What type of collagen does my body need the most?”
This is probably one of the most popular questions and with good reason too, consumers interested in the health and wellness space are becoming:
• Highly educated on the quality of the products they choose to put in their body.
• Are looking long-term and into the future, from a longevity perspective more nowadays.
They have good reason to be, the health and wellness industry is becoming more and more crowded with more ‘marketing’ brands out there jumping on the back of trends all just to make a quick buck. We understand the importance of knowing exactly what is in the product you are buying or interested in buying and where the ingredient is sourced from. We hope our outline below on the different types of Collagen can help you to make a better, more informed decision when you go to buy your next collagen product.
WHAT IS COLLAGEN?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and is a major insoluble fibrous protein in the matrix of all of our connective tissue structures in the body. At current, there are 16 known types of collagen present in the body, however, percentage-wise 80-90% of all of our bodies collagen is made up of the three main types and are types I, II, and III.
The formation of these types of collagen with the exclusion of type IV looks like the structure of a springy triple helix strand designed to help our tissues withstand the stretching force put on them day-to-day. The triple helix structure that comprises collagen protein is developed from three main corresponding amino acids:
• Glycine
• Proline
• Hydroxyproline
Of course, helpful cofactors from our micronutrients in our diets like that of copper and vitamin C help in the assembly and cross-linking of new collagen to existing collagen fibrils. So, in an overview, collagen is our essential element for movement – from the fascia that encases our muscles to ensure they can glide across one another in smooth movement right down to how freely we can jump up and down on our joints and everything that requires stretching and moving motion in between. But, why are there different types?
TYPE I COLLAGEN
Type I collagen is found abundantly in the human body. Dietary sources of bovine and marine collagen also contain type I collagen forms. Although interestingly, marine collagen is limited to type I only and not inclusive of type II and type III. The role of type I collagen is predominantly in bone and osteogenesis and is more of a stiffer structured collagen form capable of lasting the compressibility of day-to-day life like that on our tougher rigid structures like joints for example.
Type I is also involved in cell-matrix signaling pathways and extracellular health. Think of your scaffolding type structures that need to be a bit tougher, everything gets built into and around, bone, skin aspects, tendons, and blood vessels, and some aspects of muscle, etc. Your “performing under pressure” structures.
TYPE II COLLAGEN
There is some crossover in type II collagen with type I around its function for joints and cartilage in the body with regards to these stiffer structure types. Type II however tends to be cartilage-specific. Fun fact; the other rare small % forms of collagen that make up the other types of collagen outside the major three, like that of IX and XI also assist with this cartilage formation. For the most part, the role of type II is more specific to cartilage.
Interestingly, if you are supplementing with this type of collagen peptide; you are best to take this at a different time to type I and type III. Why? It is said they actually compete for absorption with these other types and you may miss out on type II benefits, however, we have been unable to find a specific reference to ensure this was true. If you are taking all three forms in a day it may just be of convenience to separate them across the day. In saying that, the amino acids from type I and type III can help to form type II in the body, much the same as dietary consumption of foods high in these specific amino acid types and their co-factors.
TYPE III COLLAGEN
Type III collagen function is very interesting – it is found more in vessels and hollow organs of the body. It is also involved in the critical element of wound healing and the interaction of blood platelets in the survival capability of blood clotting in animals and humans. The tissues that must withstand stretching and contraction like that of the uterus and the bowel are two major areas where type III collagen is required in the body.
Type I and III often can occur together in the same collagen fibril structures and type III has also been found to support close proximity of type II in and around the cartilage aspects of the body. Type III also works on the endomysium and epimysium of our muscle make-up, so the white aspects surrounding the muscle fiber bundles internally as well as externally in the muscle. That combined with its integral function in cellular health in terms of cell adhesion, migration, and how well receptors function on the surface of the cell, it’s a very important form of collagen that our body uses.
Fun fact – one of the first ways that they discovered that type III collagen’s role in the body was in wound healing and clotting, was through post-surgery wound fluids. They found that levels of type III collagen increased 2-3 days post-surgery and at day five were 1000-fold higher than those levels of non-surgical patients.
WHICH TYPE OF COLLAGEN IS FOR ME?
Well, if you’re human, ideally you should be accessing and building all forms of these collagen types, unless you are a fish of course maybe type I is more your style. So, the answer here is you should be consuming the amino acids and co-factors required to help build these collagen structures in the body.
To hear from a collagen expert who spends her whole day discussing the science of collagen, we recommend checking out the recent interview with feature guest Susan Lesner where the team broke down all frequently asked questions on collagen and their long history of research behind collagen peptides.
There is a lot of new research coming out about gut health and when it is compromised, can cause illness and diseases. As we continue to learn about the complexity of the vast, dense microbial world that we have inside of us, we begin to see the connection between the role our gut plays in our immune health, brain function, hormonal balance, energy levels and physical performance.
Incorporating the following 6 steps will help you to get your gut in the best health possible!
1. PREBIOTICS
Most people by now are aware of probiotics and their health benefits but we are not as aware of the importance of their fuel source - prebiotics. Prebiotics are a type of non-digestible fibre in humans and are also found in garlic, artichokes, dandelion greens, onions, leeks, raw asparagus and chicory root. These foods are not commonly found in the Western diet so it’s no wonder we are not obtaining enough.
Prebiotics are the ‘fuel’ for beneficial bacteria in the gut and have profound health benefits such as improved digestion, lowered risk for cardiovascular disease, heightened immune function, lowered obesity and lowers inflammation and autoimmune reactions. Teaming up your pre and probiotics will give you an even better result!
2. MINDFUL EATING
Mindful eating is a powerful practice that can offer you many health benefits. When was the last time you sat down, thanked the food you were about to absorb and savor each bite? Practicing mindful eating allows our nervous system to become parasympathetic dominant which is important for optimal digestion. Our hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes increase, allowing for breakdown of the fats, carbohydrates and proteins, which means less bloating, constipation and more energy. Mindful eating also improves our relationship with food. When we are in conscious awareness of what we are eating, we begin to understand what type of food triggers our bloating or food intolerance’s and which foods gives us more energy, clearer skin and a better sense of wellbeing.
3. SLEEP
When our circadian rhythm and microbial rhythms our out of balance it can have negative effects on our mood and microflora. Our gut produces around 95% of our body’s serotonin levels, a neurotransmitter that improves our mood and gives our body a restorative sleep. When we do not receive a good nights sleep an imbalance of our hormones serotonin, melatonin and cortisol occurs which can lead to fatigue, anxiety, increased sense of pain, obesity, diabetes, decreased metabolism, stress and inflammation. Getting a regenerative and deep sleep will improve your microbial rhythm and in turn, will improve your sleep. It’s cycle is deeply connected.
4. FERMENTED FOODS
Traditional cultures around the world each practice the art of fermentation. It has allowed these cultures to harvest food during the summer and preserve the food well into the cold winter months. Fermented foods such as sauerkrauts, kombucha, kefir, kimchi and yoghurts contain probiotics that are beneficial to our gut. Once in our body they populate in the intestinal tract and begin to interact with our bodies by keeping opportunistic bacteria at bay, helps remove toxins from the body, increases vitamin and nutrient absorption and assimilation.
5. ELIMINATE PROCESSED FOODS
The pathogenic bacteria in our guts have a feast when we eat food high in refined carbohydrates and sugar. It is important to understand that all carbohydrates are broken down into sugars through our digestive system so sticking to a low carbohydrate diet will help rebalance you microbiota if there is signs of dysbiosis (more bad bacteria than good). Fuel up on green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale, silverbeat, chicory, lettuce and zucchini. These particular vegetables contain high amounts of fiber to keep your bowels functioning daily keeping your gut nice and clean.
6. EXERCISE
It is a no brainer that exercise is on the list! We know that people who are obese have a different gut microflora than lean people and the amount of exercise they get, plays a huge factor in this. Physical exercise modulates the gut microbiota either directly through serotonin signaling or indirectly by modulating metabolism and exercise performance. So get moving! Even if it’s taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going for a brisk walk in the morning for 20 minutes, it will improve your gut health, physical body and state of wellbeing.
