We learn about the numerous benefits of collagen from scientific articles, brand advertisements, and posts by social media users. But what exactly happens when we consume collagen? How does this unique protein offer so many health benefits? Let's take a closer look at what scientists have discovered about these questions.
What does collagen do?
Collagen’s main role is to provide structure, strength, and support throughout your body.
Collagen’s specific roles include:
Helping fibroblasts form in your dermis, which helps new cells grow.
Playing a role in replacing dead skin cells
Providing a protective covering for organs
Gives structure, strength, and elasticity to your skin
Helping your blood to clot.
Restoring the Body
The most well-known benefits of collagen are, of course, those on skin health. However, it is necessary to know that when we consume collagen, our body uses collagen peptides wherever it is needed. However, it isn't easy to understand how a protein such as collagen acts. For this, it is critical first to identify the active peptide so that the underlying mechanism of action can be understood and the effect of collagen can be measured. For this, the researchers were able to measure the activity of collagen by separating the active peptides from the blood taken from the subjects after a certain period of collagen consumption using the pre-derivatization method.
Hydroxyproline Makes the Difference
Most of the peptides in the collagen hydrolysate were believed to be degraded into amino acids during digestion and absorption. These observations suggested the presence of food-derived bioactive peptides in the body post-ingestion of collagen hydrolysate. Since collagen specifically consists of hydroxyproline (Hyp), Hyp-containing peptides can be collagen-derived peptides. The collagen-derived peptide content in human plasma increased to approximately 20 μM 60 min post-ingestion of the collagen hydrolysate (10 g) and remained high at 180 min post-ingestion. This finding clearly indicated the presence of food-derived collagen peptides in human blood.
Taking Care of Our Fibroblast
The best indicator to measure the effectiveness of collagen in the body is based on measuring its effect on fibroblast cells due to their role in wound healing. Researchers who have advanced their studies in this field have proven that collagen peptides significantly affect the proliferation of fibroblast cells. This can be considered proof of the effects of collagen peptide consumption on the human body's repair.
References
Sato, K.; The presence of food-derived collagen peptides in human body structure and biological activity. Food & Function. 2017.
1. Sato, K.; The presence of food-derived collagen pep des in human body structure and biological ac vity. Food & Func on. 2017.