Your diet is linked to more than your overall well-being, especially since what you eat can also influence your skin health. Aside from being full of vitamins and minerals, a diet that contains fresh fruits and vegetables gives your body access to antioxidants that can help boost skin health and protect your skin from sun damage, as previously noted. Here Kerri-Ann Jennings, MS, RD, HealthLine.com, reflects on a thorough overview collagen:

“Collagen is the most plentiful protein in the body.

It has important roles, including providing structure to your skin and helping your blood clot.

In recent years, it has gained popularity as a nutritional supplement and ingredient in shampoos and body lotions.

But what is collagen? And what is it good for? This article gives you a thorough overview of this important protein.

What Is Collagen?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, accounting for about a third of its protein composition.

It's one of the major building blocks of bones, skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Collagen is also found in many other body parts, including blood vessels, corneas and teeth.

You can think of it as the “glue” that holds all these things together. In fact, the word comes from the Greek word “kólla,” which means glue.

What Does It Do in Your Body?

There are at least 16 types of collagen. The four main types are type I, II, III and IV (1Trusted Source).

Here's a closer look at the four main types of collagen and their role in your body:

• Type I: This type accounts for 90% of your body's collagen and is made of densely packed fibers. It provides structure to skin, bones, tendons, fibrous cartilage, connective tissue and teeth.
• Type II: This type is made of more loosely packed fibers and is found in elastic cartilage, which cushions joints.
• Type III: This type supports the structure of muscles, organs and arteries.
• Type IV: This type helps with filtration and is found in layers of your skin.

As you age, your body produces less and lower-quality collagen.

One of the visible signs of this is in your skin, which becomes less firm and supple. Cartilage also weakens with age.

Nutrients That Increase Collagen Production

All collagen starts off as procollagen.

Your body makes procollagen by combining two amino acids: glycine and proline. This process uses vitamin C.

You may be able to help your body produce this important protein by making sure you get plenty of the following nutrients:

• Vitamin C: Large amounts are found in citrus fruits, bell peppers and strawberries (2).
• Proline: Large amounts are found in egg whites, wheat germ, dairy products, cabbage, asparagus and mushrooms (3).
• Glycine: Large amounts are found in pork skin, chicken skin and gelatin, but glycine is also found in various protein-containing foods (4).
• Copper: Large amounts are found in organ meats, sesame seeds, cocoa powder, cashews and lentils (5, 6Trusted Source).

In addition, your body needs high-quality protein that contains the amino acids needed to make new proteins. Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, legumes and tofu are all excellent sources of amino acids.”

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Read More … Article Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen#section3