Joint health is vital to maintaining a body that can function at the highest level, and providing them with the support needed is essential for helping you move around spritely. Joint cartilage is like a pillow, cushioning the shock of movement and making navigating the field or gym easier. If you are experiencing joint pain, you will know how much of a negative factor these issues can have on you during high-impact exercises. Enter the world of collagen! If your joints are the bricks your body is built on, collagen is the mortar that holds it together.

What Is Collagen?

Collagen offers potential support for connective tissues like skin, bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage, hair, and nails. Our body naturally produces collagen, with additional sources from animal and fish materials, which are broken down into amino acids glycine, proline and hydroxyproline.

Their source can be determined from the name, i.e. bovine is collagen from cows and marine collagen from fish. These types are not vegan-friendly and can vary in abundance, with the bone broth being rich in collagen because of the abundance of connective tissue in their recipes.

When consumed as a dietary supplement, there are two main types of collagens. These are hydrolysed and undenatured. Undenatured is from chicken breastbone cartilage mainly and hasn't been broken down. While hydrolysed (also referred to as collagen peptides) is processed to be absorbed quicker and reach skin and joints faster. The hydrolysed nature of the active collagen peptides means it also mixes easier with liquid.

Collagen supplements are also noted to have no significant side effects, with only minor side effects like stomach disruptions and rashes being observed on rare occasions. 

Why Should You Take Collagen

While our body naturally produces collagen and can extract it from food, this process is curtailed by age. From the age of 25-30, collagen starts to decrease, with the age of 40 onwards being when 1% is lost yearly.

Other factors can further reduce the amount of collagen produced. These include smoking, alcohol, sun overexposure, lack of exercise and lack of rest. There is also the issue that the collagen produced could also be of a lower quality, further impeding the support your body needs. There are also the issues this causes in conjunction with the slowing of cartilage regeneration.

Around the same age, your cartilage layer becomes thinner and weaker. This results in the cushioning from before being taken away, leaving you at risk of potential joint disorders like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. 

Is Collagen Good For Your Joints And Bones?

So why would collagen supplements support joint health? For one, they are rich in amino acids that can play an essential role in building and supporting joint cartilage health. Certain collagens could also directly impact the makeup and formation of cartilage.

While Type I collagen is the most prominent in the skin, bones, tendons, ligaments and teeth, Type II collagen is 90%-95% of the collagen in cartilage. This abundance is particularly notable as type II collagen is also the main protein found within cartilage, which helps give the strength and elasticity expected from cartilage.

Collagen supplements regarding joint health have shown positive results, too, with native type II having positive effects on reducing pain related to joint function in clinical trials. 

Can Collagen Powder Help With Joint Pain?

There is evidence that some collagen supplements can support post-exercise recovery. With the support of joint cartilage and the additional benefits of bone-strengthening, which works in tandem, your overall health and strength could flourish. There is also some evidence that collagen products offer an anti-inflammatory effect, which can further support post-workout recovery. One study found that collagen could reduce joint inflammation and improve joint pain for better performance and enhanced rest. 

Collagen For Joint Support

Are you looking to support joint health and feel-good inside and out each day? Our formulation geniuses have harvested the power of type II collagen with Marine Collagen +. Offering the quick hydrolysed collagen support your skin and joints need.

It's easy to take, simply supporting skin and joints with a once-daily unflavoured serving that mixes easily with water. If you are wondering how much collagen per day you should take, Marine Collagen + has a designated serving size of 5g! We also recommend adding collagen to a well-balanced and healthy diet, particularly with enough vitamin C for collagen synthesis.