The Benefits of Collagen for Gut Health and Digestion

Whenever we speak of collagen, what comes to most people’s mind is skin care. Sure, collagen is an important protein that works to keep skin young, firm, and smooth.

But that’s not all, collagen also plays important roles in your gut health and digestion, and that’s what we shall focus on in this article.

But first, let’s answer an important question.

Why Do You Need to Maintain a Healthy Gut?

You probably think, “Oh, my gut is only important for digestive functions,” but that’s not true. Your gut health is actually linked to other aspects of your overall health, including your skin and mental health.

Yeah, undoubtedly, everything we eat, drink or consume in general passes through our gut, where it is digested and absorbed.

When you eat clean and healthy foods, it shows on your physical and mental health. But when you consume more junk and unhealthy foods, the gut is the first place it goes and the effects on your health starts from there.

In fact, unhealthy eating can lead to several issues such as leaky gut syndrome, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, and poor digestive health.

However, you can remedy these problems by following a healthy diet routine and trying some good supplements. That’s where collagen comes in.

What is Collagen?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It is composed of several chains of amino acids, which are the main building blocks of proteins. Some of the essential amino acids that form collagen include proline and glycine.

What does this important protein do for our bodies? Collagen makes up connective tissues, and supports joint and digestive health, and offers many other benefits.

However, as we age, our bodies produce less collagen, and that’s one of the main reasons we experience several signs of aging, including wrinkles, lackluster skin, joint pain, and wrinkles. Well, thanks to the effectiveness of high-quality collagen supplements available today, which helps boost the level of collagen in the body, thereby reducing several signs of aging, and offers benefits to our skin.

By now, a question is probably popping up in your mind, “How is collagen good for gut health?”

How Does Collagen Benefit Gut Health and Digestion?

There are many ways collagen supports gut health. From repairing the gut lining to supporting digestion and helping to heal leaky guts and IBS, collagen-rich foods and supplements have been found to offer several benefits to the guts.

Now let’s discuss these benefits better.

Collagen for Gut Health and Better Digestion

Collagen is a hydrophilic molecule, and when you consume this protein, it often attracts water and stomach acid.

Now, as the collagen moves through your gut, water and stomach acid attached to it assist in the breakdown of proteins and carbohydrates.

This is helpful in moving food smoothly through your gastrointestinal tract.

Collagen for Repairing Gut Lining

Our gut lining can be suffer damage through:

Bacterial imbalance
Eating more of processed foods
lack of restorative sleep, and
Stress.

However, Collagen peptides help in the healing and repairing of your intestinal lining. And if there is any form of damage, this protein supports the formation of new muscle cells.

In fact, there is a boost in collagen production when new muscles form, and this evidently shows the importance of collagen in repairing any damages in the gut.

Research has shown that collagen peptides can help improve the tight junctions of the gut and ameliorate barrier dysfunctions.

Collagen for Leaky Gut Syndrome/IBS

The amino acid “glutamine,” which is found in collagen, is important for healing leaky gut syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Leaky gut may cause food and waste particles to find their way into your bloodstream, which often leads to inflammation.

People with lower levels of collagen are more at risk of suffering leaky gut syndrome and IBS. Also, these conditions are prevalent in people with diseases such as type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.

But, Does Collagen Cause Any Stomach Problems?

Many people often ask, “Won’t I suffer any stomach issues if I take collagen supplements?” Well, we’ve mentioned the benefits you stand to gain above, and it is unlikely that you would suffer any stomach problems consuming this beneficial protein. In other words, it does not have any known side effects.

However, you have to ensure you’re getting your collagen from a reputable company with third-party testing results showing only clean ingredients and no fillers, gluten or artificial additives.

Buying products that contain added sugar and no organic or non-GMO collagen may cause stomach upset. But if you buy high-quality collagen without any additives, it shouldn’t cause any stomach problems.

That being said, ensure you stick to the daily-recommended dose. Don’t take too much of collagen as it might cause problems if you have a highly sensitive stomach that doesn’t react too well with collagen.

How Can You Maintain a Healthy Gut Generally?

Your gut health is a vital part of your overall well being, hence, you should always strive to keep it in good form. Collagen as we’ve mentioned is a good way to support your digestive health. But your diet in general matters in maintaining gut integrity.

Many foods, such as highly processed and high sugar foods, may exacerbate any gut issues. More so, these foods break down the collagen proteins in the body, and contribute to high cholesterol, excess fat, and other issues.

Hence, health experts always advise that you eat foods that improve digestion and support gut health, including vegetables, fruits, proteins, and healthy fats to improve your gut health.

Taking Collagen Supplements for a Healthy Gut

Collagen contains a high amount of essential amino acids, including glutamine, glycine, and proline, which are beneficial to protect the integrity of the intestinal tract and keep the stomach functioning optimally. Little wonder, taking products such as grass-fed collagen hydrolysate helps improve digestion, and reduce gut inflammation.

Some good ways to include collagen into your diet include:

Taking bone broth: Bone broth is a product of the bone marrow made by simmering bones of cows or chickens to extract the nutrients and flavor. Bone broth may not be the best source of collagen, but it tastes nice and you can easily add it to your diet through stews and soups.

Powdered gelatin: Gelatin is a cooked type of collagen. You can add its powdered form into teas or your stews and soups to boost your collagen levels.

Supplements with collagen peptides: This is an easier way to consume collagen to supply your gut with the essential amino acids needed to keep it in good health. These hydrolyzed collagen peptides are broken down and easy to digest and absorb.

Final Remark

Beyond the well-known benefits of collagen for skin, bone, and joint, and more, this essential nutrient supports gut health and digestion. It works to repair gut lining, heal leaky gut syndrome and IBS, and aid digestive functions.

Our bodies produce collagen naturally, but as we age, the level of collagen drops. However, there are two ways to boost your collagen levels. It is either by eating collagen-rich foods such as pasture-raised meat, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, fish, bone-broth, and beefs, or taking collagen supplements containing hydrolyzed peptides that boost your body’s collagen levels to support your gut and overall health.

Collagen supplements are, so far, the best way to load up on collagen. You can even enjoy this nutrient in delicious forms, making it easier to add to your diet routine.

Do you currently take collagen supplements? Tell us how you incorporate it into your diet in the comment section below.