Besides time, three main things will lower your collagen levels: sunlight, smoking, and sugar. Too much exposure to ultraviolet light makes its fibers unravel. This can lead to sun damage, such as wrinkles. Many of the chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage it, which can make skin sag and wrinkle.
The collagen tissues support the formation of bones, tendons, and cartilage that form depending on the level of mineralization. However, an individual can lose collagen components in the body due to exposure to ultraviolet light, tobacco, excessive intake of sugar, and aging.
Crackers, cookies, cereal, pasta, bread and baked goods contain sugar and chemicals that are damaging to collagen molecules, thereby diminishing the quality of the tissue, and can erode the quantity of your collagen as well.
Your body begins to lose collagen when you turn 30. The effects become noticeable after several years. Even though this is a natural process, it's possible to speed it up with UV exposure, pollution, bad habits, and poor diet choices. While it's possible to accelerate collagen loss, it's also possible to slow it down.
Eating foods that contain vitamin C and antioxidants, avoiding smoking, limiting caffeine intake, and protecting the skin from sunlight may all help preserve collagen or boost its production.
"It's worth remembering that coffee doesn't destroy collagen, it inhibits its production," says nutritional therapist at the Pulse Light Clinic, Lisa Borg.
What Hurts Your Collagen Levels? Besides time, three main things will lower your collagen levels: sunlight, smoking, and sugar. Too much exposure to ultraviolet light makes its fibers unravel.
Eat a balanced diet that includes an adequate amount of protein. “High-protein foods contain amino acids that are critical for collagen synthesis,” says Garshick. Lean protein sources include fish, seafood, skinless chicken breast, and lean cuts of beef and pork.
Initial results from collagen restoration treatments are usually visible immediately. However, new collagen growth can take anywhere from four to 12 weeks to complete. Keep in mind that while certain procedures can be very effective at restoring and replacing collagen, these results aren't permanent.
Sugar causes glycation, which is a process that breaks down collagen fibres that are important to make our skin tissues smooth and tight. Breakdown of collagen fibre causes early ageing. Excessive consumption of sugar can also cause increased production of IGF1 hormone and increased acne.
Collagen replacement therapy is a safe, non-surgical procedure that replenishes depleted collagen by injecting skin with highly purified bovine (cow) collagen. This collagen is so similar to human collagen that your body will readily accept it as its own.
A defect in collagen (proteins that add flexibility and strength to connective tissue) causes Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. People with the disorder have a faulty gene that leads to weak collagen or not enough normal collagen in their tissues.
Signs of collagen loss include wrinkled skin due to elasticity loss and stiff joints. Additionally, collagen is directly related to gut health, with less of the protein causing ulcers and digestive problems. Aside from aging, however, the top reason people don't have enough collagen is poor diet.
Vitamin C has an essential role in connective tissue healing, being a cofactor for prolyl hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase.
The best way to take collagen is to stir it into water or coffee. Putting collagen, like Skinful Marine Collagen Powder in your coffee is a great way to stack a habit so you don't forget. It also helps blunt the caffeine hit by adding protein, and if you combine it with some fat (like milk or MCT), even better.
How to Take Collagen Powder with Food. Collagen powders can be mixed into liquid-based foods very easily. Foods like yogurt, oatmeal, smoothie/acai bowls, applesauce and scrambled eggs are popular options. Collagen powder can also be added to hot foods like stews, soups and chilis.
Collagen loss
It maintains your skin's fullness and elasticity. Alcohol speeds up collagen loss by depleting crucial nutrients, like vitamin A. Repairing collagen is not as simple as consuming collagen supplements, so it's important to protect the natural tone you have.
A diet full of protein-rich foods, whether from plant or animal sources, can help supply these critical amino acids. Other nutrients that aid the process of collagen production include zinc, vitamin C, and copper. So fruits and vegetables high in vitamins and minerals are also a friend to supple skin.
It helps to stimulate the production of collagen (the most abundant protein in the body) and elastin (highly elastic protein in connective tissue that helps the skin to resume it's shape after stretching or contracting. The elastic part of the skin)