Collagen

Collagen

 

Collagen is the substance that holds the cells of your body together.  Next to water, collagen is the most important structural substance in our bodies.  Collagen makes up 75% of our skin, and 80% of our connective tissue!  Collagen is also the material used by the body to rebuild new cells, new skin, hair, nails, teeth, connective tissue, cartilage ligaments, joints, bones, arteries, blood vessels, immune cells, genetic material, retina, cornea, lens of the eye in crystalline forms, and all body mass.

Aging is the common lot of all humanity – not the result of any one single factor, but the cumulative result of a number of factors, including:  the aging of cells, diminished telomerase activity, protein degradation, free radical damages, excess sugar activity, excessive body weight, poor nutrition, stress, etc.  As we age, our body loses its ability to make collagen, thus, it starts to break down. The amount of collagen in the skin tends to decline with age, and this is why our skin sags and wrinkles.

Unfortunately, science reveals that at the age of 30 and up, the body loses collagen at the rate of 15% per annum.  When you are 40, your body has lost 15% of collagen production.  When you are 60, your body has reduced the collagen production about 45%.  In essence, your health and longevity can be measured by how much collagen your body is producing.

The discovery of collagen used as a food supplement is changing medical practice, and offers many exciting answers for many health concerns.  Anti-aging includes a number of preventative measures including exercise, use of daily anti-oxidants, eating a healthy and nutritious diet, etc. Collagen as a food supplement is used to repair and renew inside or outside the body, at the cellular or structural level; either by converting fat into healthy muscle, repairing inflammations or infections, or eliminating carcinogenic activity to restore health and longevity. 

Source: http://medicinepeople.net/collagen.aspx