But collagen’s benefits go far deeper.
What are the different types of collagen?
While the term collagen is well known, the different types are probably not as widely understood. There are actually 28 different types of collagen. Each has its own molecular assembly and cell components, and is used by different parts of your body. However, there are five main collagen types that offer health benefits:
- Type I – the most common collagen type that accounts for 90% of the collagen in your body, type I provides structure for your bones, ligaments, skin, and tendons.
- Type II – this type of collagen is vital for joint support and is found in elastic cartilage.
- Type III – plays an important role in arteries, muscles and organs and their structure.
- Type IV – this collagen type is typically found in the skin, where it supports cells and tissues.
- Type V – this collagen variant is found in the corneas of your eyes, some skin layers, hair, and the tissue of the placenta.
How does collagen work?
Most of the collagen in your body is created from the protein you get through your food, which serves as a raw material. When you eat protein, your body breaks it down into amino acids to help make collagen.
Proteins from sources like meat, eggs, dairy, and legumes supply what’s needed for amino acids, while vitamin C and other minerals, such as zinc, support the structure. Your genes dictate the specific type of collagen produced and the cell type determines where and when it’s made.
Collagen helps organise and shape tissues, providing structure, strength, and support to many areas of your body. This includes its ability to replace dead skin cells, boost skin elasticity, and help new skin cells grow in your dermis (middle skin layer), which many skincare brands love to shout about.
But collagen does so much more than that. It also helps toughen up bones, supports cartilage around joints, and strengthens ligaments and tendons. This includes working with minerals like calcium that harden the collagen structure to ensure good mobility.
As we grow older, our bodies produce less collagen, and a lower quality of it. It also breaks down faster than our bodies can replace it. This usually starts in your mid-20s, and speeds up past the age of 40, when your collagen levels can deplete by about 1% a year.
Ensuring you have a good collagen intake through your diet and lifestyle to replace what’s lost is therefore vital for your long-term health.
How does collagen help joints and mobility?
Collagen helps keep your joints in good shape and aids mobility as it makes up important parts of the musculoskeletal system. Cartilage, ligaments, and tendons around joints such as your elbows, neck, and wrists all contain collagen that assists in performing various functions. These include cushioning joints and providing stable bone-to-bone and strong muscle-to-bone connections.
All of this enables smooth movement in your joints. A lack of collagen leads to friction, which can cause joint pain, as well as bone and muscle issues, making mobility harder.
The most important types of collagen for joints and bones include:
- Type I collagen, which helps strengthen the ligaments and tendons surrounding joints that are essential for connections and ensuring easy movement.
- Type II collagen, which is the main collagen in the cartilage that surrounds joints like your knees and hips. This cartilage is the tissue that protects joints while helping connect them to other parts of the body. It acts as a cushion by covering the ends of the bones, so they don’t rub against each other and cause damage when you move. Type II collagen also helps keep the cartilage healthy and absorbs shocks from the impact of walking, running, and bending. A lack of cartilage can damage joints, as bones start to rub against each other.
- Type X collagen is found in bone and joint cartilage. Its role is more about bone formation, which includes repairing and remodelling articular cartilage (the connective tissue covering the ends of bones in a joint). This helps your body naturally repair after damage to the bone or cartilage, making it essential for full and quick recovery after an injury.
What does collagen do in your bones?
Collagen makes up the structural framework of your bones. It provides the strength and flexibility to prevent them from becoming brittle, while also aiding repairs after an injury. In fact, there are two key types of collagen essential for good bone health:
- Type I collagen creates dense fibres to strengthen and help with bone regeneration. It regulates bone cells to support repair, maintains bone mineral density to prevent joint problems, and provides the strength that helps your bones withstand the stress and pressure of daily activities like walking, stretching, and bending.
- Type III collagen works with type I on bone formation and remodelling – essential after a fracture, break, or any other damage. It’s vital during the healing process to help form new bone tissue and protect the stem cells that can develop into new bone cells – crucial for repair and growth.
How do you know if you need more collagen to support your joints?
From your mid-20s onwards, collagen levels often decrease, and there are some common causes and signs to look out for.
Smoking, lots of exposure to UV light, and eating too much sugar and refined carbohydrates can damage collagen levels. Especially when you’re over 60, when most people’s collagen levels naturally decline. As you get older, it’s particularly important to consider how you can maintain collagen levels.
Symptoms that indicate that you need more collagen in your diet and lifestyle include:
- Joint pain (due to worn cartilage)
- Stiffness of joints that reduces mobility
- Muscle aches and shrinkage
- Slower recovery from exercise and injury
- Tendon and ligament stiffness (leading to reduced flexibility).
How to get more collagen into your diet
Unlike the injections, creams, and treatments advertised to boost collagen levels to rejuvenate your skin, there are much tastier ways to increase your collagen intake and aid bone and joint health.
Add collagen-rich foods to your diet, such as chicken, fish, egg whites, leafy greens, tomatoes, berries, beans, and cashew nuts. Recipes like chicken soup, berry smoothies, and ramen (using bone broth and eggs), or simply snacking on tropical fruits and cashews, are great ways to boost your collagen intake.
Busy lives mean sometimes you don’t have time to make a collagen-rich chicken Pho or beef stew, though. Instead, collagen supplements offer a quick and convenient method to boost your intake and get the amount you need.
How can Protein Works help support your collagen intake?
At Protein Works, we stock a range of delicious products to improve and manage your collagen levels for a well-balanced and healthy lifestyle. Each one is made from high-quality ingredients, supports strong bones and joints, and is easy to integrate into your diet and lifestyle:
- Collagen shakes – Collagen Whey Protein comes in three heavenly flavours and each shake includes 8g of type I and III collagen peptides alongside 12g of whey protein.
- Collagen supplements – save time with Marine Collagen 360 supplements that provide 1,000mg of marine collagen peptides per serving to boost production and protect your body.
- Collagen powders – mix up four fruity drinks with a choice of Clear Collagen 360 flavours. They include up to 15g of collagen per serving for great taste and impact. For an early-morning wake-up, Collagen Protein Coffee has you covered.
Want to know more about collagen, including how it works and ways to increase your intake? Check out our guide that covers everything you need to know about collagen.
