Collagen for Men: Main Benefits for Hair, Joints, Skin, and Gut

As collagen can help improve skin health, gut health, and more, it is often only talked about for women, but is collagen also good for men? Absolutely!

Given that collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, the benefits of collagen for men generally include helping to support sports performance and recovery, joint comfort and mobility, overall muscle mass maintenance, digestive health, and much more.

Between adult men and women, the body's internal production of collagen naturally starts to decline after the age of 40, and sometimes before that.

While most men's diets are deficient in collagen from food sources such as bone broth, regularly consuming collagen supplements is a great way to increase the intake of key amino acids and more that are beneficial to health.

What Is Collagen?

Collagen is a structural protein that helps build and support healthy connective tissue throughout the body, including those that form joints, ligaments, tendons, skin, bones, blood vessels, and the lining of the digestive tract and other organs.

As a complex protein, collagen consists of smaller "building blocks" called amino acids. It generally contains 19 amino acids and is a very rich source of some that are not abundant in many other protein sources such as meat or fish - including glycine, proline, and arginine.

These amino acids, found in certain collagen sources such as bone broth and also in collagen powder, are a valuable addition to your diet and supplement routine as they offer wide-ranging benefits for muscle, joint, skin, hair, and more.

Benefits of Collagen for Men

Why is collagen good for men? Here are some of the many benefits of collagen for men:

1. Supports Joint Health

As one of the most important protein powders, collagen helps to form joints, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage, meaning it is a significant contributor to joint health, mobility, and comfort.

Collagen for joints means helping with sports performance, recovery, and overall function, including as men age.

Among those experiencing knee discomfort, taking collagen powder with specific ingredients has been shown to help reduce stiffness in just one week, as well as reduce post-exercise discomfort and improve sports recovery, making it easier to stay active.

2. Supports Gut, Digestive Health, and More

Collagen helps form fascia that wraps around a number of organs, including the layer of the gut that contributes to overall health.

By supporting overall gut lining health, collagen helps to maintain gut integrity. This is critical for proper nutrient absorption, digestive health, and more.

Collagen can even play a role in supporting a healthy immune system. How? Because the majority of the male immune system is actually located in their gut - or gut microbiome - which is critical to health.

3. Increases Hair Health and Growth

Having healthy hair really depends on healthy hair follicles - and these follicles require protein and other compounds to keep hair healthy and growing strong.

The greatest benefit of collagen for hair is increasing your protein intake. This can help support hair structure - improving its resilience, shine, and strength.

Consuming protein and amino acids found in collagen naturally promotes hair growth and thickness while reducing hair damage.

4. Helps Maintain Skin Health

As the most abundant protein in the body, collagen is highly valuable for skin health as it plays a central role. However, as we age, natural collagen production starts to decline, leading to wrinkles and sagging skin.

Collagen is one of the best supplements to support skin health, including aging skin. The fermented eggshell collagen ingredient recently added by Ancient Nutrition in their Multi Collagen Protein and Collagen Peptides is supported by six clinical studies and offers several specific benefits for the skin.

These benefits include improving the appearance of crow's feet after four weeks and skin tone after eight weeks, as well as reducing collagen degradation with noticeable results in just three days.

How to Use Collagen in Your Diet?

Try using collagen powder by adding one serving to coffee, smoothies, soups, stews, or various other recipes, such as oatmeal or healthy pancakes. Because pure collagen powder has no taste, there are many easy ways to add it to your regular foods, including sweet and savory recipes.

Collagen recipes include collagen coffee, banana nut muffins, piña colada collagen smoothie, and smoothie.

In addition to using collagen supplements, you can get more by consuming bone broth supplements and/or Bone Broth Protein powder supplements. This is also beneficial for men as it supplies collagen cofactors, which further support joint health, as well as certain minerals.

How Much Collagen Should a Man Take?

The general recommended collagen dosage for men is one or two servings per day or about 10 to 20 grams of collagen every day. Some men may want to strive for three daily servings, depending on their overall diet and goals.

As always, you should consult your healthcare professional before starting a new diet or lifestyle regimen, including food supplements.

Collagen powder serving sizes range from 1.5 grams to 10 grams per serving, depending on the form and type of product (e.g., powder vs. collagen capsules). For further assistance on dosage, read the instructions for the particular product you are using.

Overall, collagen is very well-tolerated for use by most men, as it is a source of protein made without dairy products, gluten, nuts, and other allergens.