Collagen is a type of protein found in animals and mammals. There are many types of collagen in the body, but they all supply structural strength, support and elasticity to the body’s tissues. Found in bones, tendons, muscles and blood vessels, collagen also helps to support the firmness of the skin. As you age, your body produces less collagen. However, certain foods help in the production of the protein and may help increase the collagen levels in your body.
Soy-Based Foods
A 2004 study published in “The Journal of the American College of Nutrition” found that soy may help to increase the production of collagen. In the study, hairless female mice were given a soy isoflavone extract and then subjected to four weeks of UV light exposure. The skin of the mice that received the soy extract had an increase in collagen and less damage or wrinkles than the control group. There are a number of soy-based foods available such as soy milks, cheeses, yogurts and meat alternatives.
Vitamin C Rich Foods
American biochemist Roger J. Williams wrote in his book “Nutrition Against Disease: Environmental Prevention” that Vitamin C was an important element in the production of collagen in the body. Biochemist Linus Pauling corroborated and further expanded the findings to state the vitamin was essential to every step of the production of collagen. Consuming fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C, such as apricots, raspberries, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach and oranges, will supply your body with the essential building blocks to continue to produce collagen.
Sulfur-Rich Foods
Sulfur is an element that plays an important role in the production of proteins in the body. In addition to helping maintain skin, hair and nails, aiding in brain and insulin functions, sulfur is a necessary component in the amino acids involved in the synthesis of the collagen protein. Adding sulfur-rich foods to your diet can help your body to receive more of the element needed in the protein’s creation. Foods such as eggs, onions, fish, meat and cabbage are among many that contain sulfur.
Avocado Oil
In 2006, researchers attempted to find the effects that avocado/soybean unsaponifiables, or ASU, had on repairing cartilage damage caused by osteoarthritis. The study, published in the "Journal of Rheumatology" found that ASU “significantly increased type II collagen.” (Ref #6) This also helped to substantiate a 1991 study published in "Connective Tissue Research" in which feeding avocado oil extracts to rats “showed significant increases in soluble collagen content in skin.” Replacing olive or vegetable oil with avocado oil may help to increase the collagen production in your body.
References
- PubMed Health: Collagen: The Fibrous Proteins of the Matrix
- “The Journal of the American College of Nutrition”; Protective Effects of Dietary Soy Isoflavones Against UV-Induced Skin-Aging in Hairless Mouse Model; S.Y. Kim, et al.; April 2004
- World Initiative for Soy in Human Health: Soy-Based Foods
- Vitamin C Foundation: Roger J. Williams and Linus Pauling on Vitamin C and Collagen
- Healthy.net; Sulfur; Elson M. Haas
- "Journal of Rheumatology"; Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables Prevent the Inhibitory Effect of Osteoarthritic Subchondral Osteoblasts on Aggrecan and Type II Collagen Synthesis by Chondrocytes; Y.E. Henrotin, et al.; August 2006
- "Connective Tissue Research"; The Effect of Various Avocado Oils on Skin Collagen Metabolism; M.J. Werman, et al.; 1991
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