Collagen Supplement Builds Bone Health in Older Women

Collagen supplement builds bone health in older women

Our body has a very high content of collagen; it accounts for 70% of our skin, 36% of our bone, and 67% of our joint cartilage. Collagen is found all over our body including in our spine, the protective barrier of our brain called the blood brain barrier, the filters in our kidneys, the valves of our heart, the lining of our blood vessel walls, and the whites of our eyes. Our ligaments, tendons, meniscus, and many other tissues have a large collagen content.

There are two problems with collagen and our body; one is we make less and less each year starting at the age of 25 and two is that collagen is a big molecule so you don’t absorb it from food sources apparently. To get around this absorption issue researchers have found that if you add enzymes to the collagen, it releases the collagen peptides, the constituents that heal and rebuild the body and they are easily absorbed. This liberated collagen is called collagen hydrolysate or hydrolyzed collagen.

Many human clinical trials show that a collagen rich in collagen peptides, if hydrolyzed aids joint health, bone health, and skin health. In this recent study, doctors from the University of Freiberg in Germany gave 131 postmenopausal women either hydrolyzed collagen or a placebo daily for 12 months. Collagen had a notable effect on bone health improving the thickness of the femoral neck (this is where the hipbone fractures) and improving the thickness of spinal bone. Additional evidence for the bone building effect of collagen was a decrease in CTX 1. CTX 1 stands for C-Terminal Peptide, it is made out of collagen and is found in your bone; doctors look for it in your urine where it is excreted. In the Collagen treated ladies CTX-1 decreased whereas in the placebo treated ladies it increased indicating further and accelerated bone loss. Also, in the collagen treated ladies P1NP improved. This is a form of collagen found in bone and is the most sensitive marker that you are building bone. Doctors use it to see if medicine is working to help rebuild your bone and a rise in this indicates that you are actively building bone.  The study is published in the January 16th, 2018 issue of the journal Nutrients.