Is Collagen Good for Weight Loss?: Exploring the Facts
Is collagen good for weight loss? Collagen is well-known for its proven anti-aging properties for skin; however, the benefits of this vital, natural protein may go much further than that.
But how is collagen good for weight loss considering taking it adds calories to your body? Does collagen make you gain weight? On the face of it, that argument may appear logical, but as is often the case with our bodies, the answer is multi-layered and a little more complex.
Growing evidence suggests that collagen for weight loss merits investigation. So is collagen good for weight loss? Today we will take a look into the ways that collagen supplementation may improve your weight loss journey.
Before we dive into whether collagen is good for weight loss or not, let’s discuss what healthy weight loss looks like.
How to lose weight healthfully
Weight loss shouldn’t occur through starving yourself. Why? Because although weight loss may occur through a starvation diet, this weight loss will most likely be from lean muscle – rather than fat reserves.
This form of weight loss is unhealthy and will result in a general weakening of previously-functional parts of your body.
On top of that, this weight loss tends to be temporary, as your body wants to do everything it can to pack on pounds again after being starved.
The tried and tested answer to weight loss is a combination of healthy dietary choices and regular exercise.
It really is that simple. Any successful diet should motivate you into finding ways for your body to use up its fat reserves through a healthy diet and an exercise regime that you can stick to.
So how does collagen fit into the mix? Can collagen be considered one of the best supplements to help you lose weight? Let’s keep the concept of a healthy diet and exercise front and center in our minds as we tackle the question of whether collagen is good for weight loss.
Is collagen good for weight loss? 6 signs that it might be
Is collagen good for weight loss? At a glance, there’s a lot of potential collagen peptide benefits, but does protein help you lose weight?
The good news is that collagen may be able to help both a balanced diet and your exercise routine.
As with any area of science, it’s always worth going into the research and the reasons why some foods and supplements are good for us, and others have undesired consequences.
It’s best to consider our presentation here as a great launchpad for conversations with a nutritionist or medical health professional if you are looking for effective ways to lose weight.
As we are all individuals, our needs vary. Although general truths can be inferred from the data, everyone’s situation is different.
With that said, it’s time to share some interesting research into collagen’s ability to help us lose weight.
1. Collagen may help suppress hunger
Thermogenesis is the scientific name given to a natural bodily state. It’s a state where the body both feels full and also allows energy expenditure. Instead of storing calories, the body believes it has what it needs, and it’s happy to allocate nutritional reserves into energy expenditure.
It’s clear to see how being in the state of thermogenesis is very beneficial for people who want to lose weight.
The results of a 2008 study found that higher protein diets may stimulate muscle protein anabolism. This means that a healthy diet that favors protein leads to retaining lean muscle mass over putting on weight in fat reserves.
Further, healthy protein-rich diets may increase the presence of glucagon-like peptide-1 and cholecystokinin. These hormones help regulate how hungry we feel. Specifically, these hormones help us feel fuller, faster.
So is collagen good for weight loss? In simple terms, because collagen is a protein, our body doesn’t feel as hungry after consuming it compared to comparative quantities of fat or carbohydrates, so we’re inclined to eat less.
The above studies suggest that protein-rich diets are responsible for lowering how hungry we may feel after eating – so collagen is good for weight loss in the sense that it encourages us to eat less frequently.
However, considering that collagen is one of many proteins, is it preferable to take collagen over other proteins? A 2009 study suggests that it might be. The study demonstrated that collagen-rich gelatin helped to reduce hunger 44% more than casein, the protein found in milk.
2. Collagen may reduce fat accumulation
There is some evidence that collagen may reduce the development and accumulation of fat cells.
This research is of particular importance for people hoping to lose weight, as it would provide a direct link between collagen supplementation and weight loss. So is collagen good for weight loss in this way?
A 2019 study suggests potential benefits for weight loss by showing that collagen from skates reduces body fat in humans.
This study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, and it provides positive evidence that collagen is good for weight loss in concern to fat cells.
3. Collagen supplements can support a balanced diet
It’s important that any supplements you take complement a healthy diet.
Finding protein in supplements and finding protein through diet shouldn’t be considered as an either/or situation, but instead you should look to see what balance of dietary protein and supplementary protein you can get.
If you are already looking to lose weight through protein intake, then collagen is good for weight loss because it can reduce protein intake that is connected to trans fats.
If you look for protein in your diet from sources such as fatty meats like beef or bacon, then switching to a collagen supplement will provide the protein you’re looking for without the associated trans fats linked to weight gain.
Of course, not all dietary protein comes connected to unhealthy fats. Eggs and fish (depending on how they’re prepared) are great options for high-protein foods. Also, you can consider plant-based proteins such as chickpeas, lentils, or quinoa.
What’s important is that you create a diet that works for you, based on understanding the characteristics of the food and supplements that you’re taking. That is what will help you to lose weight.
4. Collagen may improve sleep
An additional, and perhaps surprising, reason to consider collagen for weight loss is its ability to help regulate our sleep patterns.
Collagen protein is charged up with the amino acid called glycine, which acts as a neurotransmitter that can help to calm the nervous system – which in turn, helps you to relax and fall asleep.
The calming effects of collagen supplements may help to promote a healthy sleep routine, which goes hand-in-hand with a healthy lifestyle that may support weight loss.
But is collagen good for weight loss because it provides healthy sleep patterns?
Potentially yes, especially if you are prone to overeating at night through boredom or insomnia. A healthy sleep pattern promotes a healthy eating pattern and is therefore another indirect way collagen is good for weight loss.
5. Collagen can boost an exercise routine
We’ve addressed the dietary side of weight loss through collagen supplementation. Now let’s turn our attention to the other side of the coin: exercise. Is collagen good for weight loss by promoting healthy exercise habits? There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that it is.
As we’ve already learned, protein plays a big role in building and maintaining muscles. Collagen protein is present in muscle growth, but importantly it also makes up the majority of the dry weight of our tendons and ligaments, as well as the cartilage in our joints.
As we age, our bodies ache more – especially in our joints. Therefore it’s more important than ever that our bodies have collagen reserves ready. This will help to replenish protein cells that are worn down by exercise or day-to-day physical demands.
It’s easy to see how this indirectly affects weight loss. If our bodies are not in a good condition to take on exercise – however intense or mild that may be – then we are more likely to turn away from it.
For example, if knee joint pain makes us think twice about going for a daily walk, we’re less likely to do it. And if we don’t take that walk, we won’t be burning as many calories as we could be, leading to overall weight gain.
So collagen is good for weight loss because it provides healthier joints, ligaments, and muscles to make exercise easier.
6. Collagen may aid injury recovery and arthritis symptoms
Getting some good, daily exercise is even harder if we’re suffering from the effects of arthritis or recovering from an injury.
Not only can collagen create the robust tendons and ligaments that are less likely to become injured in the first place, when an injury does take place, collagen is the building block that the body needs to put itself back together again.
Put simply, as long as your body has access to collagen protein, through diet or through supplementation, it will have the resources it needs to put itself back together again on schedule.
Injury can lead to long periods without proper exercise, which can lead to weight gain, so the last thing you want when recovering is for the body to be delayed in putting itself back together.
Collagen is good for weight loss because it can speed healing times and reduce joint pain, putting you back on the road to recovery much more swiftly.
The verdict: Is collagen good for weight loss?
Is collagen good for weight loss? After some research, the results appear very positive. Collagen supplements promote healthy lifestyle conditions that cause weight loss. They support eating healthily and keeping up with a regular exercise routine.
Additionally, further research may go on to conclude the direct results of collagen supplementation on weight loss through encouraging the body to store calories more effectively.
Collagen weight loss FAQs
Here are the answers to some FAQs about collagen for weight loss:
How much collagen should I take to lose weight?
A specific answer to this question depends on your circumstances, including biological considerations like your current weight, height, and gender.
A general answer would be to aim for between 25-35g of protein per day from a combination of diet and supplementation.
Taking a 15g pouch of liquid protein like ProT Gold sets you on your way to this goal in a quick, convenient way. Then the rest of your protein should come from healthy protein sources in your diet.
Does collagen boost metabolism?
Muscle burns more calories than fat does. As protein like collagen is used to support muscle maintenance, it may be able to boost your metabolism, helping you burn more calories even when sitting still. This is another indirect way that collagen is good for weight loss.
How long does it take for collagen supplements to work for weight loss?
How long does it take for collagen supplements to work? Generally speaking, most people should start to see the benefits of collagen supplements for weight loss in the second or third month of taking it daily.
Weight loss should be a gradual process for it to be healthy and sustainable, particularly if you plan to lose a lot of weight. What we have to take into consideration though is that the answer to this question in reality is very subjective.
Because collagen is supporting the conditions for weight loss, rather than the weight loss itself, the speed at which you will lose weight will depend on how well you keep up with a balanced diet and sustained, regular exercise.
Choosing the right collagen supplement for weight loss
There are many collagen supplements on the market, from powders to pills. But perhaps the most convenient supplement is liquid collagen for weight loss. This comes in individual sachets pre-measured in the ideal size for your daily dosage.
You don’t need to mix liquid collagen with anything, and the supplement is particularly effective when taken around exercise time, such as going for a walk, so having a single-serving pouch to throw in your gym bag or take to the park is extra convenient.
Of course, as long as your supplement is hydrolyzed, powdered collagen supplements work just as well, so the choice is entirely personal.
Hydrolyzed collagen is collagen where the molecules have been broken down to an easily-digestible size. This way, the collagen goes straight to work in the body.
If your supplement isn’t hydrolyzed your body won’t be able to digest it fully, and much of it will pass through your digestive tract and be wasted.
When looking for the best hydrolyzed collagen supplement for weight loss, it’s a good idea to go a step further and purchase a nano-hydrolyzed supplement, like ProT Gold. This has been proven to fully digest in just 15 minutes or less.
With a supplement like ProT Gold, you can fully make use of all the ways collagen is good for weight loss, and jump start your weight loss journey in a healthy and sustainable way.
