What is Collagen? & Why it's so Important?

Did you know there’s a glue that holds your body together?

No, it’s not almond butter. It’s collagen.

Without collagen, your skin would be dry and thin, your nails would be brittle, your muscles couldn’t grow, and your bones would be extremely fragile.

You may have heard that collagen can be good for your skin, but there’s a secret the beauty industry doesn’t want you to know: collagen does nothing for your skin, hair, or nails when it’s applied topically.

In fact, the molecule is too big to be absorbed by the skin. Collagen has to be consumed to reap all of its (many) benefits.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body and it helps give shape, strength, and integrity to many tissues, including your skin, muscles, bones, tendons, brain, and heart.

What is Collagen?

Collagen comes from the Greek word “kólla“, meaning “glue” and the French -gène, meaning “something that produces”. In other words, collagen is a “glue-producing” protein.

It’s necessary to form and heal virtually every tissue in your body. That’s why it’s the most abundant protein you have — 30% of the total protein in your body is collagen.

Collagen is concentrated in one important structure: the extracellular matrix or ECM. The ECM is the layer that supports the cells in every single tissue of your body.

You can think of the ECM like a net that holds all your cells together and supports their function.

By dry weight, collagen makes up: