Collagen Powder Benefits

What Is Collagen?

Before diving into collagen powder benefits, let’s look at what collage is.

Collagen is a structural protein that occurs naturally in our bodies. It’s made up of amino acids like proline, glycine, hydroxyproline and has a triple helix structure that holds our cells together.

Almost everything in your body that you can think of is composed of collagen. Your muscles, corneas, bones, tendons, ligaments, connective tissues, skin and organs are all made up of collagen.

Our bodies contain about 28 collagen types, all with different functions and structures. You can read all about the key three types of collagen in our blog post here.

At about the age of 25, our collagen production begins to decrease slowly. On top of that, factors like excessive sun exposure, smoking, a poor diet and a lack of sleep may also negatively impact your collagen production.

You may notice your skin wrinkling, your joints stiffening, your gut bloating, and your muscles recovering a little slower after your workouts.

When this begins to happen, some people opt to support their collagen production by taking supplements such as topicals, capsules or powders.

Athletes and gym enthusiasts most commonly use powdered collagen to boost their performance and aid their muscle growth. In contrast, topicals are generally used on facial skin to target the appearance of wrinkles.

To learn more about what collagen is, you can read our informative article here.

What Does Collagen Do?

Collagen is a nifty protein that gets up to a lot. Its main purpose is to provide your cells with structure and strength.

Some of collagen’s functions include:

What Are The Benefits of Collagen?

Collagen powder benefits are far and varied. Everything from your nail health to the health of your bones is impacted by collagen. Let’s explore a few collagen benefits below.

Bone and joint health

One collagen powder benefit is the maintenance of bone health.

A 2018 study found that collagen supplementation helped relieve pain associated with osteoarthritis.

Daily intake of collagen helps maintain bone density and slows down any brittleness that happens as we age. It also helps stimulate bone growth, too.

Collagen is equally beneficial for supporting your joint health and relieving joint pain while preventing further degradation.

So if you’re feeling that knee flare up again, you may want to consider collagen powder!

Nail and hair health

Collagen helps keep your hair and nails healthy by preventing breakage.

Like our bones, our nails and hair can go brittle too. With enough collagen supplementation, the onset of brittleness can be minimised, and our nails and hair can grow healthier and longer.

Skin health

Collagen works wonders for your skin! It helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles while rehydrating your skin, reducing inflammation and protecting you from free radicals.

Because collagen helps replace dead skin cells, it helps your skin heal, too; this can be useful for those who suffer from acne.

Enhanced muscle performance

When taken in conjunction with strength training, collagen has been found to support muscle growth and speed up the recovery process.

A 2015 study found that participants who took 15 g of collagen over a twelve-week exercise program had improved muscle strength than the control group who only exercised.

If you’re interested in how collagen powder benefits performance, our article goes into further detail, you can read it here.

Weight loss

Lastly, collagen may indirectly help you with your weight loss goals.

When paired with a calorie-deficit diet, collagen can make it easier for you to lose weight. With it being just about the only protein powder, apart from free form amino acids, that contains zero carbs and fats, this fits right in with a strict weight loss meal plan.

So it can help dieting that bit easier when you’re trying to lose weight, all without adding any of those unnecessary weight-gain contributing calories.

You can read all about this collagen powder benefit here.

What Is Collagen Powder?

Collagen powder is a type of collagen supplement most commonly made from the cowhide and bones of cows.

Cow byproducts are boiled, releasing their gelatinous collagen, which is then dehydrated and turned into a powder.

The most effective collagen powder is hydrolysed collagen. This type of collagen features smaller proteins known as peptides that our bodies absorb more easily than whole proteins.

If you’re interested in learning more about hydrolysed collagen, our article unpacks everything you need to know here.

Do Collagen Supplements Work?

There is plenty of anecdotal and social proof that collagen supplements work and collagen powder benefits are felt, and there are some clinical trials that quantify this too.

One 2018 study found that supplements, including collagen, can have an effect on athletic performance, while another 2019 study found a correlation between collagen supplementation and enhanced skin health.

It’s important to note that everyone reacts to supplements differently, too. So if you want to know if collagen supplements will work for you, then your best bet is to try them yourself.

Trial out a collagen powder and document any improvements you notice with continual use. This can help you see if supplementing your diet with collagen works for you.

But don’t expect to see changes overnight. Collagen powder benefits can take anywhere from six weeks to one year to take full effect, depending on how much collagen you’re taking and how consistent you are with your consumption.

How Much Collagen Should I Take Per Day?

When it comes to taking supplements like collagen powder, you should stick with the serving suggestions that come with your supplement of choice. Usually, the dosage will range from as little as 2 grams to as high as 25 grams.

At Bulk Nutrients, our crowd favourite HCP – Hydrolysed Collagen Peptides provides you with a dosage guide based on the results you’re looking for.

For example, if you’re looking to improve your nail health, we recommend one heaped teaspoon of our HCP (or 5 grams).

If you’re looking to target joint, bone and ligament health, then two heaped teaspoons (or 10 grams) will do the trick.

And for those looking to build muscle and take their workouts further, ¾ of a scoop (or 25 grams) is ideal.

How Can You Take Collagen Powder?

The fun thing about collagen powder is that you can get creative with incorporating it into your daily intake.

If you like to keep things simple, you can stir it through your protein shake or even a glass of water.

For those who enjoy a warm beverage, you can make some delicious coffees, mochas and hot chocolates with collagen powder, too! You can find our go-to recipes here.

And if you’re looking for a treat to curb that sweet tooth, our Collagen Tim Tam Hedgehog is a team favourite!

Collagen Powder Benefits: The Takeaway.

Collagen powder can play an instrumental role in the health of your skin, nails, hair, muscles, bones and joints.

Most commonly made from cow byproduct, hydrolysed collagen powder features peptides that are easily absorbed and utilised by your body.

If you’re looking to step up your fitness and are on the hunt for a supplement to boost performance and aid your recovery, then collagen powder is your best bet.

For the best results, take 25 grams daily, or as directed by the packaging, and make sure to be consistent with it! After several weeks, you’ll begin to notice the collagen powder benefits.

Want to learn more about enhancing your performance? Check out our blog or reach out to us today!