"My experience is that people usually quickly feel the good effects of the collagen," says physiotherapist Ásta Árnadóttir.
"Athletes can develop wear and tear in their knees, hips and back. Wear and tear in the shoulders, for example, is common among handball players due to high stress. Wear and tear in the joints often also affects those who played sports in their younger years, and when people feel bad in their joints, they move less. This creates a vicious cycle, but it can be reversed with diet, exercise and proper strength training. In my experience, it is possible to reduce pain and stiffness from joints and tendons despite wear and tear. In addition, there is a great benefit in reducing the symptoms of wear and tear by taking collagen," says physiotherapist Ásta Árnadóttir.
Ásta has a lot of experience in handling athletes and where there is a lot of pressure on a team. Among other things, she works as a physiotherapist for the women's national football team and knows well about problems in the knees, ankles, back and hips.
"I work a lot with accomplished athletes from different sports. Where stress symptoms and injuries such as wear and tear, muscle and tendon issues are treated. I myself come from the world of football and practiced gymnastics in my younger years. I managed to keep myself fairly injury-free in football, but recently stiffness in my back has appeared, but taking the Icelandic collagen powder from Feel Iceland has helped me .
"Regular intake of collagen seems to help reduce pain where wear and tear has already occurred and possibly reduce the likelihood of further wear and tear," says Ásta.
"Regular intake of collagen seems to help reduce pain where wear and tear has already occurred and possibly reduce the likelihood of further wear and tear," says Ásta.
NBA players advised to take collagen
Research on collagen has increased a lot in recent years and from foreign studies it can be concluded that collagen intake can help to regenerate damaged (injured) joints and can be read, among other things, in an article published in The Guardian this winter about the effect of collagen on the body and research that have been done and/or are in progress, with collagen supplementation.
Let us first mention a study conducted on players in the NBA basketball league who had torn their cruciate ligament. Cells were taken from these players and a replica of the cruciate ligament was created in the laboratory. It was found that by feeding the cross-link with two amino acids; proline and glycine (the two main amino acids that are in Feel Iceland collagen ) then the cross-link strengthened considerably. Soon after this finding, athletes, from NBA players to long-distance runners, began to be advised to take collagen in order to regenerate bones, tendons and cartilage that have been damaged by the high stress of training and competition.
Another ongoing study discussed in the article is led by a team of doctors at the Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen. The team investigates whether collagen supplements can speed up recovery in athletes with tendon problems, and one of the researchers mentions that possibly all athletes with stress on their tendons can benefit from collagen supplements.
Last but not least, the author of the article discusses a clinical study on older people who are at risk due to decreasing bone density and whether collagen supplementation for 4 months can improve the function of muscles and tendons, making them less prone to tripping and breaking bones. Research has shown that, just like in athletes, hydrolyzed collagen, such as the collagen from Feel Iceland , can help regenerate damaged joints and osteoarthritis. Also, better results have been achieved with tendonitis when doing exercises and taking a collagen food supplement in addition, than just doing exercises.
"I have recommended that people who come with wear and tear and tendon attachment problems try the collagen from Feel Iceland. In my experience, people usually feel the good effects of the collagen quickly.
I hear from the athletes I work with that soreness and stiffness are reduced. Those who have had cruciate ligament surgery feel less stiffness and, for example, those who have had hamstring problems feel less pain and stiffness. They also feel that recovery will be better," says Ásta.
Maintain your body for the future
Collagen can also benefit older people in terms of wear and tear and bone density. Collagen is one of the main building blocks of bones and muscles, and when people feel better, they can move more and build a good relationship with their bodies. It is necessary to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day," says Ásta.
Ásta herself has a good experience with the collagen from Feel Iceland
"I believe the collagen also has a preventive effect. After the age of 25, natural collagen production in the body decreases by 1% per year. It is therefore important to maintain what you have so that you don't have a bad body in the second half of your life," says Ásta. "I use the collagen myself for that purpose, people don't have to feel good to use the collagen. I have used both the powder and the Joint Rewind collagen capsules with good results. Softer skin is just an extra bonus," says Ásta sposk.
When is the best time to take the collagen?
"In itself, it's just important to get it in at some point during the day. It is popular to put the powder in the coffee in the morning, but I don't drink coffee, for example, but put the powder in curd or porridge. I also often just shake it into water, it dissolves after a while. I take the Joint Rewind capsules after lunch," says Ásta.
