Growing older is both a blessing and a curse. Aging brings us more priceless memories we’ll cherish for the rest of our life. But it also comes with its fair share of problems — aching joints, hair loss, unsightly wrinkles, and a slowing metabolism. 

But what if aging didn’t mean more pain, more wrinkles, more fat, and less hair? 

What if there was an antidote to these problems which can steal the joy from our beautiful lives? 

Well, I have some good news on that front: 

Collagen is the glue that helps you avoid and delay many of the common pitfalls of aging. And I mean that literally — collagen comes from the Greek word kulla, which means glue. 

Before we dive into why collagen might be your aging antidote, let’s first dive into what collagen is. 

What’s Collagen? 

Collagen is simply the most abundant protein in your body. It comprises about one-third of the proteins in your body. It’s the “glue” that holds your body together, giving it its structure, strength, flexibility, and beauty. 

Why? 

It’s one of the main components of your bones, muscles, joints, skin, cartilage, and connective tissues. In other words, it restores elasticity and reverses the aging process. 

But here’s the problem: 

Our collagen levels decline as soon as we enter our 20s. As our collagen levels decline, our skin loses its elasticity. This results in loose, sagging skin as well as the development of wrinkles. Since your body needs collagen to repair body tissues, this natural decline of collagen also results in more joint aches and pains and hair loss. It even causes digestive chaos because collagen helps repair your gut lining and heal leaky gut and IBS.

While we begin losing collagen as early as our 20s, the real problem happens once you hit 50: 

Your collagen levels plummet even more dramatically. 

The result? 

Low energy, weakness, chronic fatigue, aches and pains, stuff joints, low muscle tone, and visible signs of aging become more noticeable. 

But don’t worry! Just because your body doesn’t produce as much collagen as you age, doesn’t mean you’re destined for a pain- and wrinkle-filled life. In fact, supplementing with collagen might just be your secret weapon for looking 20 years younger than you are. 

Let’s dive into how collagen helps you retain your youthful beauty and exuberance: 

Collagen vs Wrinkles

Collagen (or lack thereof) is the #1 reason your skin isn’t as beautiful and smooth as it could be. Not only does it strengthen your skin, but it also increases its elasticity and hydration. 

These 3 factors smooth your skin like a Kardashian facelift. 

And check this out: 

One study which looked at 11 different collagen studies (mostly done on women) found that taking 3-10 grams of collagen a day for less than 3 months led to noticeable improvements in skin elasticity and hydration. 

Or how about a real life example from a Nourishing World customer? 

Here’s how collagen helps Judy fool other people into thinking she’s 20 years younger: 

“I’ve been using [Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen] for a year and I don’t have any wrinkles on my face or crepey skin on my neck like other women my age. I look 20 years younger than I am and I think the collagen has a lot to do with it! I take one scoop a day in my coffee. Everyone should be using this product.”

Collagen vs Joint Pain 

The only thing worse than noticing more wrinkles in your mirror is suffering from chronic aches and pains in your joints that make everything you once enjoyed miserable. 

An occasional ache isn’t the end of the world. But the constant, unrelenting aches many people experience are something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. 

Here’s how collagen may help reverse your joint pain: 

The reason why joint pain becomes more pronounced as you age is because collagen helps maintain the integrity of your cartilage. Your cartilage provides a buffer between your joints and the outside world. 

When this cartilage breaks down, inflammation seeps through, causing immense pain in your joints. 

But taking collagen can help this. In fact, researchers found that, when studying 500 people with osteoporosis, taking 10 grams of collagen daily for 24 weeks led to significant improvements in joint stiffness and self-reported joint pain. 

And we have a personal story from Susan, from our Nourishing World community, as well.  

“LOVE [Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen]. DIDN’T REALIZE HOW MUCH UNTIL I WENT A FEW MONTHS WITHOUT IT. MY JOINTS STARTED HURTING AGAIN AND I COULDN’T FIGURE OUT WHY UNTIL I REALIZED I HAD NOT BEEN PUTTING THE COLLAGEN IN MY COFFEE EVERY MORNING. ONE WEEK BACK ON IT AND THE PAIN HAS GONE AWAY! ALSO, NOURISHING WORLD IS A GREAT COMPANY TO BUY FROM.”

While we’re on the topic, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Perfect Type II Collagen capsules.

Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen has Type I and Type III Collagen. But if you want to get the most benefit for your cartilage, I also recommend Perfect Type II Collagen.

While I would never recommend taking Type II collagen instead of Type I and Type III (it’s only 3.2 grams vs 11 grams in a scoop), your cartilage will thank you if you for taking all three types of collagen 🙂

Collagen vs Hair & Nail Loss 

Another annoying part of aging is losing your luscious locks of hair and strong nails. 

But like your skin and joints, collagen (and its several amino acids) are a building block of both your hair and nails. One study found collagen increased nail growth by 12% and decreased broken nails by 42%. 

And since your hair is mostly protein and grows from your skin, many researchers think it can also help prevent hair loss. But there haven’t been enough studies to say one way or the other. 

We have a couple examples from our Nourishing World community too: 

“My hair fall has reduced significantly since taking this collagen and my skin is looking so much better too!” 

“The Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen made a difference in the quality of my skin, as well as my nails, which grow in much stronger now than they did before. I also have an extremely active job, so I feel taking this is an added step against potential joint damage. Thank you so much Nourishing World for helping out with such a nice product!!” 

What Else Can Collagen Do? 

We barely scratched the surface of what collagen can do for your body. 

Some other examples of how it restores your health and beauty include: 

• Better digestion and gut healing
• Less inflammation
• Deeper sleep
• Reduced appetite and a boosted metabolism (which is why it’s one of my favorite weight loss hacks) 
• Healthier cardiovascular system
• Improved muscle growth and repair
• Better brain function and nervous system health

And I’m sure more benefits of collagen will emerge over time. 

Ready to try Collagen?

By now, I’m sure you’re wondering: 

“What the heck does collagen have to do with being tasty and delicious?!”

And I’m glad you asked 🙂 

Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen is one of our best-selling (and most reordered) supplements. It’s tasteless, which makes it versatile and easy to add into any beverage — your morning cup of coffee, a mid-day smoothie, and even your favorite juice. 

Try unflavored Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen here. 

But we recently added two new flavors—chocolate and elderberry—which open a wormhole of new delicious possibilities. I’ve added the chocolate flavor to hot chocolate to give it a “shot” of youthfulness. And I made a delicious mocha by adding some to my morning cup of joe. 

Instructions:

Simply add the ingredients to your blender in the order they’re listed.

Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 C ice

1 C Whole fat, local milk (raw if you got it 😉

4 T Peanut Butter (no sugar added)

2 Scoops Perfect Chocolate Collagen*

½ Banana

*or use Perfect Unflavored Collagen plus cocoa powder and sweetener of choice

This recipe makes one large or two smaller smoothies.

Nutrition:

Protein – 44g/22g

Fat – 40g/20g

Carbs – 39g/19.5g

Fiber – 8g/4g

Calories – 660/330​​​​​​​ 

Instructions:

Simply add the ingredients to your blender in the order they’re listed.

Blend until nice and smooth. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 C Frozen Berries (we love strawberries)

½ C Whole milk, plain yogurt

½ C Water

2 Scoops Perfect Elderberry Collagen*

*or use Perfect Unflavored Collagen and your sweetener of choice

Nutrition:

Protein – 24g 

Fat – 4g

Carbs – 18g

Fiber – 3g

Calories – 215

And just like that, you have two new smoothie flavors to try (and with everything else mentioned in this article). Told you it’d be delicious! 

If you want to try the Chocolate or Elderberry Hydrolyzed Collagen, use the link below. 

Try flavored Perfect Hydrolyzed Collagen here.

(Note: Make sure you select which flavor you want on the top of the page before ordering.)