There is a good side and a bad side to our endless quest for the fountain of youth. The bad side is that in an effort to deny the effects of age, we will take treatments that give us the appearance of youth but not the real body of a young person. There is nothing so sad as to see someone who is further along in adulthood using botox and hair pieces to look 25 and then to try to play tennis or dance the night away like a young person only to experience severe discomfort because that 40-50 year old body just can't act like that any more.

The good side of our desire to retain youth comes when we adopt a healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise and stay physically active so that our bodies don't go down hill so rapidly. There is nothing so encouraging that to see someone in their middle age years who acts their age but continues to live a busy and healthy life because the joy of being active and capable of living life to its fullest is a reward all in itself.

Drugs that promise perpetual youth are often the evidence of the dark side of our youth obsession. But there are many healthy diet supplements that can do us a lot of good by providing our bodies the proteins and other needed elements that keep us vital and able to stay on the go like we want to be. Of the many supplements that we look to for that kind of help, collagen appeals to both the dark side and the positive side of a desire to look and live a youthful lifestyle.

Collagen is a protein that is an important part of our physical make up. Its job is to provide connective tissue for our joints, tendons, muscles and even our skin and bones. So basically, collagen is what holds us together. It is collagen that gives young people their trim and smooth look. But like other aspects of aging, when we grow older, natural collagen production in our bodies declines. Hence, our skin sags as do our muscles. The loss of collagen also affects our joints causing those "aches and pains" that are a common complaint when we get older.

Collagen supplements are a great way to return a lot of that youthful elasticity and tightness to all aspects of our physical make up. In some ways, it does act like a youth pill in that way. It can restore limberness in joints and muscles so when you exercise, you get better results. It also can help with skin care programs restoring some of skins resistance to wrinkles and sagging. So in general collagen is a beneficial supplement that helps us fight back against the ravages of aging.