Does it really work?

You bet it does!

I wanted to know more about collagen, but I needed to go back to biochemistry and review collagen production, where it's at, what it does, how you lose it as you age, and how to fix it.  It was a fascinating review and I'm happy to share this information with you now.  Keep reading.

 What is collagen?

Collagen is a very large animal protein usually sourced from beef, pork, chicken, or fish.  There is no plant-based collagen.  It makes up 30-35% of the protein found in the human body and it is the base of your connective tissue system.  There are 28 different types of collagen, all with different purposes and functions.

Where is collagen at?

Collagen is found in all connective tissues like the fascia, which is 70% collagen, bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, hair, nails, cartilage, organs, blood vessels, and intestinal lining.

What does collagen do?

Collagen provides structure, support, and strength to all your connective tissues, provides elasticity to your skin, and helps your blood to clot.

Where does collagen come from?

Collagen is produced by your cells.  Amino acids (proteins) come together in a specific sequence to form collagen.  It differs by how the amino acids are assembled, the cell components that are added, and where the collagen is used in the body.  Cells found within the different tissues, organs and connective tissue systems, determine the type of collagen being produced.  All collagen fibrils have at least one triple helix structure.  A helix is where three individual collagen strands come and twist together, making a spiral structure.  Different collagen types will come together to enhance the strength and functionality of the collagen being produced.

I'd like to give you a visual.  Look at this picture of a spider web.  This is similar to what the fascia looks like inside your body.  See how it is all connected, crisscrosses, and has to anchor to something?  Think of this spider web being inside a box and it has to anchor to the walls, top, and bottom of the box.  Your body requires different types of collagen to anchor it down.  This is called a basement membrane and you need collagen type 4 to achieve this.  Interesting right?

What happens as you age?

By the age of 25, your body starts producing less collagen.  By the age of 50, your collagen production has decreased by 50%.  This is when you start seeing signs of aging.  Wrinkled skin, hallowing in and around your eyes and face, shrinking, weakening muscles, muscle aches, stiffer, less flexible tendons and ligaments, joint pain or osteoarthritis due to worn cartilage, loss of mobility due to joint damage or stiffness, gastrointestinal problems due to thinning of the lining of your digestive tract.  Have you noticed any of these signs?  I sure have.

What are some factors that contribute to collagen loss?

1. Smoking decreases collagen production, damages collagen and elastin, and nicotine constricts blood vessels near your skin's surface, preventing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients.  
2. Sugar and refined carbohydrates attach to proteins to form advanced glycation end products which damage nearby proteins and cause collagen to become weak, dry, and brittle.
3. Exposure to ultraviolet light reduces collagen production and causes collagen to break down more rapidly, causing wrinkles.
4. Autoimmune diseases like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which is a connective tissue disorder where you lack the ability to make your own collagen.
5. Chronic inflammation increasing your production of the stress hormone cortisol to increase decreasing collagen synthesis and functionality.

How do you correct collagen loss?

As I pointed out above, stop smoking, reduce consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates, and reduce exposure to UV light.  Now let's talk about SMART supplementation.  Not all collagen supplements are created equal.  The vitamin and nutritional industry is notorious for producing poor quality products.  The reason is they are not regulated the same way as prescription drug companies.  All they have to do is make sure that what is on the label is what is inside the bottle.  Some standardization would be nice too, to make sure each dose is equal in the amount of active ingredients.  But the problem is, these supplements are not formulated to actually dissolve and be absorbed by the body.  Can you believe that?  These companies spend billions of dollars a year on marketing, convincing you that their product is actually good for you.  In truth...it's a waste of money.  I have an alternative for you, that I personally have been taking for almost 2 months now and have had AMAZING results, especially with the pain that I feel in my back and feet.  So let's dive into.

You can get collagen naturally in you diet by eating meat products.  But you need to remember that the collagen is in the connective tissue of the animal.  That means you have to eat the tendons and ligaments, that nasty, gristly part of the meat that isn't very palatable.  You can also make bone broth, by cooking the bones.  These are ok ways to get more collagen in your body, but the natural form of collagen is a very large protein that your body doesn't know how to digest very well.  Your body will try to cut it down into small sizes for easier digestion, but the problem is your body is not consistent and will cut the protein in random places, into segments that you may or may not be able to use.

Things to look for in a good collagen supplement.

Most types of collagen on the market only contain one or two types of collagens (predominately collagen type 1), known to support your skin, hair, and nails.  But, what about the 27 other types of collagen that your body needs? 

• Collagen should be in a tripeptide form, or hydrolyzed, for better absorption.  Hydrolyzed means that the collagen has been pre-cut into smaller segments for better absorption. 
• Collagen should be in the powder form for better absorption and stability.
  • Liquid collagen is in a water-based delivery system sterilized to eliminate harmful bacteria, but also eliminates active ingredients like vitamins, flavonoids, and polyphenols making it less stable.
    • The sterilized water also denatures all the other amino acids that come with the collagen.
    • Usually flavored with artificial flavors and sweeteners increasing your consumption of sugars. (Remember from above how sugar causes collagen loss?)
    • Needs to be refrigerated to extend stability.
  • Collagen supplements should contain multiple types of collagens to support your connective tissue system in all areas.  Here are some examples of the types of collagens and what they do:
    • Type 1 is found in skin, bone, tendons, ligaments, fascia and is 90% of the collagen found in the body.
    • Type 2 is found in cartilage and intervertebral discs.
    • Type 3 is a thinner collagen found in loose fascia and wound healing.
    • Type 4 is what makes the basement membrane that anchors the collagen to the structure within the extra-cellular matrix.  Without collagen type 4, there is nothing for the other collagen types to anchor to inside the structures.  (Remember the spider web picture above?)
    • Type 5 stabilizes type 1 and 2 within the triple helix.
    • Type 6 stabilizes muscle function and supports all membranes.

Now, I'm not going to go into all 28 types, but you get the idea.  

Now, I bet you're wondering what collagen supplement I recommend?  MetaPWR Advantage by doTERRA, and I'll explain why.

I'm pretty blown away by the science behind this product.  doTERRA, as a company, doesn't spend billions of dollars a year on marketing.  They spend all their money in the lab, researching and studying how to help the body heal from the inside out.  They do this through studying epigenetics. 

Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence.

Gene expression refers to how often or when proteins are created from the instructions within your genes. While genetic changes can alter which protein is made, epigenetic changes affect gene expression to turn genes “on” and “off.” Since your environment and behaviors, such as diet and exercise, can result in epigenetic changes, it is easy to see the connection between your genes and your behaviors and environment. ~CDC.

So what is so AMAZING about MetaPWR Advantage?

• 12 times more absorbable than other collagens on the market.  Most collagens supplements only contain 15-35% of actual tripeptide content in the product.  (So that 20 gm dose that you are getting is in actuality 3-7 gm).  MetaPWR Advantage contains 70% tripeptide fragments for superior absorption.
• Mixed in cool water immediately before ingestions.
• Marine (fish) sourced, if you have a fish allergy, ask me what you can use in it's place.
  • Type 1 - skin, hair, nails, bones, tendons, ligaments, fascia
  • Type 2 - bone, cartilage
  • Type 4 - basement memebrane
  • Type 5 - stabilizes types 1 and 2 within the helix
  • Type 6 - muscle function and all membranes
  • Type 9 - cartilage, growth plates, joints, stabilizes type 2
  • Type 25 - brain health and aging
  • Col1a2 protein - instructions for making type 1 collagen fibrillin
  • Vacuolar protein sorting 37A - enhances cell growth and differentiation
• MetaPWR Metabolic Blend
  • Curbs craving for carbs
  • Inhibits fat cell maturation (shrinking the size of your fat cells)
  • Support metabolic health
  • Essential oils (grapefruit, cinnamon bark, lemon, peppermint, ginger)
• Resveratrol
  • Increases NAD+ in the body
• Sea Buckthorn Fruit Extract
  • Polyphenol antioxidant
• Rose Apple Fruit extract
  • Antioxidant
• Phytoceramides
  • Promotes healthy cellular aging and skin firmness
• Liposomal Vitamin C
  • Antioxidant with immunity benefits and stimulates the biosynthesis of collagen
  •  More easily absorbed than ascorbic acid
  • Stimulates fibroblasts in your body to produce more collagen and stabilizes collagen fibrils in your body
• Biotin
  • Enhances metabolism of fats, carbs, and amino acids and supports hair, skin and nails
• Hyaluronic Acid
  • Enhances moisture in the skin and joints
  • Significantly reduces wrinkle depth
  • Enhances effects of collagen peptides
  • Increases skin hydration
• NADH
  • Increased NAD+ in the body
• NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide)
  • Increases NAD+ in the body
• Red-Orange Fruit extract
  • Polyphenol antioxidant

What is the importance of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)?

• Coenzyme needed to convert energy from food and protects your cellular energy factories (mitochondria).
• Stimulates the mitochondria to produce more energy to enhance the functionality of the cells.
  • Cell regeneration
  • Cell death
  • Collagen formation
  • ATP production
  • Homeostasis
  • Metabolism
• NAD+ decreases in production due to ultraviolet light, free radicals, smoking, poor diet, and age.

YES this one product contains ALL that in just one dose a day!

This product increases your energy on a cellular level, increases your metabolism, burns fat, curbs your cravings for carbs, AND increases your body's own collagen production!

 doTERRA is brilliant when it comes to the science and research that they do.  All of their supplements are formulated for absorption and how to heal the body from the inside out using epigenetics.  No other nutritional supplement company on the market does what doTERRA does. 

Would you like this AMAZING product? 

Would like you to have more energy?

Would you like to enhance your metabolism and lose some weight?

Would you like to stop the aging process and have healthier looking skin?

Would you like to hurt less and start moving better?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then click here to get started today.

doTERRA offers a FREE enrollment (savings of $35) with the MetaPWR kit.  You'll receive a wholesale membership with is 25% all products for life!  Every year on your anniversary, there is a $25 renewal fee, but you'll receive a FREE bottle of Peppermint essential oil to offset the cost.  It's so easy to get set I.  Just click on the link above.

If you already have a doTERRA account, just log in and place your order today!

SMART supplementation, when partnered with a healthy lifestyle, will bridge the gap between health span and lifespan.  This means that as you age, you will have less complications from chronic illnesses and diseases that prevent us from having quality of life that lasts to the last days of our life.

It's never too late to start.  Your future self will thank you.

Resources

1. Fascia guide
2. Biochemistry of collagens
3. com
4. The science behind NMN
5. Assessment of Bioavailability after In Vitro Digestion and First Pass Metabolism of Bioactive Peptides from Collagen Hydrolysates
6. Absorption and Urinary Excretion of Peptides after Collagen Tripeptide Ingestion in Humans
7.   . COLLAGEN STRUCTURE AND STABILITY 
8. Impact of Ionic Liquids on the Structure and Dynamics of Collagen
9. Additional MetaPWR resources
10. BONUS #1 FREE MetaPWR educational PowerPoint presentation
11. BONUS #2 Nicole's protocol FREE to you! (There is another bonus hidden inside.  Can you find it?)

 Nicole