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20 Facts about Collagen and Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP®s) What do you know about Collagen and Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP®s)? If you want to refresh your knowledge, we put together a list of the most important facts about this fascinating protein.

1. The human body contains many different proteins, of which collagen is the most abundant at 30%.
    
2. Found everywhere in the body, collagen is the main component of connective tissues, notably: in the skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones and joints – to name a few.
    
3. Collagen accounts for three-quarters of the dry weight of skin.
    
4. The collagen-rich connective tissues make up more than a half of human body weight.
    
5. Collagen helps to give the body structure and it transfers muscle forces, but less known is that it also has a high metabolic activity.
    
6. We start to produce less collagen from around our mid-late twenties, and that is why supplementation is so crucial from early on.
    
7. Collagen peptides are natural products, obtained by traditional hydrolysis of native collagen.
    
8. Locked within the native collagen protein, Bioactive Collagen Peptides are inactive. But when applying specific controls during hydrolysis, GELITA is able obtain the right peptides sequences, for each desired health benefit.
    
9. Bioactive Collagen Peptides are optimal sources of collagen supplementation because they stimulate the body to produce more collagen, besides contributing the building blocks.
    
10. The bioavailability of collagen peptides is excellent. Nearly 100% of the collagen peptides are absorbed, where 10% can be absorbed intact, enough to directly stimulate cell metabolism.
     
11. The absorption of collagen polypeptides is possible, thanks to their unique amino acid composition, mostly glycine and proline, which make up 50% of the total amino acid content, a proportion not seen in any other protein source.
     
12. Proline and Glycine make strong peptide bonds, and this makes collagen peptides highly resistant to breakdown during gut digestion.
     
13. Designated with roman numerals in the order they were discovered, there are nearly 30 different types of collagen in the body. Most collagen products — such as Bioactive Collagen Peptides — contain types I and III.
     
14. Type I collagen accounts for circa 90% of the human body’s collagen content and can be found in ligaments, tendons and skin, as well as in fibrous cartilage.
     
15. On a gram-for-gram basis, collagen type I is stronger than steel.
     
16. Type II collagen is predominant in hyaline cartilage.
     
17. Regardless of where structural collagens appear in the body, the actual type isn’t important because it is not the factor related to the optimal bioactivity of collagen peptides.
     
18. Bioactive Collagen Peptides are not only good for skin, hair and nails, but also for sports, because collagen can protect from training overuse, strains and sprains.
     
19. Not all collagens are created equal: Bioactive Collagen Peptides show effects (e.g. reduced joint pain) that generic collagen peptides are not able to show, even when doubling the daily dose.
     
20. Bioactive Collagen Peptides are safe food products and, thanks to their versatility and neutral taste, they can be used in cooking and added in lots of different products, including drinks, capsules, bars or fortified gummies.