What is gelatin, its uses and benefits

Weight gain is one of the most common concerns of the modern day world, owing to unhealthy diet and lifestyle. While maintaining a calorie deficit and an increase in physical activity is what is imperative for weight loss, the inclusion of certain foods like gelatin can be helpful and amplify your weight loss process.

Studies have found that the inclusion of gelatin in the diet promotes better satiety, which means that it allows you to eat lesser. This will cease those binging sessions, which are responsible for weight gain. The effects of gelatin on the satiety are due to its high protein content, which helps to promote weight loss. When tried in obese individuals, gelatin assisted in improving adherence to planned weight-control diets, which is another way in which it is helpful.

It is important to note that while the inclusion of gelatin is certainly helpful for weight management, it is not entirely sufficient, as no long term beneficial effects have been observed with gelatin supplementation alone. So, it is important that you stick to your overall plan while also including gelatin in the diet.

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A rise in blood sugar levels beyond the range of normal is termed as diabetes. Since excessively high blood sugar levels have the potential to harm almost all body systems, it is important to keep them in check, which may be possible with the help of gelatin.

Gelatin functions by raising the serum levels of insulin, which reduces the concentration of glucose in the blood. The addition of gelatin in the diet of obese and diabetic individuals exhibited a favourable result following the intake of a meal. Thus, it aided in better diabetic control by reducing blood glucose levels and raising insulin levels after a meal, which is why their inclusion may be favourable. However, it is advisable to talk to your doctor before including gelatin in your diet in any form.

Having flawless and glowing skin is the dream of many, which can be achievable with the help of a balanced diet and the employment of sufficient skin care measures. What more can be helpful is the inclusion of gelatin. Researchers have put forward several benefits of gelatin for your skin, which is attributable to its high protein content.

A clinical study aimed to investigate its actions divulged that the inclusion of gelatin significantly helps in reducing the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and other signs of ageing on the skin. This was noticeable due to a reduction in the depth of the nasolabial fold (a crease or a fine line running from the edge of the nose to the side of the mouth). In addition to this, the use of gelatin also assisted to reduce dryness of the skin, which prevented the future appearance of these lines. These effects were recorded after 60 days supplementation with 50 ml of gelatin on a daily basis.

A significant increase in the density of collagen and the firmness of the skin was also noted, which is why it is suggested that supplementation with gelatin can help to counteract the signs of ageing. Best results were noticeable on the face, but, collagen also functioned for other parts of the body like the arms. To utilise from this benefit, you can increase the dietary intake of gelatin in moderate amounts.

Hair fall and brittle nails are common concerns, which mostly occur due to dietary deficiencies. Hair and nails are made of a structural protein called keratin, which helps to maintain their strength and structure.

Studies have found that the intake of gelatin enhances the process of keratinisation and it is thus conducive to the health of your hair and nails. The intake of gelatin protein has been ascertained to increase the diameter of the hair follicle, causing your hair to become thicker. Ingestion of gelatin also helps in improving the degree of hardness of finger and toenails. This is because it caters to increase the concentration of the amino acids essential in this regard.

Osteoporosis is a condition which is marked by a reduction in bone mass density and commonly affects postmenopausal women. As this happens, their bones tend to become soft and brittle, causing the condition to be painful and the bones being more prone to fractures. It has been found that dietary supplementation with gelatin can be useful in the treatment of osteoporosis. It helped to improve bone mass density as apparent by preclinical studies. An increase in the levels of type 1 collagen was also noted. These results were observable in animal models who suffered from a reduction in bone mass density due to a dietary deficiency of magnesium, which caused resorption.

Different results were obtained with the use of different types of gelatin. While the use of porcine gelatin aided an increase in the diameter of the cortical bone, the intake of fish gelatin significantly prevented a decrease in the trabecular bone mass density. This suggests that the intake of both these types of gelatin can be helpful and it is thus recommended to talk to your doctor about the type and dosage suitable for your condition.

Osteoarthritis refers to a joint disease that is caused due to the breakdown of cartilage and underlying bone. It is a painful condition and joint pain and stiffness are its common symptoms. It has been suggested that supplementation with gelatin can aid in the management of osteoarthritis. When used as a nutritional supplement, gelatin significantly helps in the maintenance of joint health as apparent by clinical studies. So, you can talk to your doctor about the dosage of gelatin for this benefit.

Women suffer from a wide range of health problems following menopause or cessation of the menstrual cycle. As the levels of the hormone estrogen decline, skin changes in the form of wrinkles, fine lines and thinning of skin are seen. Weight gain due to deficiency of estrogen is another common concern after menopause. But, the deficiency of estrogen can cause even more serious health concerns in postmenopausal women including an increased risk of fractures due to osteoporosis. The use of gelatin can be helpful in them as it takes care of most of these concerns. As discussed above, its inclusion in the diet significantly helps to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and also diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. What’s more, is that gelatin helped to promote weight loss in cases of estrogen-deficient obesity. It also catered to modify the risk factors associated with this weight gain. It functioned by reducing the enlargement of adipocytes, which typically store fats, thus, preventing their storage in the body. So, it can be ascertained that gelatin is a useful supplement for postmenopausal women and it is recommended to talk to your doctor about the same.