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Tag: hydrolyzed collagen

Mini Pause #67: Natural Ways to Boost Bone Density

Posted on by stephanie-estima

TL; DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Maintaining bone density naturally becomes crucial as we age due to shifts in bone metabolism.

Osteopenia, the gradual loss of bone density, is a decades-long process that accelerates significantly during perimenopause and menopause, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.

Bones are dynamic tissues consisting of cortical (outer shell) and cancellous (inner, marrow-rich) bone, both of which change significantly with age.

Increasing bone density through strength training, plyometrics, walking, and adopting nutritional strategies is essential for maintaining overall health, regulating metabolism, and achieving optimal body composition.

WHY

Bone density naturally declines as we age because osteoclastic activity (bone breakdown) outpaces osteoblastic activity (bone formation). This process accelerates dramatically during perimenopause due to hormonal changes, particularly declining estrogen levels.

Estrogen supports bone density by inhibiting osteoclast activity (reducing bone breakdown) and promoting osteoblast activity (enhancing bone formation), thereby maintaining a balanced bone remodeling process.

Bones aren't just structural; they actively secrete hormones such as osteocalcin. This influences metabolism, insulin sensitivity, muscle function, and overall body composition.

WHAT

  • Cortical Bone: Dense outer shell providing structural support.

  • Cancellous Bone: Porous, spongy interior housing bone marrow, essential for metabolic and structural roles.

As we age, cancellous bone density decreases, making bones more susceptible to fractures.

Bone-derived hormones like osteocalcin regulate metabolism by enhancing insulin secretion and sensitivity, promoting glucose uptake by muscle tissue, increasing energy expenditure, and improving overall metabolic health and body composition.

Bones are the scaffolding of the body, but they are also active endocrine organs.

HOW

Practical ways to increase bone density naturally:

  • Strength Training: Increases mechanical load on bones, stimulating osteoblastic activity. Aim for consistent, progressive resistance exercises. 💪

  • Plyometrics (Jumping Exercises): Improves bone density through high-impact activities, encouraging stronger bone formation. Examples include jump squats, box jumps, jumping jacks, skipping rope, and squat jumps. I personally love to do plyos on a step (complete with my leg warmers and off-the-shoulder top). ‼️

  • Walking: Regular weight-bearing activity is gentle yet effective for maintaining and improving bone density. 👟

    • Try Magnesium Breakthrough and use code ESTIMA to get 10% off.

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    • Getting enough protein is easy with 8 flavors of grass-fed beef isolate goodness. Click HERE and use code BETTER to get 20% off.

  • Nutrition: Ensure adequate intake of magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin K2, and protein to support bone formation. 🦴

  • Sunlight Exposure: Enhances vitamin D synthesis, crucial for calcium absorption and bone health. ☀️

NOW

➡️ Choose one of the above that you are currently not doing and start integrating these bone-strengthening practices into your routine immediately.

➡️ Schedule regular strength and plyometric training sessions, daily walks, and supplements into your calendar or set reminders on your phone! This is one of my best tips for remembering to get all these little habits dialled in.

What I Recommend

TAME STRESS WITH THE RIGHT COLLAGEN

Stress does number on your body. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, directly breaks down collagen, leading to deterioration of skin and connective tissue. Chronic stress not only accelerates collagen breakdown but also disrupts skin barrier function, leading to increased water loss and dryness. High stress elevates cortisol, promoting glycation, which causes collagen fibers to stiffen, resulting in skin wrinkles and dullness over time.

That's why you want a bioactive collagen that effectively counters the effects of stress!

  • Avoid Heat Degradation: High temperatures can break down collagen into less effective amino acids, reducing digestibility and bioavailability. Heat degradation creates cross-links within the collagen structure, making it more gelatin-like, less soluble, and harder for the body to absorb. This is why controlled low-heat processing, like Health Nag’s patented laser technology, preserves collagen’s full bioactivity and effectiveness.

  • Choose Hydrolyzed: Non-hydrolyzed collagen is ineffective because it’s too large to be absorbed. Hydrolyzed collagen is broken down into small peptides that cross the gut lining and are bioavailable to support collagen synthesis in skin, joints, and other tissues. Hydrolysis is key for any collagen to exert real benefits.

🍏 Health Nag’s collagen offers the most unique gel form I’ve seen on the market. And wow!—the delicious green apple flavor doesn’t disappoint. And just in time for spring and summer, Health Nag launched its bioactive collagen jelly in individual packets. Super convenient when you’re on the go or traveling! Learn more and try it HERE. Use code DRSTEPHANIE to save 10%.

KICK-START YOUR PERFORMANCE, ENERGY & FOCUS

I’ve been turning to ketones regularly in the morning before my workouts. Ketone-IQ gives me the fuel I need to power my favorite strength moves in the gym. Check out these mainstay benefits:

  • Appetite Control: Helps manage hunger by promoting a state of satiety. (Pro tip for my Bettys who find it hard to eat before early morning workouts.)

  • Energy & Focus: Provides a fast and steady energy source that crosses the blood-brain barrier. (I have the energy to focus on my workout and also maintain mental clarity to plan and think through my workday.)

  • Performance & Recovery: Enhances physical endurance and speeds up recovery by supporting mitochondrial function. (I don’t cut corners when it comes to recovery, but I do like the benefits of recovering more quickly and efficiently.

💥 Try Ketone-IQ (with or without caffeine) in several flavors: peach or green apple for me, please! Visit https://ketone.com/STEPHANIE to get 30% off your first subscription order. No code needed; discount automatically applied at checkout.

🌟 Love these recommendations? Find more resources to support your health in midlife in my Health Toolkit!

Mini Pause #34: How Collagen Helps Osteoarthritis & Joint Health

Posted on by stephanie-estima

Don’t miss today’s P.S.! You’ll find out about a Premium Membership Subscription coming in September.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease worldwide and affects women in the perimenopause and menopause transition. Supplementing with hydrolyzed collagen will help slow down the progression of osteoarthritis and improve symptoms associated with joint pain.

WHY

Women in perimenopause begin to notice more arthralgia, deteriorating joint health and limited range of motion. Collagen supplementation, specifically hydrolyzed collagen, has demonstrated promising results in disease progression, reducing local and systemic inflammation in the body, as well as joint pain and functionality.

WHAT

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the inflammation and progressive destruction of articular cartilage, affecting any joint in the body. It is, however, much more prevalent in the knees, hips, spine, and interphalangeal (finger) joints.

OA progresses not only as degradation of the joint cartilage itself, but it’s accelerated by local and systemic inflammation.[*]

While there are several drugs on the market, none of them are disease modifying. Meaning–they serve to simply manage the symptoms of the ongoing destruction at the level of the joint. They do not improve the outcome of the disease. There are also several valid safety concerns about long-term use of these drugs, too.

One of the possible alternatives that has emerged is hydrolyzed collagen because it contains bioavailable peptides that are able to reach the joint and protect it.

Hydrolyzed collagen [*] has high levels of intestinal absorption (meaning it is largely bioavailable to the human body) and can and does accumulate in the joint tissue where it is most needed.

These collagen peptides have been shown to activate osteoblasts (the “builder” cells) and inhibit the osteoclasts (the “breakdown” cells) [*], promote the synthesis of type II collagen and promote cartilage repair [*].

The literature suggests that regular consumption of hydrolyzed collagen can help modify the course of the disease, protect the joint from further destruction, and lower inflammation.

Studies [*] [*] [*] also have found improvement in joint pain and range of motion after six months of regular supplementation of collagen compared to chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine.

HOW

The literature shows benefits of collagen in the dosage range of 5-10g/daily. There does not seem to be an upper tolerable limit, so going over this amount also seems to have a great safety profile. For transparency, I take anywhere from 15g-20g daily.

While collagen is technically a protein, it is not anabolic to muscle tissue…like…not at all. So, consuming this protein will not do anything for muscle growth, but it will favorably affect joint health over the long run.

NOW

Get yourself some collagen Bettys!!

Question of the Week

Q: How to lift weights safely after injury?

“I am 40 years old, and I've exercised almost all of my adult life. I injured my lower back from lifting around seven years ago and it's never been the same since. I am very keen to maintain and hopefully increase my muscle mass for healthy aging, especially as I approach menopause. Due to my lower back flaring up regularly (usually when I over do it on the training), I am limited to how heavy I can lift and wanted to know if you have any other suggested training regimes that increase muscle mass but don't require heavy squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc.?”

Thank you so much to Kymberley for writing in. First, I will say generally speaking, injuries really can throw us off our game, but they do not have to be the end of the world when it comes to training and fitness.

Without knowing the mechanism of injury, it is hard for me to give specific advice here, but I can tell you that our understanding of injury and rehabilitation has changed considerably over the last 10 years. It used to be that we would stay away from any type of movement that would involve the injured area but now we view rehab much differently.

Now, rehab is much more about leaning into the discomfort to create strength and resiliency to the injured areas. So in the case of a low back injury (assuming there is no inherent instability or an unresolved traumatic fracture) we can begin to slowly work the segments and surrounding muscles in a range of motion that is pain free, but there may be some discomfort in it.

There is definitely an art to this, because many women (myself included) have the disposition to push ourselves past the limits of our matter. This is why I have observed so many women with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis have a hard time in the recovery of the gym because they push themselves too hard.

The same is true for back pain and recovering back injuries. You have to push it, but not too much, allow for sufficient recovery and then have at it again. A coach here with experience would be incredibly helpful.

I would strongly recommend getting back under chiropractic care if you are not already, and have a discussion with them about rehab and training. In the gym, I would focus on body weight or light weights to begin with, doing some of the exercises that are pain free, and stay with that for a few weeks. When it feels safe to increase the weight, do so at the smallest increment possible.

Remember, healing takes time. There has been mechanical distortion from the time of the injury (and likely before that) and so we need to give our bodies time to adapt to the new stressors we are asking of it. IF only we could snap our fingers and make it work the way we wanted!! We’d all have six-packs abs, and 15% body fat.

Such is the paradox of life–the things most worth having require time, work, patience and grace.

YOUR TURN!

I’ll be answering your questions every week right here in the Mini Pause! Let me know what’s on your mind. I’ll be checking for both questions and feedback at support@drstephanieestima.com.

What I Recommend: Collagen

Here are the collagen favorites that I personally use daily. All are a little different so you can choose what fits your own preferences.

Health Nag BioActive Collagen Gel (Fun jelly consistency with a green apple flavor.)
Click HERE. Use code DRSTEPHANIE to save 10%.

Equip Collagen (Great tasting! I love the chocolate in my morning coffee.)
Click HERE. Use code DRSTEPHANIE so save 15%.

mindbodygreen beauty & gut collagen+ (Chocolate, of course.)
Click HERE. Use code DRSTEPHANIE to save 15%.

P.S.

Coming In September! A Premium Membership Subscription

It’s my mission to remove information overwhelm for you. So, I'm carefully curating resources designed with actionable steps that help you achieve real and lasting results in the new Premium Membership Subscription. Here’s what you’ll be getting with monthly, annual, or lifetime membership options:

  • Early and ad-free access to the weekly Better! podcasts.
  • A downloadable action guide for each podcast episode.
  • My insights from the guest discussion coupled with recommendations you can use to build habits and routines that support your goals.
  • Private “Ask Me Anything” episodes based on member questions.
  • Surprise guests and solo shows only for members.
  • Exclusive content beyond the podcast episodes.
  • Exclusive discounts for brands I love.

Since you’re already getting the Mini Pause newsletter, you’ll be the first to know when the membership opens. I can’t wait to bring this new option into the Bettyverse for you!