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Collagen affects dozens of systems in your body – hair, skin, cartilage, bones, and more. Using the right collagen supplement is key to supporting the health and growth of those systems.

Most people are familiar at some level with whey protein powder or proteins derived from plant-based sources. And those are great for doing what they’re intended for: helping to aid in muscle recovery and maximize muscle growth.

But there’s another form of protein supplement that’s extremely beneficial to your overall health which you may not be as familiar with, known as hydrolyzed collagen or collagen peptides (they’re one in the same). Here’s some background…

What do you think is the common denominator shared between your skin, cartilage, connective tissue, blood vessels, hair, and bones?

They’re all vital to the human body, sure, but they also get their support and structure from a protein type called collagen.

Collagen is the most abundant form of protein in the body, making up approximately one third of the body’s total protein composition and acting as a sort of glue that holds the body together. There are currently 28 known types of collagen, but for the sake of this article the three most important are:

• Type 1: By far the most prevalent and responsible for about 90% of the body’s collagen supply, Type 1 collagen gives structure to connective tissue, teeth, skin, bones, tendons, and cartilage.
• Type 2: Type 2 collagen works to cushion joints by supporting healthy elastic cartilage.
• Type 3: Type 3 supports skin elasticity and functions as structure for arteries, muscles, and various organs.

The human body is able to produce collagen on it’s own by combining two amino acids, proline and glycine, with the support of copper, vitamin C, and zinc. This process slows as we age however, so collagen supplementation becomes more and more important over time.

We can increases our collagen intake partially through foods such as bone broth, egg whites, and gelatin, but a little known fact is that these foods do not necessarily increase the amount of collagen that’s actually absorbed by your body as much as you’ve been led to believe.

Even though you are technically eating collagen in those foods your digestive enzymes break them down into base amino acids, which aren’t necessarily reassembled back into collagen as opposed to a different protein. Some will be, but not all.

The solution? Hydrolyzed collagen peptides. 

Regular collagen takes the form of a helix composed of three long chains and hundreds of amino acids, which is incredibly strong but difficult for your body to digest and absorb in it’s current state. That leads to it being broken down to amino acids as we mentioned earlier.

To get around this issue scientists developed collagen peptides which are a form of the molecule that is already broken down in advance, before it reaches your body.

This makes collagen peptides much easier to absorb and digest since they’re made of shorter amino acid chains that the digestive system and blood stream can work with more efficiently. That means they’re more effective at boosting your body’s overall collagen supply since they are more directly absorbed into your system. 

This offers benefits such as:

•  Skin health:  Collagen is vital if we want better looking and healthier skin. 80% of skin is made from collagen which means that collagen supplementation can lead to reduced signs of aging and wrinkles, better hydration, and healthier skin overall. 
• Bone health: Collagen is crucial to the creation and structure of strong and healthy bones – especially important as we age in order to maintain bone strength and prevent injury. 
• Joint pain relief: The cartilage in our joints acts as a cushion so that the bones don’t grind together on the nerve, and that cartilage is made primarily of collagen. Supplementation leads to less inflammation in the joints and better cartilage health overall. 
• Hair and nail growth:  Regular collagen supplementation has been shown to increase the rate of growth in hair and nails, since these are primarily made up of collagen molecules. 
• Cardiovascular health: The arteries and blood vessels in the body gain their structure from collagen, so adequate supplementation naturally leads to stronger blood vessels and better circulation. 

In short, collagen supplementation (specifically with collagen peptized/hydrolyzed collagen) is extremely beneficial to a host of systems in your body. 

Now that we’ve covered the “why” of collagen supplements, lets dig into the “how” with our top 3 favorite collagen peptide supplements of the year. 

HIGHLIGHTS:

The Top 3 Best Collagen Peptide Supplements of 2022

Full Breakdown

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