Welcome to the first of many blog posts. This series of blog posts will all be skin care related. I will be busting myths and giving you top nutritional tips to support you on your journey to better health and better skin.
Recently, I have been asked a lot about collagen dietary supplements. They come in the form of powders, drinks, and tablets. Widely available, advertised all over the internet and pretty much raved about everywhere.
So what do they supposedly do?
Your body naturally produces collagen, which is the structural tissue which creates smooth skin and shiny hair. When you're young, your collagen levels are at their highest levels.
However - but as we age.. They begin to reduce - It's this depletion which causes your skin to wrinkle, weaken and sag due to less structural support.
So taking in a little collagen to make up for what your body isn't producing makes sense, right?
Here are some claims companies make…
A reduction in the appearance of wrinkles - Collagen helps to hydrate skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles - making your skin look and feel younger.
Thicker fuller looking hair - Collagen promotes thicker looking hair with a great shine.
Stronger Nails - Collagen helps to reduce nail breakage, and aids nail health for those that are prone to splitting or peeling.
But what we all want to know is, In terms of ageing skin, do they really help?
Ingested nutrients don't always translate into your body having more of said nutrient.
Eating dietary fat, for instance, doesn't “make you fat”. That is all to do with energy balance - a story for another day.
Unfortunately, there is little to no reliable evidence that ingesting collagen will survive digestion and then travel in the bloodstream to the skin in high enough quantities to make any meaningful change to the skin's structure or function.
Then you must consider the quality of a supplement. This is also a reminder if or when buying dietary supplements to look for safe and reputable brands. I will do another blog post to help you know what to look out for when purchasing supplements.
Anyway, back to it...
The evidence appears to be beneficial for other aspects of health too, but this is primarily anecdotal (not necessarily reliable because it's based on personal accounts rather than actual facts or research). This is not to say it doesn’t entirely work, but it's not to say it does either. As there is little to no research to back it up.
Here are some ideas to get collagen into your diet, save yourself some money (you might be already consuming these)...
We can get more natural collagen by consuming certain animal products - specifically foods that contain connective tissue of their own, like chicken, fish, pork, and beef. Think about the other nutrients you’ll be getting from this too, it’s a win win. Although collagen isn't found naturally in plant-based products, there are certain foods that can help to support your body's natural production of collagen. Such as Vitamin C rich foods.
Vitamin C rich foods include: Citrus fruits, kiwi, papaya, red, green or yellow pepper, sweet potato, strawberries and tomatoes.
Remember, as amazing as food and nutrition is, it cannot perform miracles. If it seems too good to be true. It probably is.
Ageing skin is another natural process our bodies go through. Join me on a journey and learn how to properly support your bodies and skin as we age!
Hope you enjoyed my first blog post,
Claire x
If you have any questions about skin care, routines or products be sure to check these two companies… two of my absolute favourites in the business and local to me!
Let me know what you thought of my first post.