Collagen can do many amazing things for your health.
But can it help with weight loss?
Collagen is still the somewhat new supplement on the scene. As such, some areas of research into collagen may be lacking or only have animal studies. This is exacerbated by the fact that most collagen supplements aren’t so easily absorbed by the body.
When it comes to collagen and weight loss, there isn’t an overwhelming amount of research, but what has been done on the subject looks promising!
In today’s blog, we’re going to go over this research and the ways that collagen may contribute to healthy weight loss.
What is collagen?
In case you want a refresher before diving in, let’s briefly cover what collagen is, along with its main function and benefits.
Collagen is the most abundant protein found in the human body, making up around 30% of your body’s protein!
Due to the amino acids that make it up, and the way that they’re tightly twisted together like a rope, collagen is extremely strong and stable.
As such, collagen gives structure to connective tissue like the skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, muscles, bone, and blood vessels. It can help maintain healthy nails, boost hair growth, and plays a major role in the appearance of the skin.
Unfortunately, however, collagen levels deplete with age, starting around the age 25. And the quality of the collagen that your body makes decreases as well.
It’s important to help your body maintain healthy collagen levels because this protein is crucial for the health of your skin, nails, hair, bones, organ tissue, joints, and so much more. Additionally, some evidence is showing that it can even help with weight loss!
How can collagen help with weight loss?
Many of the ways collagen can help with weight loss has to do with how it indirectly affects your efforts. Think of it like drinking a glass of water before singing. The water isn’t magically helping you sing, but it’s hydrating our vocal chords – keeping the tool we use to sing functioning well in order to optimize performance.
Promotes fullness
If you’re looking to manage your weight, one of the most important things is to be mindful of your calorie intake. Anything that can help you either burn calories or take in less calories can be a great help when it comes to weight management.
Interestingly, collagen may be able to increase satiety. This is likely due to it being a protein. Research has shown that protein can help increase hormones that make you feel full while also decreasing hunger hormones. [1]
A study from 2009 found that gelatin, which is made from collagen, was 44% more effective at reducing hunger than other types of proteins. [2]
Additionally, a 2008 study found that increased protein intake can stimulate thermogenesis, a natural heat production process which burns energy, and thus more calories. [3]
While collagen isn’t the only protein your body needs, it certainly increases the amount of protein in the body and can help you with feelings of fullness, lowering the amount of food you need to be satisfied.
Increases muscle mass
Fun fact about muscles – because they’re so metabolically active, they burn calories at rest. This means that the more muscles you have, the more calories you’ll expend while “doing nothing”.
Collagen is the main structural protein that makes up your muscles. So, taking in more can help build muscle mass.
One study had participants with age-related muscle loss undergo a 12-week weight training program. Half of them included a collagen supplement in their regimen, while the other half took a placebo.
The group taking the collagen not only gained more muscle mass than the placebo group, they lost more weight. [4]
This suggests that collagen can help with weight loss by supporting the effects of weight training on muscle mass.
Reduces fat accumulation
Some studies have suggested that collagen may reduce the accumulation of fat cells.
A recent study from 2019 found that collagen reduced body fat in humans. [5]
A 2016 study done on rats found that collagen had an anti-obesity effect, improving fat metabolism and decreasing fat accumulation. The same thing was found again in 2018 on a similar study done on mice. [6, 7]
These findings show that just maintaining adequate levels of collagen can reduce weight gain from fat. Could this be why most people begin to struggle with weight management in their twenties? Because they’re losing their collagen?
Relieves joint pain
Without enough collagen in the body, over time the ligaments and connective tissue around the joints may wear down. This can make it uncomfortable to not just exercise, but move around at all.
Losing your mobility can quickly lead to weight gain, as your ability to burn calories becomes more difficult.
One study that involved athletes found that those who supplemented with collagen saw less pain in the knee joints following workouts. [8]
Maintaining healthy collagen levels can help prevent this from happening in the first place. But even if you’re having joint issues, collagen can help.
A study from 2015 found that collagen can help manage osteoarthritis, a condition that causes pain and discomfort after the connective tissue of the joint wears down. [9]
If your joints are preventing you from getting moving, collagen may be able to help!
Collagen for weight loss
The research suggests that collagen can not only help reduce weight gain, but make it easier for you and your body to do the things which allow you to easily manage your weight.
The studies outlined in this article were done using conventional collagen supplements. Unlike them, our sister company EverBella has Complete Collagen Plus — a delicious liquid supplement designed with bioavailability in mind using the same micelle liposomal formula you know and love with Purality Health. This means that much more of the collagen can get easily absorbed into your bloodstream and used by your body.
If they saw results with the collagen used in the above studies…
Just think how well a highly absorbable collagen would work.
If you think Complete Collagen Pluss may help you (or a loved one), EverBella wants to give you 180 days to try it out!
For more details – including ingredients, reviews, and info on their 180-day money-back guarantee – CLICK HERE!
