How To Get The Best Results From Your Collagen Supplement
Collagen is an important protein your body uses for skin, tendons, muscles, and blood vessels. According to Medical News Today, collagen helps keep your skin soft and firm. The amount of collagen in your body can decrease by 1% every year after age 40 (via Healthline). Collagen loss is one factor that results in wrinkles and weaker joints and bones. For this reason, collagen supplements have garnered plenty of attention over the years as a way to counteract the amount of collagen we lose over time. Perhaps the most popular form is hydrolyzed collagen, often sold as a powder that mixes well with most liquids.
If you take a collagen supplement, you need to make sure you're doing everything you can to get the most out of it. The experts at MindBodyGreen have come up with a few suggestions to help you do just that. One bit of advice they give when it comes to your skin is to protect it from the elements. That means wearing sunscreen and protective clothing such as hats and sunglasses when you are out in the sun.
Make sure you take enough of it along with Vitamin C
In order to reap the most benefits of collagen, you need to be taking enough of it. A dose of 2.5 to 15 grams of hydrolyzed collagen is probably safe. Smaller doses of around 2.5 grams might help joint pain and improve the appearance of your skin. A dose closer to 5 grams may improve bone density. Larger doses of around 5 grams might improve muscle mass and body composition. Most manufacturers include a suggested dose, which can vary from one to two scoops of powdered peptides to one to two gummies (via Healthline).
Another way you can optimize the results of collagen is to take it with Vitamin C. MBG reports that Vitamin C helps your body synthesize collagen. In fact, Dr. Keira Barr told the publication that the vitamin is a "key cofactor in the synthesis of collagen and elastin, [which help] give your skin that plump and youthful appearance." According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C for men is 90 milligrams, and 75 milligrams for most women (85 for pregnant women and 120 for women who are breastfeeding).