Can Collagen Really Help Improve Digestion & Gut Health?

With the holiday season behind us and a brand new year in front of us, I’m sure many of us are ready to get back to healthy eating after indulging in one too many treats over the holidays (no shame!). Eating a lot of highly processed foods full of sugar can cause us to feel bloated and no-so-great, partially because of the toll those types of foods take on our digestive systems and guts. 

Gut health and digestion is a hot topic in today’s health world. We constantly see people cutting out dairy, gluten, and sugar in the hopes that it will “heal their gut” and improve digestion. It is no secret that what we put into our bodies plays a huge role in digestion but aside from just the foods we eat, supplements can also help to regulate digestion and keep our gut healthy. 

Collagen supplements get the most attention for its *glamorous* beauty benefits but collagen is actually super beneficial for our digestive health  as well. Studies have shown that collagen can help aid digestion, reduce gut inflammation, heal stomach ulcers, and regulate acid secretion. What about collagen makes it so beneficial for gut health? It’s amino acid profile! 

Collagen and Amino Acids

Collagen For Her contains 18 different amino acids that all have different functions and benefits for the body. If you are curious about amino acids, you can read more about them here! Here are few particular amino acids in Collagen For Her that help with gut health and digestion: 

• Glycine: Helps improve digestive health and the intestinal tract. Glycine can help stimulate the production of stomach acids and improves its ability to absorb nutrients.
• Glutamine: Glutamine has been identified as a key amino acid in helping the prevention of inflammation in the gut wall and healing leaky gut syndrome. It has been associated with helping the intestinal lining of the stomach and opening junctions in the connective tissue. Glutamine has been tied to helping the body’s metabolism and helping to curb your desire for sugar and alcohol.
• Proline: Along with glycine, proline helps synthesize collagen. This amino acid can help heal wounds, support digestive health, increase metabolism and fight inflammation in the intestinal tract.

The Low Down on Leaky Gut

Leaky gut, or "intestinal permeability," occurs when the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged, causing undigested food particles, toxic waste products and bacteria to "leak" through the intestines and flood the bloodstream.

When these foreign substances enter the bloodstream, they can cause a variety of issues such as constipation, gas, bloating, headaches, excessive fatigue, arthritis, joint pain, excessive cravings for sugar and carbs, etc. As a result, the damaged cells in your intestines don't produce the enzymes needed for proper digestion and your body cannot absorb essential nutrients, which can lead to hormone imbalances and a weakened immune system.

Similar to how collagen strengthens and tightens your skin, it does the same for your digestive tract. Our digestive tracts are made up of the same amino acids that are abundant in collagen. These amino acids help stimulate cell growth, which in turn helps repair your intestinal wall. By closing gaps in the pores and tightening the lining, this helps stop toxins from entering the bloodstream and can work to heal leaky gut. While leaky gut is an extreme case, our digestive tracts could still benefit from the use of collagen, even if you do not suffer from full-blown leaky gut.

How Long Until I Know It's "Working"?

It is important to remember that collagen isn’t a diet product or a quick fix. Collagen is an all-natural supplement that should be used in order to increase overall health by replenishing collagen levels in your body that naturally decrease overtime. Digestion and gut health is just one of the benefits of taking a daily collagen supplement. Just like eating healthy or exercising, you need to take collagen consistently for a minimum of 60 days before you can expect to see any changes. 

Want to learn more about the other benefits of collagen? 

Read about collagen and joints here.

Read about collagen and skin here.

*Full list of references available here.