Thread by @siimland

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, making up around 30% of your total body protein

Making up your hair, nails, skin, bones, ligaments, blood vessels, other organs - It's the glue that holds you together

Here's a thread about what you need to make collagen⬇️

In fact, up to 70% of your skin is made of collagen

Unfortunately, Starting at the age of 20, you lose ~10% of your skin’s collagen content every decade

There are at least 29 different types of collagen in the human body

But they are all composed of a repeating triple amino acid chain that's made of at least 50% of 3 amino acids - glycine, hydroxyproline, and proline - creating the triple helix that makes collagen so strong

The 5 most common types of collagen:
- Type I: skin, tendons, vasculature, organs, bones
- Type II: cartilage
- Type III: skin, large blood vessels, uterus, intestines
- Type IV: capillaries, kidney, eye lens, skin, liver
- Type V: cell surfaces, hair, placenta

Type I, II, and III are the most abundant, making up around 80-90% of the total collagen in our body

So why do we lose so much collagen as we age?

One of the main reasons is that we don’t get enough glycine.

Check out my other thread about why we don't make enough glycine and how much you actually need

https://x.com/siimland/status/1679798496746954753

Your body can make its own collagen, but it needs the building blocks (mainly glycine, hydroxyproline, and proline) to do so.

Consuming collagen peptides leads to the absorption of many of these peptides intact, which can directly stimulate collagen synthesis

There are many human trials showing that collagen peptides improve skin health and reverse signs of skin aging

PMID: 35223163
PMID: 31627309
PMID: 37432180
PMID: 32799362

A 2021 randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study on women between 45 and 60 years of age, saw that collagen peptide supplementation for 12 weeks led to a 35% reduction in wrinkle score (PMID: 32799362)

And a 2023 meta-analysis of 26 randomized controlled trials showed that hydrolyzed collagen peptide supplementation significantly improved skin hydration and elasticity (PMID: 37432180)

Taking collagen peptides is the easiest way to increase collagen synthesis and ensure your daily requirement for the necessary amino acids

But there are other nutrients your body needs to effectively trigger collagen synthesis

Vitamin C stimulates mRNA in cells to initiate collagen synthesis - vitamin C is an essential nutrient for forming collagen out of procollagen

A deficiency in vitamin C results in inadequate collagen synthesis and scurvy (hence bleeding gums)

Procollagen gets formed when hydroxyl groups get added to proline and lysine (hydroxylation), which requires vitamin C

Hydroxylation requires iron because vitamin C has to reduce the inactive form of iron (Fe3+) into its active form (Fe2+)

Thus you need iron as well

Copper is a mineral that moves iron around the body and improves iron absorption

Furthermore, copper is required for cross-linking the collagen triple helixes through the copper-dependent enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX), which makes collagen as strong as it is

Without copper or vitamin C, collagen wouldn't have its most characteristic qualities that make it stronger than steel - being wound up together super tightly and incredibly crosslinked

But I'm not done yet

Sodium is what allows us to absorb vitamin C and drives vitamin C into virtually all tissues in the body, including the skin, bone, brain, adrenal glands, etc. via the SVCT transporters (sodium-dependent vitamin C transporters)

Thus, low sodium reduces collagen synthesis

Overview of what you need for collagen synthesis:
1. Glycine, hydroxyproline, proline (gelatin, tendons, skins, etc)
2. Vitamin C (fruit, vegetables, berries)
3. Sodium (salt, mineral water)
4. Copper (liver)
5. Iron (meat)
6. Vitamin A for moving copper around the body (liver)

The requirement for collagen synthesis varies between individuals and depends on multiple factors:
1. Metabolic burn-through of glycine and vitamin C
2. Malabsorption issues
3. Stress, inflammation
4. Blood sugar levels
5. Other lifestyle factors

To learn more about the forgotten role of glycine and collagen in optimal health and longevity, then check out my book with @drjamesdinic called The Collagen Cure

amzn.to/3LABZgp