Collagen is a collective group of proteins found in mammals and makes up a major portion (25- to 30-percent) of connective tissue within the body. With over 28 different types of collagen identified, usually type 1 (hydrolyzed collagen) are used in supplements.
Benefits: Collagen is used in nearly every aspect of the human body; from skin to joints, eyes to cartilage, fingernails to internal organs, collagen is essential to life, and thankfully occurs naturally within the body. As the body ages, collagen production deteriorates, thus contributing to problems such as arthritis, easy bone fracture, poor muscle tone, and loss of hearing. Hydrolyzed collagen can be used for joint pain; bone and muscle support; and hair, skin, and nail improvement.
However, vitamin C is necessary to synthesize lysine and proline, so taking an ascorbic acid supplement with collagen is recommended.
Camu camu
A plant native to South America, camu camu produces berries thought to be rich in vitamin C. Camu camu is touted as a top source of vitamin C, an antioxidantvitamin often used to strengthen the immune system. Although there is limited research on camu camu’s vitamin C content, findings from some laboratory studies indicate that camu camu pulp contains a high amount of vitamin C.
One of the best (but little-known) superfoods is actually a superfruit, and like many superfruits, it comes from the rainforest regions of our planet.
This one in particular comes from Peru; it’s one of the most nutrient-dense foods and offers considerable disease-prevention benefits. It contains high-density nutrition. This superfruit is called camu camu, or the camu berry.
The camu berry is best known for its unusually high vitamin C content. Vitamin C, as you may know, has many uses for preventing chronic disease. Natural (not synthetic) vitamin C is an antioxidant that prevents free radical damage to the DNA of the cells throughout your body, which helps in the prevention of cancer and heart disease (among other health problems).
Vitamin C also prevents colds and even the flu. It is a huge immune system booster and an all-around power-packed vitamin – but only in its full-spectrum natural form.
There’s no food on the planet with a higher concentration of vitamin C than the camu berry.
How high a concentration? Consider this: oranges are generally known for their high vitamin C content. However, oranges often only have around 1,000 ppm of vitamin C. Sometimes they can have as high as 3,000 or 4,000, but that’s unusual, especially given the way they are commercially grown today.
The camu berry can have concentrations as high as 50,000 ppm or about 2 g of vitamin C per 100 g of fruit. That means that the camu berry provides 50 times more vitamin C than an orange (on an ounce-for-ounce basis).