A FOCUS on Collagen - She Runs Eats Performs

Episode 117

full
Published on:

20th Oct 2022

A FOCUS on Collagen

A FOCUS ON COLLAGEN

We are talking about Collagen today. Collagen comes from the Greek word kala spelt with a K, which means glue, and collagens strong fibres, tend to work like glue to hold things together in the body. So, holding muscle, bone tendon, ligaments, organs under skin all together!  Collagen is a popular supplement for promoting skin and connective tissue health, today we are:

·      Explaining why we’ve chosen to talk about COLLAGEN today and why it’s potentially supportive for a runner

·      Discussing what is COLLAGEN and what nutrients are required for collagen synthesis

·      Giving our insights into using Collagen as a supplement to support endurance running 

SHOW NOTES

(05:32)

What collagen is, why it is so important and what role it plays in the body – important for everyones health but especially for endurance runners to consider.

(12:06)

What contributes to a depletion in collagen status:

·      General ageing from our 20’s onwards

·      Menopause

·      High sugar diet

·      Smoking

·      Sunlight

 

(17:37)

The nutrients required by the body to make collagen and how you may optimize your food plan to include these vital nutritional building blocks.

 (19:03)

Our thoughts on whether diet alone can help with nutrient status for collagen production.

 (20:33)

Our suggestions on how you may optimize your food plan to include amino acids, glycine and proline alongside Vitamin C, Zinc and Copper plus tips on making or buying a bone broth. Our favourite bonth broths are from:

 

MINDFUL CHEF

COOME FARM ORGANIC

TAKE STOCK FOODS

PIPERS FARM

(23:02)

What may a vegetarian or vegan add to their food plan to optimise collagen production.

(25:52)

Aileen’s favourite Marine Collagen supplement – Your Zooki Collagen and a vegan alternative Feel Pro Collagen check end of show notes for discount codes.

31:56)

Reading supplement collagen labels and understanding about what you may be buying. 

(34:46)

A relatively new development in collagen supplement are Specific Collagen Peptides – what are they and how do they work

 (37:53)

 A quick review of:

Improvement of activity-related knee joint discomfort following supplementation of specific collagen peptides

The study on young, physically active individuals demonstrated that the daily intake of 5 g of collagen peptides led to a statistically significant reduction in activity-related knee joint pain after a 12-week treatment compared with placebo.

The improvement on joint discomfort was also accompanied by a statistically significantly reduced need for additional therapies such as physiotherapy or ice packs.

Overall, the study confirmed the efficacy of collagen peptide intake on activity-related knee joint discomfort making it a potentially interesting option for the treatment of joint pain induced by physical stress.

(40:51)

A quick review of:

Specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides in Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: Long-Term Observation in Postmenopausal Women

Initially 131 women had taken part in a study looking at the effects of specific collagen peptides on bone mineral density (BMD) in subjects with osteoporosis or osteopenia. Collagen peptides are thought to improve calcium retention and directly influence bone metabolism by releasing growth hormones and regulating the osteoblast function.

The purpose of this follow-up was to determine the longer-term effects of the same specific bioactive collagen peptides after a total intervention time of 4 years. The follow up involved 13 women. In the follow-up, a daily intake of 5 g of specific collagen peptides showed a progressive increase in BMD, indicating an increased anabolic bone metabolism in postmenopausal women after a total of 4 years

(44:03)

Key Take Aways

 

1.    Type 1 Collagen makes up 70-80% of ligaments, tendons, joints and muscles and 90% of bones, skin and hair.

2.    Collagen is made naturally by the body – its key building blocks are amino acids- Glycine, Proline and one other available amino acid plus Vitamin C, Copper and Zinc – so it’s key to  optimise your food plan to include these vital nutrients.

3.    Collagen is important for the health of connective tissue, bones and gut health.

4.    As we age there is a natural decline in our ability to produce collagen and during the menopause transition, we may lose collagen alongside bone loss.

5.    Also, a high sugar diet, smoking and excessive sunlight may contribute to a lower collagen status.

6.    Read supplement labels and websites to check you are getting the best source of collagen.

7.    Specific bioactive collagen peptides are the newest collagen supplements which are designed to target specific parts of the body. WATCH this space we’ll share more in future episodes.

8.    Use our special discount code RUNNERSHEALTHHUB20 when purchasing Your Zooki Collagen or if you prefer a vegan alternative Feel Pro Collagen use code Partner20 at WeAreFeel for 20% off your first months subscription.

 

Related Topics:

Bone Health For Runners Part 1

Bone Health For Runners Part 2

Nutrition for Soft Tissue Injury

Disclaimer:

The suggestions we make during this episode are for guidance and

advice only, and are not a substitute for medical advice or treatment.

If you have any concerns regarding your health, please contact

your healthcare professional for advice as soon as possible.

Aileen Smith and Karen Campbell host RUNNERS HEALTH HUB. A place for like-minded female runners who are looking for simple ways to support running performance, energy, endurance, and general great health.

if this is your first time your show and you’d like to know more about us and She Runs Eats Performs please check out our TRAILER.

If you're ready to make learn more about how you may introduce easy nutrition into your running and training plan join our Easy Nutrition For Healthy Runners Online Programme for short videos, recipes, downloads and LIVE training and Q&A.

As a THANK YOU to you as one of our valued listeners, we have a special offer for you use COUPON CODE POD to get 33% discount off the full price which brings the price to £199.

If you’d like help from Karen and Aileen to design a personalised sports nutrition plan for your running - please contact us at hello@runnershealthhub.com

Happy Running!

Aileen and Karen

www.runnershealthhub.com 

 

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About the Podcast

She Runs Eats Performs
for mid-life female runners of all abilities
Are you confused about the science around nutrition for runners? Listen in to learn about the WHY, HOW, WHAT, and WHEN of eating to fuel your running performance.

We are here to help you translate sports nutritional science, into easy to apply tips and plans, helping you enjoy peak running performance. We focus on the FEMALE FACTORS every mid-life woman needs to know to be a healthy runner.

About your host

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Aileen Smith

Aileen Smith is a UK based Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, host at She Runs Eats Performs podcast, author of EAT TO RUN: Fast Meal Planning and Easy Fuelling for Busy Women (due to publish September 2024).

Aileen discovered the joy and the challenges of being a mid-life recreational runner in her late 40’s.

She helps busy women who want to swap magic bullet advice for real food so they can be in great shape, have high energy (for everything in life), enjoy their running and be injury-free.