WHAT DOES PROTEIN DO FOR MY BODY, AND HOW DOES COLLAGEN FIT IN?

Proteins are frequently called the building blocks of life. That’s because protein is in every cell in your body. Your hair, muscles, nails, and bones are all made of proteins; it’s what gives every part of your body its shape, strength and helps every cell do its job. We most commonly hear about protein in relation to keeping our muscles strong, but protein actually has many jobs in our bodies and affects nearly every system in our body. 

It’s also interesting to note that collagen is the most prevalent protein in our body; of the typical adult body mass, collagen represents a whopping 3 kgs or 6.6 lb!  In fact, 30% of the body’s proteins are collagen proteins and collagen is found in most of our tissues.  But Why?  Well let’s talk about what proteins do in general and then find out more about collagen’s role.

What does protein do for your body?

• Helps repair cells — Protein is crucial for healing wounds. It reduces inflammation and helps build new tissue.
• Delivers nutrients — Protein is your body’s worker bee, shipping other nutrients to your body via your bloodstream, and even storing backups of some nutrients.
• Strengthens Bones — It helps maintain bone density and protects your bones from breaks.
• Builds muscle — Maintains muscle size and shape, keeps your muscles strong while losing weight, and helps build more muscle.
• Provides immune support — Breaks down into amino acids that help fire up your immune system in response to cellular intruders that could cause infection. And to fight the effects of stress.
• Gives energy (in an emergency) — Whole carbohydrates and fat are your body’s first choice for energy, it will use protein when regular energy stores are depleted.
• Aids weight loss — Helps suppress cravings not caused by hunger. Also, a higher protein diet boosts your metabolism, helping you burn more calories.
• Supports a healthy heart — Helps lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol, especially plant protein.

What happens to your body if you don’t eat the right amount of protein?

In general, at least 10% of your daily calories should be protein. Very active people may need more. If you aren’t eating enough protein, you may notice symptoms like swelling, dry, brittle hair and skin, ridges in your nails, fatigue, weakness, hunger, moodiness, slow healing, and frequent illness. 

Too much protein, however, may lead to weight gain, constipation or diarrhea and, in more severe cases, an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and cancer. Several high protein diets have become popular in recent years and are not generally considered healthy long-term weight loss options. Our bodies need a variety of nutrients to thrive, including those found in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Where does collagen fit in?

Of all the types of protein in your body, collagen is the most abundant. It’s often been called the scaffolding of the body, providing both structure and strength to most cells.  Since we find collagen in most of our tissues, supplementing with collagen peptides can create a wide variety of health benefits.  For example:

• IMPROVES SKIN APPEARANCE AND REDUCES FINE LINES - Marine collagen is a major part of what gives your skin its elasticity, tone and density. In the skin’s dermis, collagen improves nutrient delivery, increases strength, builds skin health and hydration;
• IMPROVES HAIR AND NAILS - Marine collagen improves the health of hairand nails because hair follicles and nail beds are located in the skin’s dermis. With dermal health improvement, we see healthier follicles and nailbeds and fuller hair and stronger nails.
• RELIEVES JOINT PAIN – Marine collagen supplements help to rejuvenate the cartilage in joints and reduce joint inflammation for smoother, pain free movement. Collagen peptides help the body build collagen density in cartilage, so it’s stronger and more durable.  It’s also effective at calming the overactive immune response that causes chronic inflammation.

As early as our mid twenties, our collagen production starts to slow down and our collagen levels in all of our tissues begin to drop.  When in our 40s and 50s we see a weakening of tissues and we see signs of ageing – skin wrinkles, joint deterioration, dry hair and brittle nails.  Supplementing with marine collagen peptides helps to rebuild lost collagen and strengthen tissues, hair and nails.

What are good sources of protein?

Protein sometimes gets a bad rap by association with processed meats and red meat. But it shouldn’t be confused with the real villains there: saturated fat, preservatives, or chemicals. Healthy, lean protein can be added to your diet through poultry, pork, fish, lean dairy, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, nut butters, and soy products.  When contemplating a collagen peptide, DeepMarine collagen stands out above the rest – 100% made-in-Canada, wild caught, small molecule, ultra-high levels of absorption for the best results.