If you’re looking to add a supplement to your daily routine to reach your optimal well-being, collagen peptides or protein powder may be the answer. Both offer benefits for wellness, and both are readily available. However, there are differences between the two that should be considered when deciding what is best for you.
What Are Collagen Peptides?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, making up about 30% of the body’s total protein. Collagen is the central building block of your body’s skin, muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments, and connective tissues. It’s also found in your body’s organs, blood vessels, and intestinal lining.
Collagen peptides are made by breaking down whole collagen proteins into smaller pieces. The human body cannot absorb collagen in its whole form, so it must be broken down into smaller peptides or amino acids. Oral collagen peptide supplements are sold in powder or pill form and contain two or three amino acids.
Collagen can be found in foods like pork skin, bone broth, and organ meats. If those sources do not appeal to you — and to many they do not — taking collagen peptides in supplement form is more appetizing and offers better absorption of the collagen by the body. The bioavailability of collagen peptides is what makes them an attractive supplement, as only a fraction of a whole collagen supplement could be used by the body.
Many people believe that because collagen peptides are proteins, they must be the same as protein powder. This isn’t the case.
How is Protein Powder Different from Collagen Peptides?
Although protein powder and collagen peptides seem to be interchangeable since both support health and wellness, they are different in almost every other aspect — the nutritional profile, the ingredients, and the reason behind incorporating them into a daily routine all vary.
Protein powder is a concentrated, powdered source of protein that can be used to supplement your diet, just like collagen peptides. There are many different types of protein powder on the market, including soy, hemp, pea, and probably the most popular, whey protein. This differs from collagen peptides because they are sourced solely from animal sources, whereas protein powder can be plant-based.
The main reasons someone may take protein powder differ from the reasons someone may take collagen peptides. Protein powder consumption revolves around exercise and muscle gain. Protein powders may help reduce recovery time after a workout so that you can get back to lifting weights sooner without soreness.
While taking collagen peptides may lead to building lean muscle, many other benefits of collagen peptides can not be gained through using protein powders.
Collagen Peptides… A Full Body Supplement
While both protein powder and collagen peptides may be beneficial to muscle gains, collagen peptides offer many other important benefits to your entire body.
Collagen peptide supplementation may include the following health benefits:
- Look & Feel of Skin: As we age, our body produces less collagen, affecting the elasticity of skin and leading to wrinkles or sagging skin. Several studies have shown that collagen peptides may help slow the aging process and reduce wrinkles and dryness.
- Joint Pain Relief: Aging also affects our joints as the amount of collagen decreases. Collagen peptide supplementation may not only improve joint function but may also stimulate collagen production by the tissues in your joints.
- Prevent Bone Loss: Bone mass decreases as we age because bones are made mostly of collagen. Collagen peptide supplementation may inhibit the breakdown of bones.
- Healthier Heart: The arteries that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body are given structure by collagen. If these arteries become less flexible and elastic because of a loss of collagen, a heart attack or stroke may be the result. Collagen peptide supplementation may help the arteries in the heart remain flexible lessening that risk.
- Strengthen Hair and Nails: Collagen may help the strength of your nails and may help your hair from breaking easily.
Collagen peptides may not only aid the body in making more lean muscle but also help maintain wellness in almost every area of the body. When compared with protein powder, collagen peptides give your body more advantages and bring you further on your way to optimal wellness.
Collagen Peptides and Protein Powder are Not the Same
Although both collagen peptides and protein powders are used as a means to reach improved well-being, collagen peptides do more for the body than protein powders. Collagen peptides are also bioavailable, which means your body can use them more easily than most protein powders. When considering your wellness, collagen peptides may be the best choice for overall optimal well-being.
Want to learn more about supplementation or how to reach your optimal wellness? Reach out to 10X Health today!
