What are the different types of collagen?

Did you know that there are twenty or so different types of collagen? Of these, type 1 is the most common. That being said, every type has its own place and its own function within the human body.

A small recap. What is collagen exactly? Collagen is a structural protein. It is sometimes referred to as ‘the body’s glue’. And rightly so! This basic building block is found just about everywhere in the body. In your skin, your joints, your bones, your muscles and your tendons. In fact, an amazing 30% (!) of the total amount of proteins in your body consists of collagen. And that’s a great deal! What precisely does it do? Put simply, it holds everything together and keeps it supple.

↪ Read here everything you need to know about collagen

As we get older, our body makes less and less collagen. You start to notice that your skin is getting looser and that your joints are getting stiffer. And don’t let yourself get caught unawares, because this process starts from as early as 30 years of age. So make sure that you keep your collagen levels nicely topped up: that’s the message! Sadly (and in contrast to vitamins and minerals), it is not easy to get the collagen we need from food alone. We simply do not eat lots of skin, bones and joints!

Fortunately, there are lots of nutritional supplements with collagen

Fortunately, there are lots of nutritional supplements with collagen. But which types of collagen do these supplements contain? And where does that collagen go, once it is in the body?

The different types of collagen

Nowadays, there are more than twenty different known types of collagen. However, 90% of all collagen is made up from collagen type 1 and type 2. So let’s look a little more closely at these two types. Okay, the other types are important as well, but they occur much less frequently in our body.

Collagen type 1

Do you want firm skin? Would you like fewer wrinkles and perfect skin hydration? Have you had enough of brittle hair and nails? If so, a cure with type 1 collagen is exactly what you need. Type 1 collagen is the main protein in your skin, hair and nails. But you also find it in your joints, tendons, ligaments, teeth and bones.

Taking a nutritional supplement with type1 collagen is a good idea because:

• it reduces wrinkles and gives you glowing skin with a uniform tone;
• it improves the hydration, firmness and elasticity of your skin;
• it protects your skin against ultra-violet rays;
• it supports healthy and mobile joints;
• it enhances bone density, muscle power and muscle mass.

↪ View here all products for hair, skin and nails

What you need to watch out for when buying a supplement with type 1 collagen

Did you know that type 1 collagen is a large molecule? This means that the body finds it hard to absorb, unless it has already been processed in a particular way. Fortunately, there are solutions to get around this. It is possible to cut up the collagen molecule into smaller particles, which makes them more readily absorbable. This mass of small particles is known as a collagen hydrolysate. For this reason, it is important to choose a nutritional supplement that contains collagen in this deconstructed form. Your body is clever enough to put all these small particles back together, recreating the collagen in its original form and transporting it to wherever it is needed to improve your health.

The Physalis supplements all contain type 1 collagen hydrolysates. The collagen molecules are carefully ‘chopped up’ using a unique enzymatic process that focuses on creating an effect that encourages firm and radiant skin. And did you know that these hydrolysates are made from fish skin that would otherwise be thrown away? Clever and sustainable!

Making extra collagen yourself!

You can also stimulate your body to produce more natural collagen by making sure that you get enough vitamin C, because this vitamin plays an important role in the body’s manufacture of its own collagen supply.
Physalis offers a combined supplement that contains both collagen and vitamin C.

↪ Discover Physalis Collagen C here

Collagen type 2

Are you sometimes troubled by pain and stiffness in your joints? Taking a supplement with type 2 collagen can help to relieve this pain and slow down the other symptoms. Why? Because this is the kind of collagen that is found primarily in (joint) cartilage , where it functions as a structural protein to provide firmness and resilience.

At the same time, it also reduces the incidence of joint inflammation and helps to slow down cartilage degeneration, which benefits the shock-absorbing function of the cartilage in your joints.

↪ View here other supplements for bones and joints

What you need to watch out for when buying a supplement with type 2 collagen

In contrast to type 1 collagen, it is not necessary to buy a supplement with deconstructed type 2 collagen. In fact, type 2 collagen works better in its unprocessed, ‘native’ form. This is the form in which it occurs naturally in the body. Once again, it is a large molecule that is not easily absorbed, but it works in a different way from type 1 collagen, so that this is not a problem. In effect, it stimulates the body to make more of its own type 2 collagen. But that’s not all! It also reduces collagen degeneration, thereby helping to keep the body’s collagen supply topped up at the right level. For this reason, the dose that you need of native type 2 collagen is lower than for other forms (0.04 g per day versus 5 g per day for hydrolysed type 2 collagen).

The Physalis supplements all contain native type 2 collagen, which is obtained from the breastbones of chickens through an extraction process. This ensures that the active form is optimally preserved, so that optimum effectiveness can also be guaranteed.