Leaky Gut Spotlight: The Collagen Connection
I’m sure you’ve heard about how important it is to have both protein and collagen in your diet, but do you know why? Both are high in amino acids. Protein contributes to better muscle growth and keeps us satiated. Collagen helps repair tissues, keeps joints healthy, skin elastic (hello reduced wrinkles) and supports healthy hair and nails. What’s more, collagen can actually help repair the lining of your gut! In this article, our focus will be on collagen and its connection to leaky gut.
If this sounds like you, keep reading:
Trouble losing weight
Skin issues like acne and eczema
Allergies
Digestive problems like constipation, gas, bloating, diarrhea, acid reflux
Anxiety or depression
Fatigue
Headaches or migraines
Joint aches and pains
If any of the above apply to you, damage to the gut lining might be contributing to your health struggles. This damage can be caused by poor diet, recurrent exposure to food sensitivities, alcohol, toxic exposure and overload, medications, infections and emotional stress. What do we call this state of damage? Leaky gut.
So, if you’ve been under a period of high stress, used various medications, ignored food sensitivities and now you’re wondering what went wrong—it could be a sign of leaky gut. After all, your gut lining is made up of cells that are only one cell layer thick! These cells are held together by tight junctions that determine what gets absorbed into the body. Leaky gut happens when the tight junctions between the cells of your gut lining are triggered to stay open more frequently than they should be, allowing things in that should not be let in. When you have leaky gut, toxins, bacteria, and food particles that don’t belong in your bloodstream have easy and recurrent access. A whole host of problems can come from this. Now, I’m not saying collagen is a fix-all-your-problems-solution, but it can be a very helpful tool to aid in the repair of your gut lining.
Remember, there’s no quick fix for anything. Leaky gut is a complex condition that can have many factors that make it challenging to face alone, like mineral imbalances and food sensitivities. If you’re currently struggling and seeking relief, make sure you utilize individualized support and functional lab testing. Leaky gut can be stress derived calling for nervous system work, from food sensitivities causing increased inflammation, NSAID or alcohol use… the list goes on! While supporting collagen will help, if we don’t fix the underlying issue we’ll be stuck with only small gains. This is where functional lab testing comes in, so you can make data driven informed decisions when it comes to your health! Further investigation of leaky gut and resolving it may include functional tests like the GI MAP, Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis and Mucosal Barrier Assessment. Testing provides you with a roadmap of where function has been lost and how to best restore it.
So, if you’re looking to heal your gut or support your health during a period of higher stress, you can turn your attention to reducing what caused the dysfunction in the first place, restoring the gut barrier through diet and a little bit of targeted supplementation using collagen peptides. Collagen has long been studied in supporting gut health, but there’s always more to the picture.
It’s always a good idea to seek out personalized support to assess your individual needs. Together we can dive into more than just the general recommendations and see what’s at the root of what you’re dealing with! Book a functional health assessment with me here.
In the meantime, think of building a strong gut by balancing diet, environmental factors and supplementation. We don’t want to just add in a supplement and cross our fingers that it works. A holistic approach to gut support combines removing antagonizing foods, products, stress and other factors, and incorporating a healing, soothing diet. A whole-body strategy will always win over just supplementing alone. You can incorporate more collagen rich foods to help support your gut barrier alongside a strong whole foods based diet. Once we have this down, then we can move onto supplementing!
When looking for a collagen supplement, consider collagen peptides. This form can be more easily absorbed by your body. Easy enough to add to your morning brew, soups, electrolyte drinks and baked goods, collagen peptides are a staple to have on hand. Quality is always important, and when you’re specifically supplementing to help heal your gut, let’s especially avoid pesticides and antibiotics that can wreck your gut health to begin with! One brand that is worth the hype for prioritizing quality is Equip. Check out their collagen peptides and array of yummy tasting whole food protein powders here.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be used as medical advice or replace it in any way.
