Recently, we wrote about wrinkles and how we can try and keep them at bay for a while. We did talk about diet as an essential part of ensuring good skin health. Today, we will look at skin health from a scientific angle also. Collagen is a term most of us would have studied in school biology. And we promptly forgot! So, let’s talk about why collagen is good for seniors and more like let’s refresh and see what it is, how it helps us, and what we can do to ensure we get enough collagen.
What is Collagen?
It is a protein found abundantly in our skin, muscles, tendons, bones, teeth, ligaments, cartilage, blood vessels, and intestines. It is a family of proteins and makes up around 30% of our body. Our body has different types of collagen. Each type functions differently to help our body. For example, some provide structure and strength, whereas others provide elasticity to our skin. This protein is also referred to as the building block of our body, as healthy collagen is essential for bone, joint, and skin health.
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Collagen and Age
Collagen gets produced naturally in our bodies. However, once we cross 30 years, our body starts losing collagen. Neither can it produce good-quality collagen, like in the younger days. Some factors affecting collagen production are unhealthy diet, lifestyle, excess sun exposure, and genetics. Even lack of sleep and smoking can negatively impact collagen production. We see the bodily impact as wrinkles on the skin, muscle loss, and weakening joints leading to aches and pains. Since collagen is present in our intestines, you may also experience gastrointestinal issues. Thus, collagen loss is a concern for seniors, as it can cause many health issues like osteoarthritis. So, it is not just about wrinkles.
Collagen and Seniors
If the body isn’t producing collagen, there are two ways to combat it. One is to take supplements prescribed by the doctor. The other is to change diet habits to eat foods that help generate more collagen in the body. The diet option is better as it is natural. Whether artificial supplements or skin creams that advertise collagen repair, please ensure your doctor approves the same. They could contain harmful compounds that can cause other health issues or cause interactions with your regular medicines, etc.
Collagen is a must for seniors, as it positively impacts osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, a big issue for many in this age group. It is more so for post-menopausal women. Collagen helps maintain bone, muscle, and joint health to ensure flexibility, mobility, and pain-free movements. Good collagen production helps keep your skin supple and elastic and keeps the wrinkles at bay. Interestingly, you can sleep better if you have good collagen production in the body, and vice versa!
The Diet That Helps our Bodies Produce More Collagen
Here are some top foods that help produce more collagen in your body naturally.
Animal sources: Animal sources like meat, fish, oysters, eggs and dairy products contain excellent collagen-producing components. Tough cuts of meat and fish bones with connective tissue are natural collagen supplements. Beef, chicken, shellfish, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, etc., are foods to include in your daily diet. Animal bones are the best source of collagen. Hence, bone broth is said to be great for collagen production.
Vegetables: If you are a vegetarian, go for leafy green vegetables like spinach and lettuce. You could also eat capsicums as they are abundant in amino acids, antioxidants, Vitamin C, and other nutrients that boost collagen production. Another veggie to include in a collagen-aiding diet is broccoli, as it contains Vitamin C and some amounts of copper and zinc that help in collagen production.
Fruits: Include citrus fruits in your diet as they contain Vitamin C and amino acids that have a role to play in collagen production. Berries are a great diet inclusion to improve your collagen. Some other helpful foods are tomatoes, raisins, oranges, limes, lemons, grapes, bananas, guavas, pineapples, mangoes, etc.
Other foods: Legumes and beans, nuts and seeds like almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, whole grains like oats and brown rice, etc., help improve collagen production in our bodies. Much of this diet is what we consider a healthy Indian diet anyway. So, it is just a question of fine-tuning it a bit.
