Collagen is perhaps more commonly known as a beauty supplement, due to its benefits for skin, hair and nails.
However, collagen has many more incredible uses than just reducing wrinkles. It’s the most abundant form of protein in our body, and is particularly beneficial when it comes to injury prevention and performance enhancement for athletes.
Keep reading and we’ll explain why.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a type of protein, and one of the key building blocks for our body’s structural integrity, including the joints, bones, skin, hair and nails.
Like all proteins, collagen is made up of various amino acids – 18 different amino acids in total, including eight of nine essential amino acids.
Our bodies naturally produce collagen, but we can also get collagen from food sources (primarily the bone and connective tissue of animals), or in supplement form (either oral supplements or topical, such as skin creams).
The Five Biggest Benefits of Collagen for Athletes
If you’re an athlete, or regularly engage in physical exercise, here are five reasons why you should be taking collagen.
1. Supports Joint Health and Mobility
Joint health is a priority for any athletes, but especially athletes in high-impact sports.
With constant impact, plus regularly going through twisting and torquing motions, it’s extremely common for athletes to face injuries to the connective tissue in the joints, or long-term degradation, pain and discomfort.
Collagen is most commonly found in the connective tissue of animals, and it plays a vital part in the makeup of the tendons and ligaments in our body too.
Increasing your collagen intake can strengthen your joints, protecting against injury and reducing pain and inflammation, with clinical trials backing up the suggestion that collagen supplements can be beneficial for joint health.
2. Enhances Muscle Recovery
Protein plays a major role in muscle repair and recovery, and collagen protein is particularly beneficial.
Collagen provides the body with key amino acids, including glycine and proline, plus many essential amino acids (EAAs), which aid in tissue repair and faster recovery after workouts.
Studies show that collagen supplementation can increase lean muscle mass, by increasing the rate of recovery after a workout, as well as reducing muscle loss in aging people.
3. Strengthens Tendons and Ligaments
Along with reducing joint pain and reducing the risk of injury, collagen can provide more strength for the tendons and ligaments, increasing athletic performance.
By building stronger connective tissue in important joints, such as the knees, ankles and shoulders, athletes may be able to run faster, jump higher, throw with more power, or improve performance for dynamic movements in many different sports or athletic activities.
4. Improves Skin Elasticity and Wound Healing
The benefits of collagen for skin are not only useful for people who want to look beautiful and avoid wrinkles.
Stronger and healthier skin is also a plus for athletes. Supplementing with collagen can protect your skin against cuts and scrapes, which are easy to come by, especially in contact sports, and can cause discomfort or keep you out of action for some time.
It also speeds up healing time for skin abrasions and sun damage, which should be of concern to any athletes who perform outdoors.
5. Boosts Bone Strength
Another area where collagen is vital for structural health is in our bones.
Low bone density makes you more vulnerable to injuries, such as breaks and fractures, which are a massive setback for athletes.
Collagen has been shown to improve bone mineral density and support bone formation, helping maintain stronger, healthier and more resilient bones, and possibly speeding up recovery from breaks and fractures too.
Do You Need a Collagen Supplement?
Collagen is naturally produced in our body, and can also be found in various food sources, such as bone broth, animal skin, fish, shellfish and organ meats.
So do you really need to supplement with collagen on top of this?
While collagen supplementation is not essential, it’s a good idea for athletes, who can derive significant benefits from increasing their overall collagen levels.
It’s particularly important because collagen production naturally decreases as we age – starting as soon as our mid 20s.
That means your collagen stores are going to get lower and lower, and over time, you will become more susceptible to joint problems, muscle and skin recovery will be slower, and you’ll have a decline in bone density.
Considering there are little to no downsides to supplementing with collagen, taking a supplement alongside a regular diet is a great way to stay injury free and at peak performance as you get older.
One of the easiest way to get daily collagen is to use a collagen creamer, like this clean grass-fed collagen creamer from Naked.
Final Thoughts
If you’re an athlete, a collagen supplement can do much more for you than making you look good in pictures.
Taking collagen can help you reduce the risk of joint and bone injuries, reduce joint pain, improve muscle mass recovery time, increase muscle mass, strengthen your skin against abrasions and protect you against the elements.
Consider taking a daily collagen supplement and experience the benefits for performance and longevity.
