How can marine collagen help my gut health?
July 05, 2018
Your gut is a magical place. Seriously.
The gut is critical for health and well-being, and is responsible for how we look and feel. If your gut health is in poor health, even the healthiest diet will not be providing you with optimal health as your body will be unable to obtain and absorb the nutrients your body requires.
Proper digestion, good bowel function, elimination of toxins, germ resistance, avoidance of food reactions, and our overall good health are all related to the integrity and health of our digestive system.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) which affects around 10-20% of the population is a functional gastrointestinal disorder generally presenting as abdominal pain and altered bowel habits.
Not so nice.
How can you support your gut naturally?
So what can you do to help aid your health gut, and lessen the effects of IBS? It's a bit science-y, so sit back, sip your Renew+ and read on, or scroll to the bottom of the page for a summary.
Marine Collagen supports gut health and IBS:
Collagen supports the regulation of stomach acid
Collagen has been found to help regulate the secretion of gastric juices by ensuring enough acid for proper digestion. Collagen proteins can also assist with preventing an excess of gastric juices, which can lead to heartburn, stomach ulcers, and other painful digestive problems caused from an overly acidic environment.
Collagen may help support stomach ulcers
Glycine and Proline, the two main amino acids in collagen peptides, can help support the stomach lining and help to prevent stress-induced ulcers through their positive impact on the central nervous system. Glycine is thought to keep stomach ulcers at bay, due to its ability to prevent harmful gastric secretions in the stomach lining.
Collagen may help support healing of the stomach and intestinal lining
Research has identified collagen production (the body making collagen) as an important part of repairing and healing the intestinal lining. When there is damage or inflammation to the intestinal lining, new smooth muscle cells are made to heal the stomach lining and the intestinal wall. Researchers have found that collagen production in the intestine is greatest when smooth muscle cells are being generated during healing. Thus, collagen could support healing the intestinal wall.
Collagen supports digestion
Another collagen and gut health benefit is that collagen supports digestion. Because collagen is a hydrophilic molecule (meaning it luurves water), it has an attraction to water and acidic molecules, which aids the digestive process. Ingested collagen surrounds itself with water and stomach acid as it moves through the gut (or GI tract, to be precise!), which assists the breakdown of other proteins and carbohydrates in the intestines. Additionally, by holding water in the intestine, collagen helps move food through the gut more smoothly.
Collagen supports leaky gut and IBS
Glutamine, one of the amino acids in collagen, has been identified as the key amino acid for preventing inflammation of the gut wall and healing leaky gut syndrome. It has been linked to reducing inflammation and oxidative stress (essentially an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects) which can cause tiny openings in the connective tissue of the intestinal lining. Studies have found decreased collagen levels in individuals with digestive imbalances. Supplementation with collagen peptides could be key to providing relief for digestive diseases.
Too many words? Here's a quick summary
- Collagen supports the regulation of stomach acid secretion, helping to prevent heartburn, stomach ulcers and other digestive conditions caused by an overly acidic environment
- Collagen (such as the Jeuneora range) contains two amino acids, glycine and proline, that could help support healing in the stomach lining
- Collagen supports digestion by holding water in the intestine, helping move food through the GI tract more smoothly
- Collagen could support healing the intestinal wall
If you are one of the many people experiencing digestive problems, whether due to stress, lifestyle, or dietary issues, we hope you have found this article helpful!
To check out the range of Jeuneora products, packed with clinically studied, functional and sustainable ingredients, visit our shop here.
Sources:
- https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/180389-overview
- https://www.nutrisearch.co.nz/health-protocols/gut-health/
- Tariq, M. Studies on the Antisecretory, Gastric Anti-ulcer and Cytoprotective Properties of Glycine.National Center for Biotechnology Information<. U.S. National Library of Medicine, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9344231
- Graham, MF. Collagen Synthesis by Human Intestinal Smooth Muscle Cells in Culture. National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3792777
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673603124890
