Collagen for Men: 5 Reasons Why Men Are Taking Collagen Supplements
Getting started with holistic health can be challenging, especially in this day and age with many confusing labels, processed or synthetic ingredients in food, and contradictory dietary advice. But whether you’re looking to build muscle or stave off some of the signs of aging, you can trust one bit of advice: make sure your body gets enough collagen.
Collagen is a crucial multi-molecular protein that your body uses for all sorts of things, including maintaining skin cells, building muscle, and more.
Today, let's break down five key reasons why men take collagen supplements and why you should consider adding collagen-rich supplements or dietary choices to your food plan ASAP.
Collagen in a Nutshell
Though it has a special name, collagen is one of the most common proteins in your body. In fact, collagen has the following benefits:
- It makes up all the connective tissues throughout your body, such as muscles, tendons, skin, and even ligaments.
- It helps to maintain good skin, joint, and bone health.
- Holds tissues together and ensures that organs or bodily systems work properly.
As a complex protein, collagen has 19 amino acids in total – in this way, collagen is a multi-molecular protein.
In short, collagen is vital for several proper bodily functions and overall health.
Why Collagen Supplements Are Crucial
Collagen is great, but your body won’t benefit from this multi-molecular protein unless you have enough vitamin C. Your body needs vitamin C to produce collagen, even when you are in your physical prime between the ages of 20 and 35.
Luckily, you can get plenty of vitamin C from food items like fruits and vegetables such as oranges, lemons, cauliflower, and broccoli. But even in the best-case scenario, your body will start to produce less collagen over time as it gets older.
In fact, collagen levels drop at a rate of around 1.5% each year after the age of 25. Additionally, your body’s natural collagen production rates could decrease due to a wide variety of factors like:
- Genetics
- Exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun
- Certain habits like smoking or excessive sugar consumption
Without enough collagen, you might see some of the early signs of aging, you won’t be able to build muscle as readily, and your bones and joints might start to ache.
Collagen supplements can help supplement your body as its cells produce less of the protein over time. Perhaps even more importantly, collagen supplements let you get all the collagen you need without drastically changing your diet.
Benefits of Collagen Supplements for Men
Collagen is especially important for men since they have slight differences in terms of their skin thickness and texture. For example, men have more collagen density per square inch of skin compared to women.
As a result, women show certain premature signs of aging, like wrinkles, a little faster than men even if two individuals are the exact same age. But just because men naturally have more collagen to start with doesn’t mean that collagen supplements aren’t important.
In addition to flat boosts to your immune system, collagen supplements can provide several major benefits for men when taken regularly and combined with a great diet and exercise. Let's take a look at some of those benefits in more detail.
Collagen May Assist with Hair Loss
Male pattern baldness affects practically every man as a side effect of high testosterone levels. Even as early as your 20s, you may start to find that your hairline recedes a little bit each year. Many men struggle with losing their hair over time, and some men may even occasionally find hair in the shower drain each morning.
But collagen supplements can help to reverse or mitigate these effects. While collagen cannot prevent a receding hairline or hair loss overall, it is the primary protein your body uses to keep hair follicles strong and resilient. The stronger your body’s hair follicles are, the less likely that hair strands will fall out individually.
Plus, the more collagen your body is to work with, the easier it'll be for you to grow new hair on your head and across your body. Simply put, collagen supplements may help to prevent you from going bald earlier than you'd like!
Potential Boosts to Muscle Recovery
Lots of men place a premium on muscle growth and physical fitness, and for a good reason. Building muscle while you are young and maintaining that muscle over time will help you age gracefully and improve your overall life quality.
However, as you get older, your body produces less testosterone, and it’s tough to build muscle as readily as you did when you were younger. Collagen supplements can assist in this aspect as well.
You see, the combined amino acids in collagen molecules are incredibly useful not only for building new muscle fibers but also for maintaining muscles you've already built. Additionally, your tendons and ligaments are composed of around 75% collagen. Consuming a collagen supplement can reduce the inflammation you experience after an intense workout and maybe even reduce the chances of injuring yourself during a particularly strenuous lift.
All in all, men interested in maintaining a top-tier physique should ensure they eat enough vitamin C and take a collagen supplement.
Collagen Can Support Joint/Bone Health
As we get older, we sometimes find it more difficult to do simple tasks like climb stairs, walk around, or even bend over to pick something off the ground. This is related to weakening joints and bones because our bodies absorb less calcium as they age.
Collagen, however, can help your joints function more smoothly. Collagen is a key protein found in your joints, so it may mitigate any discomfort you already feel.
If you’re an athlete, there’s even better news; collagen may help you recover faster from sports injuries and minimize the likelihood of suffering from future fractures.
Possible Heart Health Benefits
It’s a well-known fact that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in America. Collagen can assist with heart health by supporting the structures of arteries found in this critical muscle. The arteries carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body; the more collagen you have, the stronger these arteries will be and the less likely you’ll be to suffer from a heart attack or related cardiovascular issues.
Bottom Line: Collagen Supplements May Help Men Age Gracefully
All this boils down to one key fact: collagen supplements may be able to help you age more gracefully and mitigate many of the side effects or symptoms of the aging process. Every man should consider adding a collagen supplement to their dietary regimen for this reason overall.
Summary
Ultimately, collagen supplements are just as crucial for men as they are for women – if not more so! Luckily, there are several collagen supplement choices you can choose from, including the Hair, Skin, & Nails Supplement from Hope Health.
Each gummy comes packed with ingredients like collagen and various antioxidants to improve your skin and hair health. Men entering middle age especially could benefit from the way it may promote skin and hair health.
While you’re at it, check out our whole collection of natural, cruelty-free supplements for even more boosts to your bodily health!
Sources:
Collagen for Your Skin: Healthy or Hype? | Cedars-Sinai.org
Vitamin C and Skin Health | Linus Pauling Institute | Oregon State University
Male versus female skin: What dermatologists and cosmeticians should know | NCBI
News: Do Collagen Supplements Help Skin,... (The New York Times) - Behind the headlines - NLM | NCBI