Benefits of Collagen for Leaky Gut and Skin Health
However, what’s good for the gut is also good for the skin. Thanks to the gut-skin-axis, the skin microbiota is deeply affected by the state of our gut. Therefore, collagen truly is a great beauty tool, just, maybe not quite how you imagined it to be. Let’s take a closer a look at the benefits of collagen and how it can improve your health and beauty routine.
What is Collagen?
We owe a lot to collagen. It is the most abundant protein in our body 1. Collagen is the primary component in connective tissues.
Therefore, collagen’s vast presence throughout the system makes up around 35% of the total protein in our body.
You can find collagen in your:
- Blood Vessels
- Bones
- Muscles
- Organs
- Skin
- Tendons
There are sixteen forms of collagen. However, the 80 to 90% of a mammal’s body is comprised of Type I, Type II, and Type III collagen. This information is important for understanding the benefits of collagen.
Amino Acids in Collagen
These types of collagen have triple-helical structures. The reason for this unique structure is due to the three amino acids that give them their shape.
Amino acids found in collagen are:
- Glycine
- Proline
- Hydroxyproline
Seeing as amino acids are the building blocks of life, this explains why benefits of collagen include the gut lining and skin cells. Let’s take a closer look.
Benefits of Collagen for Skincare
There are many reasons to fall in love with collagen for your wellness routine. For one, it’s a great natural addition to your skin regimen. These benefits of collagen harken back to the amino acids that make up this protein.
Glycine and Skin Health
As we mentioned, there is an abundance of three amino acids found in collagen. One of those amino acids is glycine.
Glycine is one of the three amino acids that are necessary to create a potent antioxidant known as glutathione. Research on glutathione suggests it one of “the primary antioxidant enzymes” against free radicals 2.
Proline and Skin Health
Another constituent of collagen is proline.
Proline is a powerhouse for skincare. It was one of the strongest cell rejuvenating amino acids.
Studies on proline find that it is essential in wound care. Research shows that proline liquid levels were 50% higher than plasma levels in the early stages of wound healing 3. Seeing as plasma carries amino acids to the wounds, that must mean proline is the first up to start the repairs.
Furthermore, proline is present in all three stages of the wound-healing process! That makes this amino acid a great addition to your skin health routine.
Hydroxyroline and Skin Health
Looking to smooth our wrinkles or Varicose veins? Many people turn to collagen injections.
That’s because this protein’s high levels of hydroxyproline are ideal for smoothing out the skin.
On top of helping give skin a firmer structure, hydroxyproline also maintains moisture. Research shows that oral supplementation of this amino acid alleviates dry skin.
Proline helps the body maintain moisture. This protein draws in water to the skin’s surface.
On top of hydrating the skin, further analyses found proline also strengthened the nails of mammals 4.
Hydroxyproline is a nonessential amino acid. Your body can convert proline into hydroxyproline with the help of Vitamin C. However, our body has a harder time converting amino acids as we get older. This process becomes even more difficult as our collagen naturally decreases.
Benefits of Collagen for Leaky Gut Syndrome
Leaky Gut Syndrome is the most common gastrointestinal disorder. That’s because we all have some form of Leaky Gut. We develop Leaky Gut because poor diet, exercise, and dependency on medications destroy the gut lining over time. Thankfully, collagen can assist with healing a Leaky Gut.
Glycine and Gut Health
One of the biggest concerns about Leaky Gut Syndrome is that it can develop into a worse condition like Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD). A common IBD diagnosis is ulcerative colitis. Research shows that glycine is a primary amino acid in defeating this gastro disease 5.
One study noted,
“Glycine has protected the intestinal injury caused by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid or dextran sulfate sodium in chemical models of colitis. The epithelial irritation and damage caused by the trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid or dextran sulfate sodium were cured by glycine.”
– Oxid Med Cell Longev.
Not only does glycine assist with healing colitis, but it also assists with rebuilding the gut lining. Therefore, consuming collagen can be a considerable preventative measure against developing gastroenterology diseases.
Proline and Gut Health
Proline is a nonessential amino acid, but it’s essential for gut health.
Research shows that this influential amino acid can alter the gut biome and stomach bacteria within the colon 6.
In addition, proline helps the gut biome create mucus. That way, you have an easier time with the digestion of food.
With more mucus, you are less likely to experience feeling constipated or pain from gas in stomach.
Hydroxyproline and Gut Health
Not much research has been done on hydroxyproline and gut health. However, studies are starting to amp up. Recently, it was discovered that this amino acid is more influential in the gut biome than we realized.
Studies suggest that hydroxyproline may keep pathogenic stomach bacteria at bay. That makes collagen a great addition to anyone who is getting monthly targeted probiotics from Ombre.How to Consume Collagen
You can ingest collagen with collagen powders. These are growing in popularity in the bodybuilding community because collagen can help you add muscles. After all, it’s one of the top proponents in them!
Others might skip the superfood smoothie route. Instead, they take collagen supplements. However, one of the most effective ways of consuming collagen is by making a bone broth.
How to Get Benefits of Collagen with Bone Broth
Making a bone broth is a great way to add collagen to your healthy gut diet plan. It’s really simple to make, sustainable for the environment, and comes with a load of benefits. Let’s take a closer look at why bone broth can help your skin and gut health and then share an easy bone broth recipe!
Collagen and Elastin Benefits
There are peanut butter and jelly. Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. Collagen and elastin. Like collagen, elastin is an excellent addition to your skin and gut health routine.
Elastin is the second most dominant protein in our body. It is found in our connective tissue, usually in the same vicinity as collagen.
As the name implies, elastin brings elasticity to our skin. It also goes a long way in repairing damage in our gut lining.
Getting the benefits of collagen and elastin in one is what makes the bone broth more effective than over-the-counter remedies.
When you seep bones in the broth, the hard exterior will soften.
From there, collagen and elastin will leach onto the water molecules that comprise the broth. Therefore, your soup is enriched with both beneficial proteins.
How to Make Bone Broth
Making a bone broth is the best way to experience the benefits of collagen for repairing a Leaky Gut and improving your skin health. We highly recommend it to people who take an Ombre Gut Health Test. Here is a simple bone broth recipe that will have your skin glowing and GI problems fade away.
Ombre Beef Bone Broth Recipe
When you are making a bone broth, be sure you are using all organic and free-range ingredients. Using ingredients grown with pesticides can actually do more harm than good for your gut health.
You can use any type of bones. For this recipe, we are using bones from beef. However, you can mix and match with chicken, fish, or pork. That’s the fun part about crafting a healthy gut diet plan. You’ll find healthy choices that suit your tastes!
Ingredients
Directions
1. Put all of the ingredients except filtered water into a big pot.
2. Cover completely with filtered water.
3. Simmer over medium-high heat.
4. Once it barely bubbles, cover and simmer on low for 48 hours (24 hours for chicken. You can also refrigerate overnight and begin again in the morning).
5. After you’re done cooking, strain the bone broth through a cheesecloth. Compost scraps or use in a bone broth soup. Just remember to remove the bay leaf.
6. Jar and refrigerate any leftovers.
7. Drink the bone broth as is, or use as a broth to cook.
See? Not so hard! Ready to get more tips like this? Get your gut tested with Ombre today!
Resources
- 1 Lodish, Harvey. “Collagen: The Fibrous Proteins of the Matrix.” Molecular Cell Biology. 4th Edition., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21582/.
- 2 Liguori, I., Russo, G., Curcio, F., Bulli, G., Aran, L., Della-Morte, D., … Abete, P. (2018). Oxidative stress, aging, and diseases. Clinical interventions in aging, 13, 757–772. doi:10.2147/CIA.S158513.
- 3 Barbul, Adrian. “Proline Precursors to Sustain Mammalian Collagen Synthesis.” The Journal of Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18806118.
- 4 Vollmer, D. L., West, V. A., & Lephart, E. D. (2018). Enhancing Skin Health: By Oral Administration of Natural Compounds and Minerals with Implications to the Dermal Microbiome. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(10), 3059. doi:10.3390/ijms19103059.
- 5 Razak, M. A., Begum, P. S., Viswanath, B., & Rajagopal, S. (2017). Multifarious Beneficial Effect of Nonessential Amino Acid, Glycine: A Review. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2017, 1716701. doi:10.1155/2017/1716701.