Many people are looking for collagen-rich foods and health functional foods that are known to be effective for skin beauty, blood vessels and joints.
In addition, some people deliver chicken feet and pig’s feet as a late-night snack and comfort themselves by saying that collagen is good for skin beauty and good for joints and blood vessels.
However, animal collagen is a polymer with large particles, so it has a low absorption rate and contains high calorific value and high fat.
How does collagen work?
Collagen is a hard protein component found throughout our body, including hair, joints, and membranes of each organ. It accounts for 70% of bone, 50% of articular cartilage, and 70% of dermis of the skin. Most of the components that make up blood vessels are collagen.
It is said that 1% of collagen in the body decreases from the 20s, and only half remains in middle age.
Collagen deficiency can lead to hair loss, arthritis, skin aging, and osteoporosis.
As we age, the elasticity of the skin decreases and wrinkles increase because of the decrease in collagen in the body.
When collagen is abundant, the connection between skin tissues is strengthened and there are no empty areas, so it is smooth.
It also inhibits the activity of melanin, which helps to prevent the formation of freckles and blemishes.
In addition to collagen, bone health and blood vessel management. It has effects such as joint health, strong nails, prevention of hair loss, and prevention of cardiovascular disease.
How should I take collagen?
Collagen is consumed as food or health functional food.
It is the opinion of food experts that it is difficult for the human body to absorb pork feet, chicken feet, pork skin, beef bone broth, crucible soup, and gomtang, etc., which are known to be rich in collagen among foods, because they are high molecular substances.
In particular, most of these foods contain high calorie and high fat, so eating too much can lead to obesity due to the side effect of collagen.
For this reason, recently, low-molecular-weight collagen with good absorption has been in the spotlight. Collagen extracted from fish skins, etc. has small particles, so its absorption rate is high.
At the same time, it is important to create an environment in which our body can produce collagen well. Just as it is effective to let the skin synthesize vitamin D by exposure to sunlight rather than taking it as a nutritional supplement, it is more important to ensure that collagen is synthesized well than just eating it.
Collagen side effects
In order for collagen to be absorbed and preserved in our body, we need to eat enough vegetables, fruits, and seeds that are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidants.
The daily intake of collagen is 5000 to 10000 mg. If you take more than the daily intake, side effects may include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Consuming too much collagen can easily lead to cellulite in unwanted areas. Cellulite is the main culprit that interferes with a smooth and elastic body.
Pregnant or lactating women should avoid it, and in the case of fish collagen, people with fish allergies should be careful.
By Kim Yong-joo, reporter [email protected]
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