Collagen is an organic molecule, a complex protein that helps form structures such as skin, cartilage and tendons, and the amount of it in human tissues undergoes significant changes over the years.
The increase in reactive oxygen molecules, the notorious free radicals, triggers a series of chain reactions that build up day after day and take their toll on organic molecules, which are weakened by their action.
Although this is a very specific and complex phenomenon at the molecular level, the process itself is quite intuitive: unstable molecules such as free radicals, produced as by-products of normal cellular biochemical reactions, try to become stable by "stealing" particles from nearby molecules and setting off "domino" reactions that stop only under certain conditions. The effect of these "domino" reactions is to deplete structures in the body that would otherwise remain unaltered, changing how they function and making them weaker.
As we age, but also when we expose our body to chemical and physical agents such as UV rays, nutritional deficiencies or even very intense and prolonged physical effort, the increase in these reactive chemical species is evident and highly invasive. Wrinkles, for example, are the visible sign of this molecular depletion affecting the skin: as the hydration of the subcutaneous tissue decreases and the amount of collagen in the dermis falls, the microstructures shorten. The end result is a gradual decrease in the elasticity of the tissue, which is no longer smooth and even but wrinkled in specific areas. From a functional point of view, the most obvious signs appear in the joints, where the range of motion tends to decrease as a result of reduced joint elasticity caused by structures that are worn, less hydrated and poorer in essential nutrients.
Tendons also lose function with the passing of time and with wear. The result is a shortening of the fibres, including the muscle fibres, which attach to the joints precisely through the tendons, leading to reduced muscle function both in movement and in the force exerted. This is well known not only to older people but also to dedicated, die-hard athletes, who all too often have to deal with overuse and wear-related pain.
The latest nutritional research describes how the intake of specific nutrients can improve an individual's general health as well as joint and skin health in particular. Specifically, dietary collagen intake is accompanied by an increase in blood levels of the precursors of cartilage tissue, which shows the benefit of using specific supplements.
