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Why you need collagen for youth and health ?
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Collagen is naturally produced by the body and can be taken in from
select food sources. It is vital to the body’s functioning because it is
the tie that binds!
The body’s use of collagen cannot be overstated. It makes
up the body’s joints, muscles, hair, skin, tendons, and ligaments. It
provides the structure to our body and forms the molecular cables that
strengthen the tendons.
Collagen makes up the vast resilient sheets that
support our skins and internal organs. Bones and teeth are made when the
body adds mineral crystal to the body’s collagen.
Collagen fibers are woven together like pieces of fabric to form a network
in which new cells grow and reproduce. Any time the body needs to build
new cells, such as in the healing or growing process, collagen plays the
central role. Collagen is the substance that protects and supports the
softer tissues of the body, and it is what connects them with our
skeleton. In other words, collagen is both the material and the glue that
holds our body together.
How The Body
Rebuilds Itself
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Young people have pituitary glands that produce and abundance of GH
(Growth Hormone). With aging, this hormone steadily decreases and the
emphasis shifts to collagen. Collagen’s function in the body is to convert
its natural protein molecules into the essential amino acids that are
required by the body. Thus, collagen performs the important maintenance
function of the body.
Whether the body can efficiency rebuild and repair itself is dependent
upon its ability to convert one body resource into another. This process
of protein synthesis is a metabolic process requiring collagen as a
catalyst. As collagen diminishes in the body, both the resource and the
catalyst are reduced.
Research has shown that much of the body’s vital metabolic repair work
takes place when we sleep. It has long been known that the body switches
gears shortly after we fall asleep. It moves from its normal,
active-involvement state to a rebuilding-and-maintenance state. It is
during this sleep that the body searches about for available collagen and
other important nutrients to convert them into the important materials
needed by the body.
Collagen synthesis is something that those of us who wish to look and feel
younger must be interested in. Therefore, any food supplement that can
enhance the rebuilding or the healing process is something that we should
strongly consider.
Arthritis
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Arthritis is a general term describing inflammation in joints. The
most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is also called
degenerative joint disease. Osteoarthritis is associated with a breakdown
of cartilage in joints and most commonly occurs in the hips, knees, and
spine. It can dramatically affect the finger joints and the joints of the
toes. With sixty million Americans suffering from arthritis, there is an
arthritis epidemic. John Klippel, Medical Director of the arthritis
foundation, flatly stated, This should be a wakeup call. We’ve always
suspected the problem was greater than we had known about.
Unfortunately, the common methods of treatment won’t change the
progression of osteoarthritis. However, two nutritional supplements,
glucosamine and chondroitin have been observed to relieve pain and to slow
the breakdown of cartilage, which in itself is a significant part of
osteoarthritis. What is particularly interesting is that glucosamine and
chondroitins (both sulfates) are components of normal cartilage. Some
researchers have successfully demonstrated that the two substances appear
to stimulate new collagen production. The only thing better would be to
take a bio-available collagen supplement directly.
In order for osteo arthritis to be treated effectively, the
cartilage and synovial fluid in the joint must be protected against
further destruction. At the same time, it is desirable to stimulate
anabolic restoration of joint cartilage and synovial fluid. Collagen
protein protect and restore joint cartilage by:
Supporting and enhancing anabolic chondrocyte synthesis.
Supporting or enhancing the synthesis of synovial fluid, which is required
to lubricate the joint.
Inhibiting free radical enzymes and auto immune processes that degrade
joint cartilage.
Removing blockages in blood vessels leading to the joint.
Collagen proteins helps the body to rejuvenate naturally in order to
regenerate cartilage and healthy joint function. Aging and trauma disrupt
the body's ability to use its own chondroprotective agents, which has led
to an epidemic of arthritis throughout the world.
The most common collagen diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic
fever, lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, polyarteritis nodosa, and
scleroderma. Most of the collagen diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis
and rheumatic fever, are characterized by widespread joint pain.
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Bursitis, Tendonitis
and Tendinosis
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Bursitis, tendonitis, and tendinosis are three of the more common
collagen diseases affecting us as we age, causing us to look and feel
older. Bursitis is caused by arthritis inflammation or by infection.
The
joint areas most commonly affected are the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip,
back, and ankle. Individuals with bursitis will have pain, tenderness, and
stiffness near the affected area. As a result, local muscle weakness
frequently develops as a result of avoiding painful joint movements, such
as those caused by climbing stairs.
Tendonitis, an inflammation of the tendons, has mostly been considered the
cause of tendon pain and an associated loss of strength and movement. More
recently, researchers discovered that most people diagnosed with this
disease have no signs of tendon inflammation. Consequently, medical
sciences have come to see tendonitis more properly classified as
tendinosis. Today, the terms are used interchangeably.
Tendinosis/tendonitis is caused by a breakdown of the collagen-composed
tendon tissue. Collagen contributes to the robe-like structure of a tendon
and to its strength. When collagen breaks down, small tears appear in the
tendon, weakening it and causing pain.
This collagen disease can affect
children and young adults just as those who are aging. It is especially
wearing on those who perform repetitious task in their jobs, sports, or
daily activities. Carpet layers suffer this affliction in their knees,
writers in their wrists, and tennis players in their elbows.
Bursitis and Tendonitis/tendinosis can be successfully treated by resting
the painful areas, applying ice, or taking pain relievers. This gives the
body time to repair and reproduce the cartilage damage… provided the body
is still producing the necessary amounts of collagen.
Cartilage
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Cartilage is a rather firm rubber material that covers the ends of
bones in normal joints. The primary function of cartilage is to reduce
joint friction and, since cartilage can change shape when compressed,
serve as a shock absorber for the bones.
Cartilage can change shape because it is composed of more than seventy
percent water, which can be redistributed with compression or movement.
Since cartilage does not contain nerves, you never feel pain when these
changes occur. When collagen disease strikes as we age, this shock
absorbing quality is reduced. That is why activities like running and
jumping feel less comfortable as we age than when we were younger.
Collagen is a key component of cartilage, providing it with its strength.
When the body’s collagen production is reduced, cartilage production is
affected and so are all the body systems that contain cartilage.
Shrinking Height
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As we age, we grow shorter. All of the problem of being overweight,
having bad posture, and growing shorter as we age are related in many ways
to the body’s lack of collagen and its ongoing collagen destruction.
The
decrease of collagen production results in decreased metabolism, which
leads to an increase in weight. The increase in weight places stress on
our joints and spinal disks, which wears away at our posture and height.
This starts another cycle of collagen disease and… well, you get the
picture.
No matter what your height, the tall person and the short person will both
shrink with age. Getting shorter has become part of getting older. It is
also a part of feeling older.
Part of our height is made up of the cartilage between our spinal disks.
Physical stress, poor posture, added weight, and the aging process cause
these discs to thin out. As they thin, the body shrinks. It is not
uncommon to see elderly people lose eight inches or more in height by the
time they have reached seventy-nine.
The problems of reduced cartilage further exacerbate the shortening
process. Without a proper supply of collagen, the body cannot repair
itself, so it continues to shrink. In addition, the loss of bone mass that
occurs with aging creates a situation where the human structure not only
grows shorter but begins to twist and turn. This places further stress on
the already damaged spinal column.
The problems of diminished collagen supplies are not just with the
elderly. The younger, over thirty-five population suffers from beginning
to advanced degenerative collagen disease as well. Admittedly, the
negative affects of poor food processing has taken its toll.
Nutrients
that we should be getting in our food are processed out. In addition, the
general population suffers from an overall lack of nutritional
understanding.
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