Should Men Take Collagen?

Often appealing to women, collagen supplements have been known to reduce wrinkles, build stronger nails and support anti-aging, so advertisers adjust their ad campaigns to highlight women when promoting Collagen supplements.    

But there is a growing rise in interest from men for Collagen benefits that move beyond the skin. As a supplement for men, collagen is an excellent option to help strengthen muscles, support joint health, aid gut health, encourage injury prevention, and address many other health problems.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body since it can be found in muscles, organs, connective tissues, bones, joints, and skin. This powerhouse protein is what gives our body resilience and structure. The body produces collagen through the protein consumed in your diet, but as the body ages ( after the age of 30),  the body makes less collagen and that which we do produce breaks down more quickly.

Not only age affects collagen levels, but factors such as sun exposure, lack of sleep and an unhealthy diet high in sugar and processed foods can accelerate this process. 

Why Men Should Take Collagen

Collagen has exceptional benefits for men since healthy collagen levels can contribute to joint health, maintaining muscle mass, reducing fat, supporting gut health, a healthy cardiovascular system and skin elasticity.

Collagen for Men Increases Muscle Mass & Improves Recovery - Collagen contains key amino acids essential for muscle growth. It has been shown to help muscle tissue recover after a strenuous workout. Our tendons, ligaments, and connective tissues contain around 75% collagen. Supplementing with collagen for men after a workout can help reduce inflammation in your ligaments and connective tissues to minimize post-workout pain and soreness.

Collagen for Men Keeps Joints & Bones Working More Smoothly - The amino acids in collagen make up the cartilage and help cushion your joints. Without sufficient amounts of collagen, the cartilage starts to wear out, leading to joint deterioration and inflammation.   Joint disease – as we age, our joints tend to feel the wear and tear of years past. Collagen supplements may reduce pain in individuals with osteoarthritis in their knees or hips, improving joint comfort and mobility.

Collagen for Men helps with energy levels -Collagen may also help regulate the central nervous system. The amino acid glycine, which can be found in collagen for men, may help regulate the central nervous system. As a result, you may experience higher and more even energy levels throughout the day.

Collagen for Men Supports Heart Health - Collagen provides structure to the arteries, which helps to keep the blood flowing to and from your heart. A healthy blood flow can reduce plaque buildup and improve blood pressure.

Collagen for Men Supports Gut Health - Poor gut health has been linked to numerous health issues and, most recently, to mental health! And since the walls of the gut are also made up of collagen, declining collagen can be attributed to the weaker gut lining. When the gut weakens, we can develop inflammatory bowel diseases and other gut-related disturbances such as bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.

Collagen for Men Supports Healthy Hair - Collagen will not reverse hair loss, balding or a receding hairline if the underlying cause is hereditary. But collagen may support the hair follicles to encourage healthy hair growth.

Collagen for Men Supports Skin - Men and women differ in terms of thickness which may be one reason that a man’s skin takes longer to show sagging and wrinkles. However, collagen works the same for a man’s skin as for a woman’s. Increasing collagen levels may help skin look firmer, improve skin elasticity, increase smoothness, and help skin cells renew and repair normally.

The Best Collagen for Men?  The same collagen that women take!

When choosing a collagen supplement, it is important to look for hydrolyzed collagen, or collagen peptides, since the collagen molecules have already been “predigested” and can be used more efficiently by the body.  

Choose collagen supplements sourced from reputable bovine and marine sources. Collagen can only come from animal sources such as the skin, bones, and cartilage of cows, fish, chickens, and/or pigs. For your personal health and the health of the planet, it is important to choose reputable sources such as pasture-raised, grass-fed cattle and wild-caught fish. Pasture-raised and grass-fed cattle have been humanely nurtured in a natural environment and allowed to eat grass grown on the pasture. Similarly, wild-caught fish live in a habitat where they can naturally feed on what is available in their environment, ensuring a natural and sustainable fish source. 

Pick collagen supplements that undergo third-party testing. All supplements, including collagen, can contain potential allergens, pesticides, solvents, GMOs, heavy metals, microbes, and pharmaceutical agents. When picking a collagen supplement, it is important to choose one that has undergone third-party testing to ensure the product is non-GMO, pure, potent, and accurately labelled.

Natural Factors Total Body Collagen contains the preferred and more digestible form of Collagen (Hydrolyzed) from pasture-raised, grass-fed bovine.   Total Body Collagen is a unique formula with added hyaluronic acid, L-tryptophan, L-glutamine, Vitamin C, and biotin. That helps your body optimize absorption and increase collagen production.     Total Body Collagen can revitalize, restore and protect the whole body!

Total Collagen powder comes in unflavoured, orange and pomegranate, which can be added to water or other beverages and is easy to mix without an unpleasant taste.

Bottom line? Research has shown that age-dependent reduction in collagen synthesis can be reversed by oral supplementation of bioactive collagen peptides, and that’s excellent news for men and women! Aging is inevitable, but with a few beneficial supplements like Total Body Collagen, our physical well-being not only looks better but feels better as well.

Look for the ISURA certification. ISURA is Canada's only independent natural health supplement and food product verification and certification organization that provides mass spectrometry and non-GMO testing from seed to table. ISURA's Standard for Natural Health Products is among the world's highest. The threshold limits and other components of the ISURA Standard meet or exceed standards or recommendations for Natural Health Products set by global and national organizations. Furthermore, ISURA's analytical testing laboratories meet ISO 17025 laboratory and methodology standards, and ISURA's quality management system is ISO 9001 certified.