The importance of collagen during and after the menopausal transition

Collagen is a family of structural proteins. It is found in your skin, bones, tendons, muscles, cartilage, hair, nails, teeth, intestinal lining, blood vessels, and even the cornea of your eye!

Collagen is derived from the Greek word “kolla” which means “glue”. Collagen is the glue that holds your body together. Without it, you start to fall apart.

There is a direct link between the loss of estrogen with menopause and the reduction of collagen formation, It may even reduce by as much as 30% within a few years post-menopause.

Signs your collagen levels are reducing include:

• sarcopenia (muscle reduction and increase of fat cells) 
• being more prone to injuries
• bone loss
• joint issues such as osteoarthritis
• skin sagging and wrinkling
• excessive hair fall
• nail breakage
• dental issues
• formation of cellulite
• blood sugar irregularities and diabetes

Benefits of improving your collagen formation may include:

• improves lean muscle mass and strength
• improves body composition and fat reduction
• along with weight-bearing exercise, it can improve bone integrity
• improves insulin resistance
• improves arterial health
• improves the quality of hair, skin, and nails
• better dental health

You can encourage your body to continue producing collagen by making sure you have plenty of amino acid building blocks. Consuming plenty of bone broth is one dietary way to increase your collagen levels.

Collagen production needs anti-oxidant co-factors. The most important being Vitamin C.

As an insurance policy, that you are getting enough collagen every day, you may choose to supplement with collagen peptides.

Other ways to stimulate collagen production include laser resurfacing, micro-needling and radiofrequency treatment.