Is Collagen or Calcium Better for Bones?

A strong and healthy skeleton is no doubt vital for humans throughout every stage of life. We often hear about the importance of calcium for maintaining healthy bones, but did you know that collagen is just as vital? This begs the question: Is collagen or calcium better for bones?

Whether you’re looking for better health or just curious about collagen vs calcium, keep reading to find out which of these key nutrients is best for your skeleton!

Should I Take Collagen?

Collagen is a popular supplement, and a good choice if you are looking to support healthy skin, hair, and joint health. It’s an important component of the body’s connective tissues that help provide structure, firmness, and elasticity in bones, muscles, cartilage, and skin.

Although collagen synthesis is a natural process in our body, as we age, collagen production declines. Should you take collagen? Are you noticing the early signs of collagen decline? This would include such signs as fine lines, wrinkles, dry skin, joint stiffness, or pain.

If you’ve noticed any of these early signs of aging, your collagen levels are most likely not adequate enough. Without replenishing these levels by increasing your collagen intake, you may be negatively impacting your bone health, your digestive and heart health, and more.

Collagen supplementation full of collagen peptides would be quite beneficial to your health.

Collagen Highlights

Collagen supplements offer many incredible health benefits. One of the biggest highlights of taking collagen supplements is improved skin health.

Aging can cause wrinkles and skin damage, but taking collagen can help to reduce or even eliminate those effects.

Increased collagen levels can help firm up sagging skin and give it a more youthful look. Additionally, collagen peptides and their amino acids are wonderful for joint health and pain relief.

They help to lubricate joints by rebuilding cartilage, which leads to improved mobility and flexibility.

Collagen also provides energy, aiding in appetite and metabolism regulation. When taken routinely as part of a healthy lifestyle, collagen supplements can be one of the most effective strategies for long-term overall wellness.

How Does Collagen Give Strength to Bone?

When you think of bones, you might think of something hard and sturdy. But did you know that much of that strength comes from the collagen in the bones?

Collagen is a special protein that helps give bones strength, elasticity, and flexibility. With enough collagen in your bones, you can have strong, healthy joints that can support your everyday activities.

Collagen ties together calcium and other substances to form strong, stable alignments that offer us protection from bone fractures and other serious impairments, and even aid in bone remodeling and bone metabolism.

Collagen’s primary role in the skeletal system is to act as both a medium for calcium absorption and a supportive framework for mineralization. Our bone density depends on collagen!

Thanks to collagen’s strength-giving properties, our bones can stay strong and resilient as we grow older. Without adequate collagen, we suffer bone loss as we age. This alone should make a dietary supplement such as collagen supplementation a priority!

How Can We Maintain Healthy Collagen?

Taking care of our bodies is crucial for many reasons, and one often overlooked aspect is collagen health.

So, how can we maintain healthy collagen levels? It starts with eating a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, as well as collagen-rich protein sources like bone broth, beef, chicken, fish, eggs, or plant-based proteins.

Avoiding excessive sugar intake is essential, as sugar molecules can attach to collagen fibers and damage them over time.

Regularly engaging in exercise will help maintain collagen levels too. Just be sure to avoid overstressing your body!

Taking collagen supplements or specifically designed supplements to promote collagen production, such as vitamins A and C plus omega-3 fatty acids, can also play an important role in keeping your collagen healthy.

Additionally, taking vitamin D supplements or getting enough protected sun exposure helps the body absorb the collagen proteins it needs from food. 

Believe it or not, lifestyle can be a factor. Taking steps to reduce burnout or stress (especially if it’s chronic) and getting adequate rest will go a long way in protecting your collagen health.

Calcium For Better Bones

Good calcium intake is also necessary to ensure your bones stay healthy, strong, and resistant to potential breaks.

Ensuring that you’re getting the recommended amount of calcium daily can help maintain bone strength with advancing age and make them more resilient to stress fractures during physical activity.

Bone turnover is an important process for optimal health. It’s the natural cycle of breaking down and reforming bones, which helps build new tissue and maintain state-of-the-art bone integrity. Having enough calcium is key to promoting healthy bone turnover.

There are many supplements available that offer an abundant source of dietary calcium. Not only will taking care of your bones now prevent many medical complications down the line but it also has a huge range of immediate benefits such as better posture and muscle function.

With the right calcium consumption, you can make sure not just your bones stay healthy, but your entire body too!

Can You Take Collagen and Calcium Supplements Together?

With the increasingly growing popularity of collagen and calcium supplements, many people may find themselves wondering if they can take these supplements together. The answer is yes!

Collagen supplements are rich in amino acids that support skin health, joint health, and digestion. Calcium is one of the main mineral components of bones, so it’s equally important for joint and skeletal health.

Combining collagen and calcium supplementation offers an effortless way to boost nutrient intake to help ensure your overall well-being.

Taken together, collagen and calcium provide an added benefit to protect your bone cells from becoming weak or brittle, ensuring good bone mineral density. These two nutrients work synergistically to deliver optimal results for your body so don’t hesitate to make taking both a regular part of your daily routine.

How to Increase Your Calcium Intake

Increasing your calcium intake is one of the best ways to ensure your bones and teeth are strong and healthy.

It can be easy to think that dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt are the only way to get the calcium you need, but that’s not the case!

You can find calcium in nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts, seeds like sesame and chia, legumes including white beans and chickpeas, leafy greens like kale or spinach, and even oranges. Don’t care for milk or can’t tolerate it? Try adding almond milk to your diet.

Eating a variety of these delicious items can help ensure you’re getting enough calcium in your diet.

Not confident that your daily calcium intake is adequate? Adding a calcium supplement is an easy and convenient option for providing an extra boost.

Quality supplements don’t have added ingredients like sugar, so you don’t have to worry about compromising your diet. 

Do Calcium Supplements Work?

Studies have found that adding calcium supplements to your wellness regime can reduce the risk of bone fractures and hip fractures in people aged 50+.

Keep in mind that not all supplements are created equally. Do your research and ensure you’re getting a quality supplement that’s free of fillers.

It’s also very important that you’re getting enough vitamin D to ensure absorption of the calcium being taken in.

There are many studies that show increased bone strength in people who take calcium supplements, highlighting their effectiveness in providing extra nutrition for your bones.

If you’re considering a calcium supplement, why not discuss with your doctor about having a bone mineral density test to determine your bone health? With those results, your doctor can recommend the type of supplement and dosage right for you.

With the right lifestyle choices and supplementation, you can better ensure strong and healthy bones for years to come!

Women, Men, and Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis impacts both men and women. Osteoporosis affects more than 200 million people worldwide, with women far more likely to suffer from its symptoms.

This is especially true for postmenopausal women who are already dealing with declining levels of estrogen.

While men are less likely to be diagnosed with osteoporosis, they often still experience its effects, particularly after age 70. 

Osteoporosis is an inflammatory condition that weakens bones and impacts bone density, making them more susceptible to bone fractures and breaks.

Osteoporosis Prevention

Both men and women can take action to reduce their risk of developing osteoporosis.

Eating a diet rich in both calcium and collagen, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding smoking, getting regular physical activity, reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption, and talking with your healthcare provider about finding the right daily dose of vitamins, especially vitamin D are all key parts of prevention or management for this condition.

Talk to your healthcare provider about your specific risk factors for developing osteoporosis and develop an appropriate plan to keep your body strong throughout life!

The Bottom Line: Is Collagen Or Calcium Better For Bones?

So to answer the question: “Is collagen or calcium better for bones?” your skeleton needs both! Bone turnover and the health of our bones are dependent on both collagen and calcium. 

If you’re looking to have your best health as you age, you’ll enjoy all the health tips and resources found on our Health and Nutrition BLOG.

For quality supplements that will give you the best results for your health goals, head on over to our product page. 

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