According to numerous collagen supplement brands, integral collagen is the “let’s get serious” approach to adding collagen to your diet. It is easy to add this supplement to your favorite beverage or food item, making them super easy to add into any lifestyle. But what is integral collagen and what it claim to do?
Keep reading if you’re interested in this alternative approach to adding collagen to your routine, as well as a refresher on what collagen is and how to get it through your diet.
Collagen 101
Let’s discuss what collagen is and how it helps your body
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It’s one of the major building blocks of bones, skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It can also be found in many other parts of the body like teeth, corneas, and blood vessels. You can think of collagen as the connective “glue” that holds much of the body’s internal parts together, as it is found in many areas.
There are five different types of collagen: Type I, Type II, Type III, Type IV, and Type V. There are technically 28 different types of collagen, but these five are the most important. You may also see supplements that include Type X, which can help with bone formation and cartilage development and maintenance.The different types of collagen are essentially representative of the area of the body from which the collagen was sourced. Since collagen is a major part of our bodies, with regular and consistent use, taking collagen can have many benefits.
Type I collagen is the most prevalent type of collagen in your body, and is also the type of collagen you’re most likely to find on the shelves in health stores. This is the type of collagen that encourages the production of collagen in your hair, skin, and nails. If you’re looking for firmer, more supple skin, and stronger hair and nails, you’ll want to be sure to find a supplement that includes type I collagen.
Though somewhat less prevalent in the body than type I collagen, type II collagen is still extremely important. It is the main component of cartilage and is extremely healthy for the skeletal system. This type of collagen has also been known to effectively treat joint pain. Behind the desire to get healthier and better skin, hair, and nails, many people choose to take a collagen supplement to help with joint pain. Just as wrinkles appear on our skin as we age, oftentimes as we grow older our joints start to ache from inflammation. Collagen supplements that include type II can help you get relief from joint pain.
Type III collagen is the second most prevalent type of collagen in your body after type I. It is a major structural component in hollow organs such as large blood vessels, the uterus, and the bowels. Other functions of type III collagen include interacting with platelets in the blood clotting cascade and working as an important signalling molecule in wound healing.
Type IV collagen is a less common type of collagen, however it is still essential. Type IV collagen aids in the filtration of the kidneys and other organs. It also exists naturally as building blocks in different layers of the skin. These layers of skin often surround our muscles, organs, and fat cells. This type of collagen is also thought to be important for wound healing and the forming of an embryo.
Type V collagen is the last of the five most important types of collagen. Like some other types of collagen, type V can be found in collagen fibrils — meaning long, very thin collagen fibers.
This fiber-like collagen is found in some layers of skin, hair, and most importantly the tissue of the placenta. Since the placenta is vital to providing growing embryos with nutrients and oxygen, type V collagen is considered a crucial protein to neonatal development. Type V collagen is also found in the cornea of the eye. Deficiency of type V collagen has been associated with decreased transparency in the cornea, which means impacted vision and decreased overall eye health.
How to Get Collagen Through Your Diet
Not only can you include a collagen supplement in your day, but you can also choose to eat foods that are rich in collagen
Type I collagen
The best food sources for type I collagen are egg whites, protein-rich foods such as fish and beef, and bone broth. Theese foods are easy to include in your diet. Bone broth is one of the more popular ways to get collagen naturally, as it is made from slow cooking the bones for an extended period of time, allowing the broth to become rich in collagen. Make sure that in addition to lean meats that are high in protein, it’s also crucial that you stay hydrated as well.
Type II collagen
The best sources of type II collagen are bone broth and protein-rich foods like chicken. Chicken is a very versatile meal that can be prepared many ways, making it one of the most popular options for those looking to add collagen to their diets.
Type III collagen
Some food sources of type III collagen are protein-rich foods like beef and fish, bone broth, and egg whites.
Type IV collagen
The best sources of type IV collagen are egg whites and other protein-rich foods. Type IV collagen is very difficult to find in supplement form, so you should make sure to get it from your diet.
Type V collagen
The best sources of type V collagen are protein-rich foods like egg whites.
In addition to adding lean meats and other protein-rich food items to your routine, you can also choose to take a supplement of collagen. Supplements are easy to take and typically found in powder or capsule form.
Remember: there are no vegan sources of collagen, but there are vegan supplements that may help your body’s natural production of collagen, like Vitamin C, and foods high in antioxidants support your body in maintaining collagen, keeping it from breaking down over time from aging, inflammation, and oxidative damage, like red wine, matcha, green tea, and berries.
Now, if you are serious about adding collagen to your diet aside from eating these collagen-rich foods, you may want to consider adding integral collagen supplements to your diet.
Integral Collagen
Integral collagen is gelatin broken down into smaller amino acid chains called peptides. These peptides can be quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and efficiently utilized by the body for improved hair, skin, and nails, and bone and joint support. Integral collagen also plays a vital role in the maintenance of the cartilage, tendons, and ligaments that allow joints to function properly. Integral collagen is just a smaller, more bioavailable version of collagen that you can take in the form of a supplement. Instead of being in a long helix structure, they are cut into peptides that the body can easily absorb. This is what most collagen powders and capsules contain.
Dr. Emil’s Multi Collagen Plus is an integral collagen supplement made with five types of premium collagen peptides in fast absorbing capsules that work at the cellular level to help support healthy bones, joints, and digestion, and improve hair, skin, and nails. It contains type I, type II, type III, type V, and type X collagen.
It’s also made with premium sources, like 100% grass-fed beef, eggshells, marine sources, and chicken. These high dose capsules are designed to bring you the results you’re looking for quickly!
In addition, through Dr. Emil Nutrition’s partnership with Vitamin Angels, for every bottle of Dr. Emil Nutrition product you buy, a child in need gets a 6-month dose of essential vitamins. So buying from Dr. Emil Nutrition doesn’t only benefit you - it benefits others as well.
The Takeaway
In conclusion, you might get enough collagen through your diet, or you might choose to start slowly adding more collagen rich foods to your routine. However, if you’re serious about adding collagen to your diet, you might want to consider buying an integral collagen supplement.
Integral collagen is gelatin broken down into smaller amino acid chains called peptides. These peptides can be quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and efficiently utilized by the body for improved hair, skin, and nails, and bone and joint support.
Dr. Emil’s Multi Collagen Plus is an integral collagen supplement made with five types of premium collagen peptides in fast absorbing capsules for easy use and rapid results. So what are you waiting for? If you’d like to improve your skin, hair, nails, and joint function, consider picking up some integral collagen!
