Collagen for Bones: Will it Rebuild Bone Density?

Overview 

Bone health is very often overlooked by people. That's one of the reasons why many people experience issues, ranging from mild to severe, with their bones as they age. Elderly people, along with postmenopausal women, are the most at risk for issues relating to their bones. These issues can include: bone fractures, less bone strength, low bone density, postmenopausal osteoporosis, bone loss, and more. While increasing the amount of vitamin D and calcium you consume is helpful, sometimes it's not enough. Exercise, diet, and supplements are essential for ensuring your bones are healthy and strong. One supplement that can help your bones is collagen. Collagen is found in bones, skin, connective tissues, and organs. There are some studies that suggest it does play a crucial role in bone health, and that taking it as a supplement can help to repair and protect our bones. Read on to learn more about bones, collagen, and how they both function together in our bodies. 

Information about our bones:

Bone formation begins in the womb for babies. Osteoblasts are cells that play an essential role in bone formation. When we are born, we have 270 bones in our body. As we grow, some of these bones begin to fuse together, and we end up with 206 bones as adults. The purpose of the bone is to protect our organs, act as a structural support for the body, and to produce red and white blood cells. The tissue of bones is composed of different bone cells, such as osteoclasts used in bone resorption. There are a few types of tissues found in bones, including: bone marrow, nerves, cartilage, and blood vessels. Weak bones can lead to several issues. Things like a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD), osteopenia, and osteoporosis can all occur when you have weak bones. Exercise and diet are key components of keeping your bones strong, and your body healthy overall. There are a few ways to ensure you have strong bones. You can start with an increase in physical activity, which is important for your overall health as well. You can also increase your vitamin D and calcium intake. Calcium absorption is necessary because the bones act as a storage site for calcium. It's important to note that calcium cannot be made in the body, and we can only get it through food and supplements. 

Is collagen good for bones?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. It's made through chains of amino acids which act as building blocks. The most important of these amino acids are glycine and proline. Hydroxyproline is an amino acid found in collagen, which is used as a marker of bone turnover. Collagen synthesis occurs within our cells. Collagen can help improve your muscle mass, improve joint pain, help with healthy bones, strengthen connective tissues, and give you glowing skin. The benefits of collagen are numerous. Collagen is a great dietary supplement and it comes in many forms, such as: hydrolyzed collagen (or collagen hydrolysate), collagen peptides, collagen pills, and collagen powders. Collagen plays an important role when it comes to your bones. Bone tissue is a connective tissue, which collagen has been shown to strengthen. Mineralized bone tissue contains mainly collagen (called ossein), as well as bone mineral that is made up of different salts. A significant increase in collagen levels can help significantly with your bone health. There are a few ways to boost your collagen intake. One way is through the food you eat. Increase the amount of foods you eat that contain vitamin C, such as citrus fruits (lemons, grapefruits, oranges, etc). You should also try and eat more foods rich in antioxidants, like green, leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, romaine lettuce). You can also make homemade bone broth. This gives you the most natural and purest form of bone collagen. You make bone broth by simmering either beef bones or chicken bones for hours, oftentimes overnight. You can add different herbs and spices to flavor it. Bone broth is also great because it's high in calcium, so it helps strengthen the bones even more. Eating more meat and seafood will also help increase your collagen intake. Seafood, beef, chicken, and pork all contain collagen. It's important to note that most of the collagen is in the skin of these animals, which isn't typically consumed. Collagen supplementation is also a way to get more collagen in your diet. As we mentioned, it comes in several varieties, so you have options to figure out which one works for you. Our  Kalumi BEAUTYfood bars contain 12 grams of hydrolyzed marine collagen, as well as 15 grams of protein. They are made of all natural, clean ingredients, with no additives. Collagen is a very safe supplement to take, and has no known side effects. If you don't have enough collagen, then your body can really suffer. That's why eating enough collagen-rich foods and supplementing with collagen can help make a big difference in your body and with your health. 

What type of collagen is best for bones?

The best type of collagen for health benefits relating to your bones is type I collagen. Type I collagen is a protein and it helps form our bones, skin, and other tissues. Type I collagen comes from humans and animals, and is found in our bodies. Marine collagen sources are typically the best source of type I collagen. Type I collagen is the most abundant type of collagen found in the human body, because it is formed in the most places. It can be found in our skin, tendons, bones, and organs. Our skin is our largest organ, which really puts it into perspective how abundant collagen type I is. It’s the strongest type, meaning it works the most effectively to heal and rebuild in your body as well. This can be compared to type II collagen. Type II collagen is found in the body’s cartilage. This means that it is used to support joint and connective tissue health. There's also type III, type IV, type V, and type X. These are the most common types, as well as the types you find in supplements. These types are also fibrillar, which means they are composed of small collagen fibers. In total, there are 16 types of collagen, but most of these cannot be found in your supplements. If you are just taking collagen for daily maintenance, pretty much any clean and high-quality one will be sufficient. People typically tend to go for type I or type II for their dietary supplements. 

Why is collagen important in bones?

Bones are composed largely of collagen, which gives the bones structure. Our bone matrix is composed of collagen fibers. In fact, 90-95% of the bone matrix is made of collagen fibers! Also, collagen is what helps our bones resist fractures. As you can see, collagen does indeed play a large role in bone health. The problem is, as we age, we start to produce around 1% less collagen per year once we reach our 20's. In some studies, taking collagen daily showed an increase in bone mineral density. This means that collagen does in fact make our bones stronger. It also helps to prevent the breakdown of our bones.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.