Collagen as support!

Why is it actually a good idea to nourish the body's own collagen tissues with collagen from food?

• First; collagen is the “glue” that holds the body together.
• Second; collagen gives your body mechanical strength. Third, collagen is a communication system in the body.

There are many ways you can maintain your collagen-rich tissues. Exercise, stretching, good hydration and massages are good examples of this. You can do this through food with sufficient vitamin C, copper, silica, gelatin or yes... collagen hydrolysate.

In this blog we zoom in a little further on collagen hydrolysate. There are many types of collagen hydrolysate available, many ways you can take it and many reasons why you should use it regularly. At Paleo Powders we think that collagen hydrolyzate from wild fish stands out in a special way. Not only because of its wild origin but also because of its homology with human collagen.

Homology can be described as the similarity of tissues based on their structure or function, from a common evolutionary ancestor. In other words, fish collagen is a lot like human collagen, more so than bovine collagen, for example, and that makes it a bit more special.

In addition to the above similarity, it is also good to know that fish collagen also has a lower molecular weight (smaller structure), high bioavailability and high bioactivity. Even in the intestines! Collagen peptides are fermented by Bifidobacteria and therefore also work as a prebiotic.

Did you also know that fish collagen peptides with a very low molecular weight (1-20 Da) also have a strong antioxidant effect? In this case, the amino acid proline specifically neutralizes hydroxyl radicals.

In addition to the effects on your own collagen structures, collagen hydrolysate and/or gelatin balances your daily amino acids. This is an important property since eating only muscle meat, dairy, eggs, etc.. creates an imbalance between the amino acids glycine and methionine.

A good rule of thumb is to consume about 1 gram of collagen for every 10 grams of non-collagenous animal protein. If your daily protein consumption is higher, such as in the case of athletes, specific diets or muscle building programs, you can even increase the amount of collagen even further.

So it's all about balance! Too much collagen hydrolysate or gelatin is also not good because it negatively affects the tryptophan concentrations in your body. This can then have an effect on your mood, sleep and other bodily functions. So keep your wits about you and always try to look at nutrition from an evolutionary perspective.

Finally, it is fascinating to realize that collagen/gelatin is not only good for the human body, but it is also an effective biostimulant in plants that improves crop performance! So the next time you prepare a Paleo Powders marine collagen hydrolysate drink, make sure you share it not only with your pets but also with your plants 😊.