Collagen is a biopolymer, the main component in animal connective tissue.Collagen is the most abundant and widely distributed functional protein in mammals, accounting for 25% to 30% of the total protein, and some organisms even as high as 80% or more.

Livestock Animal tissue is the main way for people to obtain natural collagen and its collagen peptides. However, due to the related animal diseases and certain religious beliefs, the use of collagen and its products in terrestrial mammals has been restricted. Nowadays, it is gradually turning to the development of marine life. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed that even collagen derived from animal bones does not have the potential to infect mad cow disease and other related diseases.

Due to differences in amino acid composition and degree of cross-linking,  aquatic animals collagen and especially their processing waste, skin, bone and scale, has many advantages that are not found in livestock collagen.The collagen of marine animals is significantly superior to the collagen of terrestrial animals in some respects.Such as collagen of marine animals have low antigenicity, hypoallergenic and other characteristics. Therefore, aquatic collagen may gradually replace terrestrial animal collagen.

There are many types of collagen, and the common types are type I, type II, type III, type V and type XI.

Collagen has good biocompatibility, biodegradability and biological activity, That is why it is widely used in food, medicine, tissue engineering, cosmetics and other fields.

Let’s take a look at 3 questions to explore the collagen.

1. What kinds of collagen are there?

2. What kind of collagen absorption is the best?

3. What is the benefits of collagen?

1. What kinds of collagen are there?

Collagen is a family of proteins. At least 30 genes encoding collagen chains have been discovered, and more than 16 kinds of collagen can be formed.

The type of collagen and its distribution in tissues.

Molecules, depending on their structure, can be classified into fibrillar collagen, basement membrane collagen, microfibrous collagen, anchored collagen, hexagonal reticulated collagen, non-fibrous collagen, transmembrane collagen, and the like. According to their distribution and functional characteristics in vivo, collagen can be divided into interstitial collagen, basement membrane collagen and peripheral collagen. Interstitial collagen molecules account for the majority of collagen in the body which is about 80-90% of the total collagen content and the most widely used in medicine, including type I, II, and III collagen molecules. Type I collagen is mainly distributed in tissues such as skin and tendons, and also is the most abundant protein in aquatic product processing waste (skin, bone, and bone).

One of the most striking features of type I collagen in fish collagen is its low thermal stability and the specificity of fish species. Type II collagen is produced by chondrocytes.Basement membrane collagen is usually referred to as type IV collagen, which is mainly distributed in the basement membrane. Peripheral collagen is usually referred to as type V collagen, which is abundantly present in connective tissue. The hydrolysate of collagen contains a variety of amino acids, of which glycine is most abundant. Followed by alanine, glutamic acid and arginine, cysteine, tryptophan, tyrosine and methionine and other essential amino acids are low.

2. What kind of collagen absorption is the best?

Collagen is one of the most widely distributed proteins in humans and animals, and its content accounts for about 25% to 30% of total protein in the body. What kind of collagen is most easily absorbed? Naturally it is small molecule collagen. Small-molecule collagen refers to collagen with a molecular weight of less than 2000 Daltons. It has strong biological activity and a type of collagen which does not need to break down that can be directly absorbed by the human body. The smaller the molecular weight of collagen, the higher the absorption rate.The collagen that has a molecular weight of more than 10,000 Daltons is not easily absorbed, and less than 3000 Daltons is substantially completely absorbed.The collagen peptide is a small molecule collagen, which is a hydrolysis product of collagen. It is the smallest unit of collagen. The collagen which below 5000Da is a collagen peptide. The smaller the molecular weight, the better. Among them, less than 1000D is an oligopeptide. Its structure can be expressed as (Gly-xy), which is a glycine with high-purity peptides at the N-terminus.Oligopeptides can be absorbed and utilized by the body without decomposition.

Collagen peptide can penetrate into the stratum corneum and dermis more effectively. Thereby effectively prolong skin cell life, inhibit cell membrane lipid peroxidation, resist oxidative free radical attack on DNA, inhibit tyrosine activity, improve skin immunity, and improve skin. It has many functions such as water retention capacity, promotion of collagen synthesis and synthesis of hyaluronic acid in dermal cells. Due to the nature of collagen peptides, skin treated with collagen peptides can be improved and nourished for a long time, and can maintain optimal therapeutic effect for 5-10 years. Collagen peptides can be absorbed whithout any obstacle,which can be digested and fully utilized by body tissues. And the average molecular weight of marine collagen peptide is smaller, even composed of only 2-4 amino acids, much smaller than ordinary peptides.The price of collagen on the market is uneven.The smaller the molecule, the more expensive the collagen will naturally be.The reason is that the smaller the collagen molecule, the higher the difficulty in extracting the process.

3. What is the benefits of collagen?

Collagen is the most important water-insoluble fibrin outside the cell and is the skeleton that constitutes the extracellular matrix. Provides cells with resistance to tension and elasticity and plays a role in cell migration and development.

Collagen is the most abundant and widely distributed protein in the human body. It is rich in diversity and tissue distribution. Therefore, the normal function of many tissues and organs is directly related to collagen.

*bodybuilding skin

Collagen is the main component that maintains the elasticity of the skin and muscles. It forms a tight elastic net in the skin, locks in moisture, supports the skin like a stent, and makes the skin full of elasticity, moisturizing, delicate and smooth. However, with the increase of age, the loss of collagen is accelerated, leading to severe aging of the skin. Collagen can accelerate the growth of dermis cells, resist oxidation, activate epidermal cells, maintain skin elasticity and firmness, prevent wrinkles, and make skin healthy and beautiful.

Because collagen has excellent compatibility with the human body, collagen supplementation can make the skin young and healthy. Therefore, collagen has pure natural moisturizing, whitening, anti-wrinkle, ecchymosis, acne removal, dark circles and bags under the eyes removal.

*hairdressing bright armor

Collagen located in the dermis is a nutrient supply station for the epidermis and epidermal appendages (hair and nails), which controls the thickness, elasticity and moistness of the hair.

Hair is very sensitive to high heat or alkaline substances. It is necessary for hairdressing or work. People often blow, perm, and dye hair. This will damage the collagen in the hair, causing bifurcation, breakage and even hair loss. Therefore, collagen should be replenished at the right time. Protein, which provides enough nutrients for the subcutaneous tissue of the scalp to regenerate and nourish the hair, making the damaged hair soft and moving. At the same time, collagen has moisturizing properties, which makes the hair full of elasticity. Nail is a barometer of human health. Normal nails should be rosy, tough and curved, smooth and shiny. Nail also needs careful care. Frequent supplementation of collagen will make your nails healthy and shiny, and increase the toughness of your nails.

*healthy bone

The bone tissue is composed of 1/3 organic matter and 2/3 inorganic substance. The inorganic matter of bone is mainly bone salt, 95% of which is solid calcium, and calcium loss leads to osteoporosis. Collagen is an effective carrier of calcium that binds calcium to bone cells. Its network structure is important for maintaining the integrity of the bone structure (preventing osteoporosis) and bone biomechanical properties (maintaining bone marrow flexibility). When the human body lacks collagen, it is not easy to fix calcium, which causes calcium loss to affect bone density and cause osteoporosis. Therefore, properly supplementing the body's naturally lost collagen helps prevent the occurrence of osteoporosis or the healing of injured parts.

70%-80% of the organic matter in the bone is collagen. When skeletal is generated, it is first necessary to synthesize sufficient collagen fibers to form the "framework" of the bone. Therefore, some people call collagen "the bones in the bones."

*Protect joints and tendons

The tendons and the cartilage in the joints allow the body to move freely, and their main component is collagen. Therefore, the collagen is added to keep the bones soft and elastic, strengthen their lubrication during exercise friction, reduce the incidence of arthritis, and avoid joint degeneration.Clinical studies have shown that daily intake of 10 grams of collagen peptide can reduce pain in patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis and increase blood hydroxyproline concentration.

*Improve sleep quality

Collagen can improve anxiety, insomnia, treatment of neurasthenia. Dr. John Norris's experimental report showed that collagen has a good effect on sleep. According to the Chinese food report, medical scientists have found that collagen has a significant effect on the treatment of neurasthenia.

*Breast enhancement

The breast is mainly composed of connective tissue and adipose tissue, and the tall and plump breasts rely on the support of connective tissue. Collagen is the main component of connective tissue, a network structure interwoven with glycoproteins, which produces a certain mechanical strength, supports the human body curve, and reflects the upright posture.

* weight loss and fitness

Losing weight requires burning fat (catabolism), while collagen can increase and prolong catabolic processes, and the repairing function of cells can also consume a lot of heat, so as to achieve weight loss. The repair function is only carried out under sleep, and the method of weight loss of collagen solution before going to bed is mild and lasting. (After the citation, the fat burning rate is increased by 60% when sleeping without eating.)

*promote muscle production

Collagen for adolescents in their growth stage, collagen supplementation promotes growth hormone secretion and promotes muscle growth. For adults who want to maintain their body shape, they need to add collagen to build strong muscles.

*Enhance human immunity and strengthen visceral function

The level of human immunity is related to the biomolecules of immunoglobulins. When immune cells are combined with collagen, the human immune system can increase immunity by more than one hundred times against foreign bodies.

Collagen is an important nutrient source, rich in amino acids, which helps to strengthen the functions of various tissues and organs and enhance human immunity. Such as increased cell proliferation, strengthen visceral function to protect the liver, promote insulin secretion, promote milk secretion, improve constipation, inhibit cancer cell transfer, prevent aging.

*bright eyes

The cornea is rich in active peptide collagen, allowing light to pass through to make the cornea more transparent, making your eyes brighter and more beautiful!

Believe that you have a new understanding about collagen after reading our article.We wil continue the update the collagen health knowledge.If you are interested in collagen drink,please fell free to contact us.Lifeworth is a professional health instant drink manufacturer.