A natural substance found in the body, hyaluronic acid (HA) has the highest concentrations in eye and joint fluids – acting as a cushioning lubricant. It is actually present in every connective tissue, but 50% of the body’s supply is located in the skin tissues, where the jelly-like substance helps keep the skin plump and soft, but as with all parts of the human body the ability to produce hyaluronic acid declines with age.
Ah! If we could only find that fountain of youth, then we wouldn’t have to contend with skin dryness, wrinkles and sagging. At heart, we all have a little bit of vanity. The combination of collagen and HA degradation is what causes all that skin damage. Interestingly, HA has the unique capacity to work as a magnet for moisture – helping the cells to retain and regulate hydration. And the REALLY, interesting fact is that a single gram of HA can hold up to 6 litres of water. WOW!
Youthful skin retains a high, water content, but the ageing process causes loss of moisture. Makes me recall the Benjamin Button movie. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to turn back the body clock? And because we are not scientists that understand the HA metabolism and interactions in receptors, what can we – the ordinary everyday woman – do?
We know there are lots of internal (such as hormones) and external conditions (such as over-exposure to the sun) influencing our skin elasticity. Maybe your search for wrinkle-free skin has drawn you to fillers and creams. In an injectable filler, the HA draws water to the area, creating volume and the filling effect. BUT – the HA molecule is too large to deliver hydration into the deeper skin layers. The injection will work on the top skin layer for a few months, but it is not eliminating wrinkles. You may even be harming the deep layers because the HA is sucking the water from those deep layers. A cream is simply laying on the top skin layer and not providing the long-term response you are looking for. You can’t get collagen through the skin either.
Is Proline the secret ingredient? With HA a derivative of proline, both are vital for collagen biosynthesis.
As we age collagen supplements assist the body to manufacture collagen. All collagen contains nineteen amino acids with a particularly high content of lysine, glycine and proline. The amino acids have precise benefits for different parts of the body. The abundance of proline is worth noting as it is not found in any other protein. Proline is unique for youthful skin and studies suggest it was found to trigger skin cells to produce more hyaluronic acid, which boosts the water content in the skin.
If your skin is responding to an intake of HA, you will notice that it feels soft and plump and that lines and wrinkles appear lessened. And great news! Hyaluronic acid works for every skin type.
When used as a medicine, the HA extract is from rooster combs. Apart from more supple skin, there are so many other benefits from HA supplementation.
- Wound healing by contributing to new tissue development
- Joint pain relief keeping bones lubricated
- Soothe acid reflux
- Dry eye relief. Eye surgeons use HA – injecting it into the eye during procedures.
- Knee injections for osteoarthritis
- Urinary tract infections
The human body is a marvel of complex chemical reactions, all depending on each other to operate for cell regeneration. Somewhere encoded into our DNA is the aging process. I expect over the next 100 years scientists will discover that ‘fountain of youth’ through our telomeres. Being tasteless and odourless, collagen is easy to blend into all sorts of recipes – plus it is gluten-free and dairy-free. So, for the 2020’s decade, we can recommend supplementing with Natures Help Plant-based Collagen.
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