Does collagen make you gain weight1? Collagen is a dietary supplement that is popular among all those who are into fitness for promoting muscle growth. This unique muscle-building protein is a helix structure that is a combination of glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. Taking dietary collagen supplements for a long can enhance your muscle mass and strength.
Collagen supplementation and weight gain have always been connected. The curiosity around, does collagen make you gain weight in an unhealthy way has been a hot topic of discussion among fitness enthusiasts for a while now. Since having a collagen supplement can help you to beef up the body, there is always a thought that you can gain weight if you take collagen supplements.
What is collagen? Does collagen make you gain weight?
Let us have a look at this interesting topic and gain some information about the uses and benefits of collagen and collagen supplements.
Can collagen make you gain weight? Collagen accounts for around 30% of the proteins in the body and it is said to be a vital structural component of the body that helps in maintaining skin texture, and hair health, and improving joint and ligament flexibility. It is known for its ability to hold the body together.
Collagen is not found in the foods we need normally, hence has to be taken in the form of collagen supplements or added to your diet regime as collagen additives so that the collagen intake is good.
Can collagen make you gain weight? It is not that easy for the body to digest the collagen and most collagen supplements2 contain either hydrolyzed collagen or gelatin instead of collagen. These are more easily digestible by the body than collagen. As age advances, there is a considerable reduction in collagen in the body and you need to follow certain rules to make sure you do not cause more damage to the existing collagen in the body.
Sun can cause a lot of problems to the skin and collagen production will be reduced if there is an overexposure to sun rays.ย You can see too many wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity due to this. Certain UV rays can cause more harm by penetrating the skin and attacking the underlying tissues.
Collagen supplements are good to keep the body healthy and when combined with exercises, they help to reduce the body fat percentage. Due to the increase in lean muscle tissue and bone density, there will be a slight weight gain. If you are keen to know, does collagen make you gain weight, then it can.
As we all are aware, smoking has many health hazards, and it also leads to reduced collagen production in the body which can lead to faster aging and delayed wound healing.
Refined carbohydrates and sugar are detrimental to the collagen in the body, and a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates is said to break down the collagen.
5 Benefits of Collagen in Your Body
The demand for collagen supplements is on the rise. For instance, you can find hydrolyzed collagen or collagen hydrolysate, which is created through hydrolysis. In this procedure, water molecules break the chemical bonds. When collagen is completely hydrolyzed, it breaks down easily in water, and that makes it easy to use in recipes.
Here are some of the benefits of collagen apart from adding more calories or gaining weight.
Good for the Skin
Looking for youthful and wrinkle-free skin? With age, natural collagen production in the body goes down and that results in sagging skin, wrinkles, and dry skin. It is hard to keep the skin elasticity if there is no collagen in the human body and taking collagen helps. Staying hydrated and using skin lotions will not help if there is no collagen in the body. A good healthcare professional will be able to guide you with the right dosage of collagen supplement that is good for your body.
Can collagen cause weight gain, whether it is a yes or a no, one thing is definite, it improves the skin texture and quality and will contribute towards a youthful look.
Increases Workout Readiness
Getting back to the gym or getting started with your regular exercises is a bit hard if you are going back to it after an injury. Muscle soreness or an injury after exercising can be speeded up using a collagen supplement. Studies show how taking collagen peptides or a placebo before a strenuous exercise or workout session can make you have less muscle soreness and pain. Regular exercises and workout sessions will give you the answer to the question, does collagen make you gain weight?
Improvement in Lean Muscle Growth
Does collagen make you gain weight? You cannot expect your muscle mass to improve by just taking collagen supplements, you should exercise regularly along with taking collagen supplements to see a change in the body fat. When the amount of collagen in your body increases, there will be a considerable increase in the ability to develop lean muscle tissue.
When you develop muscle tissue, you will lose more fat because muscle tissues require a considerably large number of calories to maintain fat. Does collagen make you gain weight? The body burns off the calories that are consumed and enables the bodyโs fat to convert to calories. The weight gain you experience will be a healthy one and not an unhealthy one.
Makes You Feel Fuller
Does collagen make you gain weight? Collagen has a lot of dietary advantages and will make you feel full for a long time after your food intake. There is collagen in your bones, cartilage, muscles, skin, and tendons, and having a high protein diet including fish, eggs, and meat can make you feel full after a meal for a longer period.
Plays a Good Role in Joint Mobility
Taking a collagen supplement daily can help reduce joint pain and will improve your joint mobility because it is an important component of the ligaments and joint cartilage. Does collagen make you gain weight? Having stiff joints can be detrimental to your exercise regime, and only if you deal with joint health, you can exercise daily and reduce body fat and lose weight.
Strengthen Bone Density
As you start aging there is not enough collagen in the body, collagen production slows, and your bone density decreases. Does collagen make you gain weight? An increase in bone density occurs when you start taking collagen supplements, and that contributes to your weight gain. The bones become denser, and that contributes to the weight gain of your bones.
Foods That Will Help Boost Collagen
Does collagen make you gain weight? In case there are any apprehensions, there are certain food types that will help build lean muscle without fully depending on a collagen supplement.
Bone Broth
Bone Broth is said to be an excellent source of collagen, but the fact remains though you have foods rich in collagen, it need not increase the collagen levels in the body. The body canโt use collagen directly from food because it is hard to break down collagen, and it can pass easily through the digestive system of the body without getting absorbed.
Bone broth is high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, collagen, essential amino acids, and others and is made of connective tissues and bones.
Beans
The amino acids in beans are used in collagen production. Beans are good vegetables to add to your diet if you are thinking of boosting your collagen.
Bell Peppers
This vegetable is rich in Vitamin C and has an anti-inflammatory compound called capsaicin3 which is good for anti-aging. You cannot go wrong with vegetables or fruits if you are thinking of increasing the supply of amino acids.
Berries
Along with citrus fruits, berries are also a good source of collagen protein as they are rich in antioxidants that protect the skin. Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries are high in Vitamin C, just like citrus fruits.
Chicken
You will realize how much connective tissue chicken contains when you cut open one. It is these connective tissues that add to the collagen in chicken, especially the neck part of the chicken and the cartilage.
Eggs
Eggs contain large quantities of proline in them. Proline is used in the production of collagen in the body, and including proline in your diet is the best way to increase the production of collagen in your body.
Fish
The bones and ligaments of fish and shellfish are made of collagen, and that is one of the reasons why marine collagen is quite popular. It is said marine collagen is absorbed easily, and the meat portions in the fish have less collagen than its other parts.
Garlic
Include garlic in your daily diet because it is rich in sulfur content. Sulfur will help not only to produce new collagen but also prevent the breakdown of sulfur in the body.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are high in Vitamin C, and one medium tomato is said to provide around 30 percent of good nutrients for collagen. The lycopene in tomatoes is excellent for the skin.
Tropical Fruits
Tropical fruits are high in Vitamin C, which is good for enhancing collagen in the body. You can include mangoes, kiwi fruit, and guava in your diet regime to boost your collagen. The zinc content in guava also aids collagen production.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a good source if you are looking to increase collagen in your body. Citrus fruits like grapefruit, oranges, and lemons are good sources for the bodyโs production of pro-collagen, and they work like magic pills.
Does Taking Collagen Have Side Effects
Does collagen make you gain weight? Collagen protein has both plus and minus effects on the body. Aging causes a reduction of collagen production in the body. When we lose muscle mass, there is always a tendency to gain weight, and since collagen is a protein in the body, its presence in the human body is important for overall health.
As we grow older, since the body will have less collagen, there is a requirement for collagen supplementation so that the muscles remain stronger and healthier.
Does collagen make you gain weight? Collagen supplements can have side effects, and there are a few things that have to be kept in mind before taking a collagen supplement.
Many of these collagen supplements have eggs, fish, and shellfish as ingredients in them. If case, you are allergic to them and are taking collagen supplements make sure they do not have these ingredients in them.
There can be digestive issues at times, but if you want to know, does collagen make you gain weight, then the answer is no. You can reduce the dosage in case you are having digestive issues.
You might find yourself with a bad taste in your mouth. Reduce the dosage, and it will be helpful, or you can even take a break from having the collagen supplement for a while and restart it later.
Does collagen make you gain weight? The chances of water retention in the body are high because the collagen-based substance found in the skin is water-soluble. This hydrophilic substance be absorbed through the barriers of the skin.
Make sure you do proper research before buying a collagen supplement or take the advice of a healthcare provider so you know you are buying a genuine one that will give you good results.
In The End
Can collagen make you gain weight? Be it a healthy diet, weight loss, weight gain, maintaining a healthy weight, or building lean muscle, there are always a lot of questions revolving around does collagen make you gain weight. It is only under certain circumstances collagen can cause weight gain.
If you look at the proteins in the body, collagen is one among them and it is found in abundance in the body. Different types of collagen powder, like marine collagen and others, are available in the market, and they do play a significant role in enhancing the collagen in the body. If collagen suits you, then go ahead and add it to your routine and diet plan.
In case you liked this article, here is something more.
- Musayeva, Fargana, Saniye รzcan, and Mustafa Sinan Kaynak. โA review on collagen as a food supplement.โย Journal of Pharmaceutical Technologyย 3.1 (2022): 7-29. โฉ๏ธ
- Choi, Franchesca D., et al. โOral collagen supplementation: a systematic review of dermatological applications.โย J Drugs Dermatolย 18.1 (2019): 9-16. โฉ๏ธ
- Reyes-Escogido, Maria De Lourdes, Edith G. Gonzalez-Mondragon, and Erika Vazquez-Tzompantzi. โChemical and pharmacological aspects of capsaicin.โย Moleculesย 16.2 (2011): 1253-1270. โฉ๏ธ
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