Defying age, staying energetic through collagen!

Raju Korti
In an era where Health -- and by a natural corollary, Beauty -- emerge as paramount prerequisites of human existence, the importance of collagen cannot be underscored enough. Billed as the next big thing, it is now ostensibly a life-giving elixir that can arrest ageing and refurbish your glow in all its unsullied guise and countenance.

Awareness about collagen, at least in India, is still in its infancy. It is now gathering steam gradually, thanks to those who are evincing interest in harnessing its benefits in the larger interests of mankind. It is not altogether surprising that the over-riding thought in the promotion of collagen as a versatile agent and its cost-effective character far supersedes its commercial considerations. Looked at it from that prism, the mankind will benefit much more from its perks than any other peripheral issue that surround it.

The kick of caffeine. Just add collagen!

For the uninitiated, collagen is a protein responsible for healthy joints and skin elasticity, or stretchiness. It naturally exists in one's bones, muscles and blood, making up for a whopping three-quarters of one's skin and an almost equal amount of protein in the body. It is thus the primary building block of the body skin, muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues. With advancing age, the existing collagen breaks down and eventually, it gets harder for the body to produce more -- as it happens with most of our physical faculties. The conventional wisdom until recently was once the tissue got damaged, there would be no repair and one just lived with that inevitable infirmity. It is here that collagen chips in in the form of capsules and liquids. The use of collagen as beautifying agent should not be restricted to its female constituency alone. We all know that beauty, as one understands the term in today's context, has similar implications for the males as well.  

True to the dictum that necessity is the mother of invention, the scientific research hitherto lacking in most collagen supplements is now being more than made up with a simple formula -- Just add collagen -- and it will act as your bodyguard and help active ageing, give you a radiance packaged in a new avatar.
In simple words, it is fortification with a capital F.

Collagen intake has been made simple enough to be a part of one's daily regimen and lifestyle. One can have in it one's soup, coffee, beverages or any other food without drilling a hole in your pocket. As a beauty agent, it has no peers -- a gleaming skin, thicker hair come with increased muscle mass, better sleep quality, healthy heart, efficient brain function, robust liver, improved gut health and proper weight management. The reason is not far to seek. A typical 15 gram collagen peptide powder has just 50 calories with protein 12 grams. Fat and carbohydrate and sugar content, the major culprits, are zero. 

Stressful lifestyles and work have been known to take a heavy toll at a relatively much younger age. A disconcerting statistics is about the young between the age of 30 and 40 succumbing to heart-related complications. Collagen is known to keep the arteries and blood vessels healthy and unclogged, reducing substantially the risk of a stroke or heart attack. A study has shown that collagen powder brought down the risk of atherosclerosis (build up of cholesterol on artery walls). A spate of studies, mostly in Japan and the United States are slowly revealing this gifted and resourceful facet of collagen.

In India, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) does not regulate collagen powder or any other type of dietary supplement. So there's no guarantee that your collagen supplement contains the quantity of collagen the label claims. If you buy from a reputed source/manufacturer, this risk is nil. Having said that, any new research is usually taken with a pinch of salt. Collagen is an important offshoot and byproduct of fish scales. Extracting collagen from marine product is both challenging and laborious but just imagine! A versatile and complaint product at the end of the day as a Mother of All Boosters going in with something as daily used as bread! Little wonder, collagen manufacturers are focusing on its use through your daily food intake. Much will depend on how the food-manufacturing giants associate with the cause. 

Another crucial element would be the benefit of collagen for sportspersons. Sports is no longer a recreation activity. It involves high stakes, both in terms of finances and recognition. High protein intake is germane to high energy and strength. Collagen can increase their longevity and serve their personal, national and international longer. Indeed, collagen powder has also been used by doctors to heal physical injuries faster. Clinical trials and studies are lending efficacy and credence to the remedial advantages of collagen. That regulatory government agencies like the Food Standard and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) are aware and approve wins half the battle.

The one challenge that collages faces in its otherwise in its superior favour is overcoming the red dots as against the green. While veganism gains ground, and probably rightly so, the way forward could be to view collagen as a health benefit rather than as an animal product extract. Once this perspective makes headway, the line between the red and green dots will be blurred, and for the overall good. Nutritionists, dietitians, chefs and stakeholders in the food and beauty industry will do well to ponder and labour over how to inculcate this thought so that the issue does not boil down to Vegetarian vs Non-vegetarian but predominantly about health concerns. The entire debate surrounding the issue can be fine-tuned and tweaked with a rationale that can justify collagen not merely by its origin but by its overall utility. Once that happens, all other demerits could pale into insignificance.

It must be said to the credit of the manufacturers that they are paying due attention to this aspect of creating awareness to begin with rather than just leveraging its commercial benefits. As the Chinese proverb goes, "Even a thousand mile journey begins with one step." Collagen can traverse this distance faster with that one catchy line: "Just add collagen"! From bread to coffee and a host of other food items, the choice is yours.