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Contributors: Dr. Jean-Yves Leroux

COLLAGEN - THE TIE THAT BINDS

Dr. Warren Chaney
Collagen is the fibrous structural protein that makes up the white fibers (collagenous fibers) of skin, tendon, bone, cartilage, and all other connective tissues. It is also found dispersed in gels of the body to provide stiffening, such as in the vitreous humour of the eye. [1] In other words, collagen is the natural protein that composes most of the body's structural support and is the primary substance of connective tissue. It is the fibrous connective tissue that holds our body together. Collagen is present in all multi-cellular organisms.

Collagen gives the different organs and tissues their strength and elastic properties. Twenty-five percent of the dry protein weight of the human body is collagen. Seventy-five percent of our skin is made of it, and in total - some thirty percent of our entire body is collagen. Collagen is part of the natural make-up of tendons, ligaments, joints, muscles, hair, skin, and vital organs. When the body's essential supply of collagen is reduced, the body is affected. Weakness, fatigue and an overall lack of performance are frequent symptoms of the problem - symptoms that only increase as we get older.

Besides its many structural properties, collagen serves as the major catalyst for growth and repair of nearly all the body's tissues. When our body's collagen production is out of whack, so are we!

The body's production of collagen slows dramatically with aging. This slowing process is stealth-like and rather insidious. It starts slowing in our mid-twenties, picks up speed in our thirties and forties, then roars like a freight train through our fifties and sixties. Lack of collagen, or the body's improper use of collagen, is the stuff that old age is made of.

Research scientists have been aware of the problem, but until very recently there was little that could be done because most non-medical collagen supplementation was useless. The body was simply unable to assimilate it. Oh sure, you could find collagen supplements in some health food stores, in the backs of magazines, and, occasionally, in a pharmacy. But they did little or nothing other than cost you money.

Fortunately, a significant scientific breakthrough occurred as the result of a partnership between a French formulator, a talented group of bio-chemists, and a well known Canadian medical grade laboratory. After considerable research and expense, the partnership developed a highly bioactive collagen matrix that the body assimilates early in the digestive process. The product is called Pure-Col®, and its development is so important in slowing the aging process, easing age-related pains, and improving appearance, that I will be discussing it in a section of its own in this chapter. However, never take any supplement without completely understanding why it is necessary. I feel that this product is necessary and here is why.

Why Collagen is Necessary for Youth and Health
Collagen is naturally produced by the body and ca be taken in from select food sources. It is vital to the body's functioning because it is the tie that binds! The body's use of collagen cannot be overstated. It makes up the body's joints, muscles, hair, skin, tendons, and ligaments. It provides the structure to our body and forms the molecular cables that strengthen the tendons. Collagen makes up the vast resilient sheets that support our skins and internal organs. Bones and teeth are made when the body adds mineral crystal to the body's collagen.[2]

Collagen fibers are woven together like pieces of fabric to form a network in which new cells grow and reproduce. Any time the body needs to build new cells, such as in the growing process, collagen plays the central role. Collagen is the substance that protects and supports the softer tissues of the body, and it is what connects them with our skeleton. [3] In other words, collagen is both the material and the glue that holds our body together.

Appendix:
[1] Miller-Keane Medical Dictionary, 2002 .
[2] A. Berton, V. Rigot, E. Huet, M. Decarme, Y. Eeckhout, L. Patthy, G. Godeau, W. Hornebeck, G. Bellon, and H. Emonard. Involvement of Fibronectin Type II Repeats in the Efficient Inhibition of Gelatinases A and B by Long-chain Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Journal Of Biological Chemistry, June 2001.
[3] Alex Suh, DC, during a personal interview conducted during April, 2003.

COLLAGEN - LOOKING FOR THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Collagen and Aging
The body's production of collagen slows with aging. I mean, it really slows down. We first notice it on the outside of our bodies when tiny lines and wrinkles start showing up in our thirties. By that time, the lack of collagen production and collagen damage is already affecting the inside of our bodies.

With continued aging, our connective tissue and muscle tissue breaks down due to an increase in collagen deficiency and damage. As a result, we experience a weakening of our skeletal structure. Like a stealth bomber, collagen deficiency sneaks up on us under the radar. One day we wake up and say to ourselves. This just doesn't feel right!

Outside the body, the slowing of the skin's production of collagen with age becomes increasingly more pronounced. The skin starts to wrinkle. It loses the youthful glow that our spouse and loved ones once admired. The appearance of healthful radiance vanishes. Soon we develop ridges and furrows, red marks and brown spots. Our skin dries out in places. One morning we look in the mirror and declare, Not good! That afternoon we scour the pharmacies and health food stores for an assortment of creams, ointments, and lotions. Infomercials promoting the latest skin magic rejuvenator suddenly have an interest for us. It is only later, after we have applied pounds of grease to our skin and hundreds of dollars worth of secret lotions to our faces, that we realize that little of it works. Why? Because we are treating the symptoms, not the problem.

Discoloration of the hands is a symptom long associated with aging. Early on, our hands start to take on the wrinkled dishpan look so reminiscent of the old television commercials. What depresses many in today's high tech dishwasher society is that most have not had their hands in a dishpan!

Early wrinkling of the hands signals the onset of collagen deficiency
We could learn to live with appearance if only the body's lack of collagen production stopped there, but it does not.

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HOW THE BODY REBUILDS ITSELF -1-

Young people have pituitary glands that produce and abundance of GH (Growth Hormone). With aging, this hormone steadily decreases and the emphasis shifts to collagen. Collagen's function in the body is to convert its natural protein molecules into the essential amino acids that are required by the body. Thus, collagen performs the important maintenance function of the body.
Whether the body can efficiency rebuild and repair itself is dependent upon its ability to convert one body resource into another. This process of protein synthesis is a metabolic process requiring collagen as a catalyst. As collagen diminishes in the body, both the resource and the catalyst are reduced.

Research has shown that much of the body's vital metabolic repair work takes place when we sleep. [14] It has long been known that the body switches gears shortly after we fall asleep. It moves from its normal, active-involvement state to a rebuilding-and-maintenance state. It is during this sleep that the body searches about for available collagen and other important nutrients to convert them into the important materials needed by the body.

Collagen synthesis is something that those of us who wish to look and feel younger must be interested in. Therefore, any food supplement that can enhance the rebuilding or the healing process is something that we should strongly consider.
Producers of health food supplements have consistently recognized the need for collagen supplementation. But, non-medical collagens are not bio-available ( a fancy term meaning that the body cannot use it). To get around this, some less than ethical manufacturers have engaged in hoodwinking schemes to encourage supplementation of collagens that are unabsorbable or certain hormone precursors that do nothing for the collagens.

The body manufacturers its own collagen every single day, but since production diminishes with age, the available supply of collagen quickly becomes less than enough. Deterioration of various body parts gradually follows suit.
Collagen, Wrinkles, and Stretch Marks

The body's production of collagen in the skin begins dropping around the age of twenty-five. [18] But, it really picks up speed in the forties and fifties. Many studies have demonstrated that our skin's natural production of collagen decreases at a rate of 1% per year after the age of forty. So, by the time a person reaches fifty-five, they have lost and additional fifteen percent of their collagen production capacity. By age seventy, the loss is over thirty percent and climbing. [19]
Dr. Sal Martinganon, a internationally recognized collagen authority.

With a lowering of collagen production, skin retains less water, thins, and begins to wrinkle much like a plum becoming a prune or a grape becoming a raisin. As a result, the elastin in the skin becomes even more damaged, holds less water, and becomes much less elastic and resilient.

Weaker skin collagen results in fewer blood vessels, and weaker skin. In turn, the skin's capillary walls become thicker, resulting in a reduced supply of nutrients and a reduced capacity to remove water products. The skin is now at a greater risk for infections, skin pigmentation color change, and age spotting. Because the skin is less healthy, its ability to serve as a barrier to bacteria is reduced. [20] This creates an all new round of aging problems. [21]

Collagen facial treatments, usually applied by masques, are heavily sought after in the beauty centers of the world. It is not uncommon to pay $150-$300 for a single treatment in Beverly Hills or New York City. The theory is that by applying collagen directly to the skin, the skin will absorb and use the material. BIG PROBLEM, THOUGH - it does not work. The skin cannot absord the collagen molecules because they are too big. The same is true for the vast majority of creams and facial masks sold across drug store counters and elsewhere. They just do not work. One company has developed and excellent collagen treatment using a skin-absorbable collagen matrix. The good news is that the treatments do not cost $300, and they do work and work quite effectively.

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How the Body Rebuilds Itself -2-

By John Austen
Why does the body age? Your body ages because changes occur both in individual cells and in whole organs which result in telltale changes in function and appearance. As cells age, they function less well, and eventually die as a normal part of the body's functioning; either they don't divide like they should or they're damaged by harmful substances in the environment or normal processes such as the creation of free radicals.

Whether the body can efficiently rebuild and repair itself and create new cells is dependent upon its ability to convert one body resource into another. This is a process of protein synthesis, building different types of protein which make up cells. It is a metabolic process requiring collagen. Collagen is a catalyst, a construction worker in this building project.

What is collgen? Collagen is a family of proteins that play critical roles in tissue architecture, tissue strength, and cell to cell relationships. The major component of all connective tissue, collagen is found literally everywhere in the body such as skin, blood vessels, joints, muscles, hair, bone and ligaments. Collagen provides the structure to your body, forms the cables that strengthen tendons, makes up the vast sheets that support skin and internal organs, and bones and teeth are formed when the body adds mineral crystal to collagen. Collagen fibres are woven together like pieces of fabric to form a network in which new cells grow and reproduce. In other words, collagen is both the material and the glue that holds your body together. Any time the body needs to build new cells, such as in the healing process, collagen plays the central role.

The body manufactures its own collagen every single day, but since production diminishes with age, the available supply of collagen quickly becomes less than enough. As production of collagen slows and the amount diminishes when you age, both the resource that your cells need and the catalyst to help build tissue are reduced. Deterioration of various body parts gradually follows. Things you have always done, like running or jumping, suddenly seem more painful. Injuries that have never proven serious before begin to hurt. Joint pain becomes more problematic. With continued aging, your connective tissues and muscle tissues break down due to collagen deficiency and damage. As a result, you experience a weakening of your skeletal structure. Outside the body, the slowing of the skin's production of collagen becomes increasingly more pronounced, and wrinkles begin as your healthful radiance vanishes. You develop ridges and furrows, and brown spots, and your skin looses elasticity and moisture.
The noticeable wrinkles are only part of the result, of course, since collagen affects all of your cells. Since health begins inside the body, the secret of a young and healthy appearance is to act on the source of the degeneracy.

What should you avoid to maintain healthy collagen?
Many lifestyle factors can harm and also reduce your body's collagen production. Smoking, drinking alcohol, coffee, intensive stress and excessive physical training are some of the elements responsible. Also, infections, pollution, medications and drugs deplete the body of collagen. Sugar is responsible for nearly half of all skin aging because it inhibits the effectiveness of collagen within your skin cells," says Nicholas Perricone, MD, professor at the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University and author of The Wrinkle Cure. After being attacked by sugar and binding to it, collagen fibres become cross-linked and stick to each other, resulting in sagging, wrinkled skin and age spots.

What should you take to increase youth?
Food supplements can enhance the rebuilding process of your body. There are many different nutrients that you can obtain in foods and supplements to aid collagen.

Collagen fibres have large amounts of two amino acids called hydroxylysine and hydroxyproline. These two amino acids seem to be important for formation of collagen and provide strength and flexibility. It seems logical to eat foods high in lysine and proline to potentially support collagen. Animal foods are the primary source of both amino acids; egg whites and wheat germ are good vegetarian sources of proline, and low-fat dairy products, fish and legumes are significant sources of lysine. Vitamin C is required to change proline into hydroxyproline and lysine into hydroxylysine (their collagen forms).

Garlic and two sulfur-containing nutrients, taurine and lipoid acid, may have the ability to support damaged collagen fibres. Phytonutrients (called catechins and anthocyanidins) are important in a collagen-building. Catechins found in green tea have shown to help prevent breakdown of collagen, and anthocyanidins found in cherries, blueberries, and blackberries help collagen fibres link together to strengthen them.

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WEIGHT LOSS AND COLLAGEN

All current statistics strongly indicate that the human race is losing its battle of the bulge. In America, over 40 million people are thirty-five percent or more overweight. Today, the average American citizen weighs some eight to ten pounds more than he did a decade ago.

Given the current fitness revolution in the U.S., one would thing that weight would be dropping, but it is not. Sure, people go to more gyms, take supplements, and go out of their way to contribute over $40 billion a year to the fitness and supplement industry. Yet, even with this, the U.S. remains a nation of hefties.

Weight is one of the great contributors to aging both in health and most certainly in appearance. Think about it! When you picture a man in his forties what do you think? Most likely it is a guy with a pot belly hanging over his belt. As he increases in age, the pot enlarges. With every passing year the pot drops a little more. All of this additional frontal weight pulls the best of men forward into a pronounced slumping posture. Just walk to your nearest mall and watch. You will see what I mean.

Women do not escape the curse either. Even worse for them, the droop and drop will start years earlier than in men. The hips widen, thighs thicken, and arms become flabby. All are identifiable marks of aging. As we continue to age, it is our size and weight that generally tend to indicate the years.

Then there is the practical everyday struggle of size. As our waists enlarge our sluggishness increases. The wear and tear on the supportive joints like the knees and ankles increases. This in turn, worsens our posture, our appearance, the way we feel, and ultimately our self-image.

Growing Shorter by the Day
As if the weight gain and bad posture don't contribute enough to looking and feeling older, something else kicks in. As we age, we grow shorter. All of the problem of being overweight, having bad posture, and growing shorter as we age are related in many ways to the body's lack of collagen and its ongoing collagen destruction. The decrease of collagen production results in decreased metabolism, which leads to an increase in weight. The increase in weight places stress on our joints and spinal disks, which wears away at our posture and height. [22]

What makes us the height we are? Certainly, it is our skeletal structure as determined by our genes. If you have long legs you are going to be taller than someone else with sort legs. The same is true if you have a long waist. All things being equal, a person with a long torso and long legs will stand taller than someone with a short torso and short legs.

Common sense, right? Well, how about this? No matter what your height, the tall person and the short person will both shrink with age. Getting shorter has become part of getting older. It is also a part of feeling older.
Part of our height is made up of the cartilage between our spinal disks. Physical stress, poor posture, added weight, and the aging process cause these discs to thin out. As they thin, the body shrinks. It is not uncommon to see elderly people lose eight inches or more in height by the time they have reached seventy-nine. [23]

The problems of reduced cartilage further exacerbate the shortening process. Without a proper supply of collagen, the body cannot repair itself, so it continues to shrink. In addition, the loss of bone mass that occurs with aging creates a situation where the human structure not only grows shorter but begins to twist and turn. This places further stress on the already damaged spinal column. How many older people do you know who are not only much shorter than they were when they were younger, but who are now bent and deformed. No wonder their walking gait is anything but youthful. No wonder their mental attitude is affected.

The problems of diminished collagen supplies are not just with the elderly. The younger, over thirty-five population suffers from beginning to advanced degenerative as well?. [24] Admittedly, the negative affects of poor food processing has taken its toll. Nutrients that we should be getting in our food are processed out. In addition, the general population suffers from an overall lack of nutritional understanding. Rather than learning the proper way to feed the body, many flock to the latest celebrity's website, hoping they have found the magic answer. But they have not. How many celebrities have you known that have lost weight, claimed success through their system, written a book on it, and then almost immediately put the weight back on? As of this writing, there is one very popular television personality who has written no less than four books on her system of weight loss. one for each time she lost and then gained back the weight. Now, I ask you, does it make sense to even listen to someone like that? Of course not. There are simpler answers and we will discuss them.

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COLLAGEN The Key to Looking and Feeling Younger

Type II collagen is the major collagen found in cartilage and is the substance that gives cartilage its tensile strength. [25] The key to building or repairing body parts remains in the ability to convert collagen into other resources as required by the body. So, in order to develop more muscles, tendons, and ligaments to rebuild and repair organs and skin, the body must go through a process of protein synthesis. This metabolic process requires a catalyst (a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any change), which is collagen. [26]

Losing Weight While You Sleep
Until recently, losing weight while you slept was a myth and a scam. Losing weight this way was a dream for years. Now, it is more of a reality. In fairness, we all lose a certain amount of weight while we sleep because of the body and collagen's metabolic conversion that we have been discussing. The vast majority of collagen's catalytic work is best conducted by the body at night during our sleep. [27] The body's conversion of material requires energy and in the absence of a stomach full of simple carbohydrates/sugar (same thing), the body's preferred source of energy is fat. [28] So, all the more reason not to stock the body up on carbohydrates before going to bed.

Sleep occurs in phases or stages. Fancy terms are frequently attached to sleep patterns with an almost mystical fascination. Often, their use is just flat wrong. Sleep is important. Sleep affects our youth and our age, so let me expand a bit.
When we first fall asleep, we are in a state of semi-consciousness. During this period, we are vaguely aware of what is going on around us. It is in this light sleep that we are most suggestive. People can talk to us, we can answer, and not remember a word of the conversation the following morning. Those who practice hypnosis do so at this level of sleep. The first stage or level of sleep is the period in which the active mind is getting ready to surrender itself to the subconscious mind. Sometimes, it resists and startles us awake. That is when we have the feeling of falling.

We quickly pass through the first level of sleep and into a state in which we have basic brain and body functions and that is about it. It is the body's best physical relaxation state. After this, the subconscious side of the brain awakens, and the body begins its dream state. The dream state is characterized by rapid eye movements caused by our looking around in our dreams. This is frequently referred to as REM sleep. [29]

Contrary to what you have read or heard, you do not go from one state to the other and then the other and then wake up. Instead, you pass through most of the levels of sleep several times. In fact, to do otherwise results in less than restful sleep.
The body repairs itself in both levels 2 and 3, but works mostly at the REM level. Often it repairs itself in level three and returns for R & R (rest and recuperation) in level 2 before returning to work in level 3 again. And so the cycle of sleep goes on and on.
It is during REM sleep that the body primarily converts the available collagen and other nutrients into new body materials. It takes an extraordinary amount of energy to do this. The more efficient the conversion engine, the more calories of energy that are burnt. Likewise, the more deficient in collagen, the less calories that are used.

One of the negative side effects of sleeping pills is that they sort circuit sleep levels, often bypassing REM sleep to help us reach the chemically-induced non-dream state level.
A noticeable consequence of the body's activity at night is the loss of weight in the morning. Keep in mind that effective collagen conversion operates to repair the tendons, skin, cartilage, and vital organs, as well as in the fabrication of bones and muscles. [30] Notice how teenagers sleep longer in the morning and how high their metabolism is. The same is true for children who do not necessarily fall asleep earlier, but do manage to get in some eleven to twelve hours of sleep. Tell that to a seventy-year-old who feels good if he or she can capture a good seven hours of sleep. But, who has an easier time losing and keeping the weight off? The teenager. Case made!

The Nature of Collagen
Cartilage is composed of four or five different kinds of collagen. There are fourteen different kinds of collagen altogether. One of these, collagen Type II, when properly made, has been shown in numerous medical studies to:

• Dramatically improve skin texture.
• Helps to maintain healthy joints
• Promote increased weight loss when taken as directed.
• Promote an increase in strength and muscle when used in conjunction with exercise.
• Dramatically slow the aging process overall. [31]

Of all the collagens, Type II functions best because it is the easiest assimilated and used by the body. It is not toxic nor does it have the health-related dangers common to steroids or many of the other medications. In short, research has proven that collagen Type II is truly a breakthrough find for controlling the pains of collagen-related diseases, such as arthritis and osteoarthritis. It appears to be superior to any of the sulfates traditionally used to treat such conditions. [32]

Collagen Type II contains the greatest number of joint-supporting substances called proteoglycans, including glucosamine sulfate. These proteoglycans have over 30 years of studies backing up their ability to rebuild cartilage. Type II also contains a very high concentration of chondroitin sulfate, a powerful agent that also supports the soft tissue. Collagen Type II, in fact, is far superior to taking glucosamine or chondroitin by themselves.

A major advantage of collagen Type II is that it is far more absorbable than eigher glucosamine, chondroitin, or cartilage supplements, such as shark or chicken cartilage. This means that far less collagen Type II has to be taken in comparison to the other substances. Yet Type II produces a far greater and more beneficial effect.

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COLLAGEN TYPE II LIMITATIONS

Collagen Type II has a limited ability by itself. Remember the example of cartilage. It's not one kind of cartilage. It is four. Therefore, any product which only supplied a single type of collagen would be very limited.Dr. Jean-Yves Leroux, well known Canadian collagen research expert and immunologist.

Scientists have known of collagen Type II limitations, which is one reason they have concentrated on derivatives, such as glucosamine. According to well known Canadian research scientist, Dr. Jean Yves Leroux, the derivative will perform much better than just the collagen component alone.

The More Superior Collagen Matrix
A collagen matrix is a safe, formulated substance that stimulates the production of many different kinds of collagens in the body. The collagen matrix, formulated from pure collagen, produces incredible results in the human body when used on a regular basis. Results are usually seen within a few days to weeks. It seems that the mechanism for action by the collagen matrix is its effect on the white blood cells located within the GALT (gut-activated lymphoid tissue) that is part of our immune system. As we age the immune system, along with free radicals, begins attacking the body's cartilage. When the collagen matrix is introduced into the body, the cells doing the attacking devour some of the new collagen Type II cells that are produced and then identify them as a friend and not an enemy. The immune system is then alerted to stop attacking the collagen Type II.
These same proteoglycans also increase the thickness and lubricating effectiveness of the synovial fluid, the lubricating fluid of the joints.

As an added plus, an effective collagen matrix supplement in its pure form, cold-pressed and non-pasteurized, also floods the body with free radical inhibitors. Unfortunately, all but one of the collagen products on the market ruins much of its efficiency by pasteurization and by adding it to a liquid. That is the bad part. The good part is that we only need one product.

Collagen Products Are Not All the Same
Let me begin by saying that I do not own a single share of the Genaco® Company, nor have I ever been paid a cent to recommend the Pure-Col® product any more than I have been for the other products that I recommended in this book. However, I have examined the vast majority of all the collagen products in the market and have found that Pure-Col® is by far the best.
Not all collagen products are the same, and not all provide effective collagen. Most collagens are so poorly absorbed that they are a waste of money. Of the very few collagen products that remain, most have a very low absorption, rate, something in the neighbourhood of twenty percent.

There are only two collagen products that are of help in weight loss and skin enhancement. One is a Type II liquid collagen and the other is Pure-Col®, a collagen matrix delivered in capsule form.

Pure-Col® is the best of the products because it is, first of all, a collagen matrix. It stimulates production of all kinds of collagen rather than furnishing only one of the fourteen. Pure-Col® is produced from pure collagen through a difficult formulation process carried out in Canada as a result of a partnership between DirectLab and a French formulator. The end product is Genaco®, which has been demonstrated to have the highest bio-availability of any of the collagen products, including the liquid.

A little known fact is that any type of collagen, especially Type II, begins to degrade the moment it is exposed to liquid. Thus, liquid preparations made with this kind of collagen start degrading immediately. To stop this, fillers, preservatives, and other ingredients are added to slow the process. This additional processing causes a negative bio-conversion, which limits the product's effectiveness.

We consider using a liquid base because the medium would have cost far less than the process that we now use. The problem is degradation of the collagen. It starts deteriorating almost immediately. To keep that from happening, we would have to add preservatives and other chemicals as liquid collagen makers have. Done. This only helps marginally and creates other problems for the collagen.
Dr. Jean-Yves Leroux, Immunolgist/Bio-Chemist, May 2003

Pure-Col's Formulator, Canadian Guy Michaud, stressed in a personal conversation with me, that the decision was made early to develop a processing system that would enable the Pure-Col® Collagen Matrix to be nearly 100% bio-available to the body. As a result of a trade secret non-homogenized cold press system, Pure-Col® can be absorbed directly as it enters the stomach, avoiding the diminishing effects of acid breakdown from further digestion.
Dr. Patrick Price, a Houston health professional, conducted another sizable independent study of Genaco® which used three groups of patients that were essentially identical in makeup. Dr. Price found that Pure-Col® produced highly observable improvement in energy and skin texture. A placebo group had only minor improvements, and the control group, like the one in Dr. Ho's study, remained the same.

The findings of the recent research studies of Drs. Stephen Ho and Patrick Price produced results in keeping with many other collagen studies that have been conducted at research facilities worldwide.

SUMMARY
There are 14 collagens that make up most of the body's skin, tendons, bone, cartilage, and other connective tissues. Although naturally produced by the body, collagen production declines after 25. By age 55, over 15% of the body's production capacity is gone. After age 70, the loss is over 30% and climbing.
Much of the body's repair work occurs at night. Under the right conditions, increased weight loss can occur during this period. As the body's collagen production declines so does the body's amount of sleep time.
Recently, new collagen products have emerged in the market. These tend to be collagen Type II, collagen matrix, and the collagen derivative products such as glucosamine-chondroitin. Of the three, the collagen matrix has tested superior to the others.
The recommended form of Matrix is Pure-Col®, which foregoes the pasteurization and immersion in liquid process. This keeps the product far more bioactive that other products that have been tested .
The conclusion is this: the collagen matrix and collagen Type II work. The matrix is better. Independent research has shown Pure-Col® to be the most usable and easiest to assimilate of all the collagen products available in the market place. I asked the Pure-Col® Company to provide an address where their product could be ordered. In reply, they also permitted a discount coupon to be included at the back of the book that may be used to order the product. As I said earlier, I do not own stock in the company, but I am convinced of the product's usefulness in helping people look and feel younger at any age. Losing the additional weight and body fat are not bad side effects either.

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