Building an Iron Stomach - How to Use Collagen for Gut Health

In recent years, experts have estimated that a staggering 40% of all adults worldwide struggle with some form of digestive health issue. These issues range from moderate to debilitating and come in the form of chronic illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease, lactose intolerance, celiac disease, and more. Worse, many studies indicate that digestive tract-related disorders have risen over the past three decades, with evidence pointing to lifestyle changes, food quality, stress, and some medications as potential culprits.

Building a healthy gut, then, is more important than ever. Fortunately, the health industry has responded to this growing need for gut health supplements by supplying a wide range of products to encourage beneficial bacteria, reduce inflammation, and support immune health.

Among these products, few compare to the outstanding benefits of a high-quality collagen supplement. While most believe collagen only helps with things like nail or skin health, research suggests that strong natural collagen production can reduce or eliminate many symptoms of GI disorders.

In this article, we'll assess the top gut health supplements on the market, how a collagen booster can help, and what to look for when deciding if a dietary supplement is right for you.

What Factors Can Disrupt Digestion?

Your body houses a complex, finely-balanced digestive system with four basic functions: motility, digestion, absorption, and secretion. When one or more of these functions becomes even slightly disrupted, however, the delicate nature of this system often results in a domino effect. What started as a lack of digestive enzymes can soon turn into skin rashes, poor sleep quality, or even issues with mental health.

Because of the far-reaching importance of a healthy digestive system, it's essential to recognize potential risk factors before they become a problem. As anyone struggling with leaky gut syndrome can tell you, reversing damage to your gut can prove infinitely more difficult than preventing that same damage in the first place.

So, while a disrupted digestive tract can stem from many sources, the following are some of the most common among modern populations:

• Age: As modern medicine increases our average life span, healthy digestion becomes more and more challenging to maintain.
• Gender: Due, in part, to differences in hormone production, women are much more likely to develop conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.
• Lifestyle: Lack of exercise, alcohol consumption, and other lifestyle-related factors can reduce healthy bacteria and cause inflammation, triggering the onset of various GI disorders.
• Medical conditions: Certain diseases or their treatments can impair immune function or disrupt healthy gut bacteria, causing complications on top of those from the initial disease.

Symptoms of Poor Digestive Health

When determining if you suffer from poor digestive health, it helps to know some of the most common symptoms to look for. These symptoms include:

• Gas and bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Excessive stomach acid
• Irregular stool
• Fatigue
• Irritability

Gut Health Benefits of Collagen

Because it is the most abundant source of protein in the human body, collagen represents the primary building block for most of our body's tissues. Although most readily apparent in things like hair, nails, and skin, our system harvests essential amino acids from collagen to construct other types of tissue as well, such as the walls of the stomach and intestinal lining.

When these tissues become damaged due to poor gut health, repairing them is vital in restoring good digestive health and eliminating lingering symptoms. Unfortunately, many traditional treatments only address the symptoms of GI issues rather than their underlying causes. By giving your body what it needs to build a stronger stomach, however, you can often reduce or eliminate many uncomfortable symptoms at the root of the issue.

The Best Types of Collagen Supplements

In nature, collagen is primarily found in the connective tissues of animals, and many cultures enhance collagen intake by eating foods such as bone broth or beef tendons. When seeking additional collagen in your daily life, you have three primary options.

Collagen Builders

Our preferred method of collagen supplement is a collagen "builder." Unlike other supplements, these products enhance your body's natural ability to produce its own collagen by reducing inflammation and providing key nutrients. Collagen builders also offer various benefits over other supplements, such as a convenient, pill-based delivery system and fully vegan ingredients.

Finally, the goal of any supplement should be overall wellness--not dependence. By encouraging your body to strengthen its collagen production rather than relying on concentrated doses of external, dietary collagen, you're building an iron-clad foundation of health that will follow you for decades to come.

Natural Collagen

Drawn from sources such as chicken skin or animal bones, the availability of natural collagen depends heavily on diet and culture. Natural collagen may be readily available in Eastern cultures, where tendon is far more popular in cuisine. However, finding abundant sources of natural collagen can be challenging with the increasingly-processed nature of Western diets. This challenge is even more extreme for those following a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Collagen Peptides

Perhaps the trendiest type of collagen supplement available, collagen peptides typically come in a powdered form similar to protein powder. These products offer a concentrated dose of the same collagen you'd find in food-based sources and offer a range of health benefits. Even so, it's crucial to ensure that any secondary collagen is bioavailable and sourced from top-quality ingredients, as some collagen peptides cut corners and provide an inferior product.

Additionally, some consumers have reported trouble digesting collagen peptides--especially those with pre-existing digestive issues. If this is true for you, consider opting for one of the other types of collagen on this list.

Other Supplements to Support Gut Health

Although we suggest that everyone eat more fermented foods or consume carefully-formulated probiotics, the issue is that even the best probiotic supplements often fail to quickly or fully undo real intestinal damage. For better overall digestive health, other dietary supplements may be necessary. Consider including products such as:

Detox Products

Often, a build-up of too many harmful bacteria can wreak havoc on your gut health, causing gas, bloating, and inflammation. Even when using the most effective probiotic supplement, die-off from these harmful bacterial strains can spread toxins throughout your body, causing further symptoms and inflammation. To counteract this nasty side effect, a comprehensive detox product can flush residual toxins from your body and better prepare your gut for an infusion of new, beneficial bacteria.

Immune System Boosters

Many people with poor overall gut health also exhibit compromised immune systems. Though potentially related to several causes, this link primarily results from your body's effort to fight systemic inflammation. The longer this inflammation persists, the more taxed and reactive your immune system becomes, lashing out in an attempt to destroy the sources of inflammation.

By taking a product to support healthy digestive and immune function, however, individuals can drastically improve gut health and prevent the development of more serious GI complications.

CBD Supplements

One of the primary drivers of poor digestive health is gut inflammation from an unhealthy diet, stress, or other factors. To reduce this inflammation without further harming good bacteria in your system, CBD supplements are some of the best options available. Not only has CBD been proven to reduce long-term inflammation from a variety of sources, but it also functions as an immediate treatment for pain and discomfort.

When an individual feels a bout of cramping or abdominal pain coming on, consuming a CBD mint, gummy, or tincture can often relieve symptoms in as little as half an hour, preventing what would normally be an all-day ordeal. Because of the fast-acting nature of this product, many people suffering from GI issues have taken to carrying CBD products on them during the day or when they go to meals they know may trigger their symptoms.

How to Choose the Right Supplements

When deciding how best to tackle your gastrointestinal issues, think about your symptoms and how they present. If you experience full-body inflammation, as is common for many people, a supplement designed to fight inflammation at its source may be helpful.

Additionally, consider what method of delivery you prefer. While powder-based supplements have become more popular in the last decade, they can be messier or less convenient than simple capsules. If you already have a daily shake, think about whether there's room to incorporate another powder into your recipe. If not, a convenient daily capsule may be a better choice.

Finally, always make sure to source your supplements from a trustworthy source with clear, transparent ingredient lists. All too often, many companies load their products with fillers or outsized doses that do little to actually improve health. While you still want effective doses, a product that includes only what you need is often better than one with extra, unnecessary ingredients.

Why You Should Trust Our Products

At Wellgenix, our focus is on creating effective, affordable products to help our customers live better lives. In an increasingly complicated and confusing industry, we look to provide clarity and peace of mind when making a choice to add a supplement to your daily routine. For our Purvana collagen builder, that means high-quality ingredients that each serve a clear purpose, whether reducing inflammation or improving energy levels.

If you're interested in strengthening your gut, repairing damage, and protecting it for the years to come, take a look at our deals to see if they might be for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Take a Daily Probiotic Supplement?

Because most probiotic supplements include specific probiotic strains such as lactobacillus acidophilus or lactobacillus plantarum, they can often help populate your stomach with good bacteria. Despite this benefit, it's important to research probiotic brands to make sure you're receiving the best possible product.

Can GI Issues Affect Skin Health?

The balance of good bacteria in your digestive system affects almost every area of your health, including that of your skin. Often, people with an imbalanced gut biome experience skin rashes, inflammation, or irritation.

Is Collagen Vegan?

Although most types of supplemental collagen, such as collagen peptides, originate from animal byproducts, collagen builders focus on promoting your body's ability to produce its own source of collagen. Because of this, most collagen builders utilize 100% vegan ingredients.