NB

There are a number of factors that can deplete the levels of collagen found within the body. Avoiding the following could keep the skin healthy for longer:

Age: The amount of collagen in a person’s body declines over time. By age 25, the body starts to deplete collagen at a rate of 1.5% a year. By age 40, collagen is depleted faster than it is produced. By age 60, over half of the body’s collagen has been depleted.

High sugar consumption: advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs damage adjacent proteins and can make collagen dry, brittle, and weak. Tips to avoid sugar:

a: Aim to keep sugar below 10% of your total calorie intake. Be mindful of hidden sugars in food and cook from scratch where possible. When reading labels, one teaspoon of sugar equates to approximately 4g.

b: Avoid high fructose corn syrup as this sweetener has been shown to produce more AGE’s than any other. It is commonly added to fizzy drinks, fruit cordials, breads, and crackers to extend their shelf life.

Smoking: Nicotine narrows the blood vessels in the outer layers of the skin, which reduces the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the skin, compromising skin health.

Sunlight: Abnormal elastin leads to the production of an enzyme that can break down collagen. This process can lead to the formation of solar scars.

Autoimmune disorders: Some autoimmune disorders cause antibodies to target collagen. Mutations to the genes responsible for the coding of collagen alpha-chains can affect the extracellular matrix, leading to a decrease in the amount of collagen secreted, or to the secretion of dysfunctional mutant collagen.