The Wellness Journal

You walk into a room and fcan't remember why, you can' quite remember words you have used a thousand times. If your memory feels less reliable than it usually is, you are not imagining it, and you are not alone.

Perimenopause doesn't just lower estrogen, it raises cortisol. Learn why it disrupts your sleep, mood, gives you belly fat, and what can actually help stabilise it.

Your nutritional needs rise after 40, just as your body gets less efficient at meeting them. The evidence, briefly. By Ade, Founder of Zourra Perimenopause brings a drop in oestrogen, and at the same time, your body becomes less efficient at pulling nutrients from food. So even with a good diet, a gap opens up between what your body needs and what it actually gets. Your energy needs dip slightly, while your need for several key nutrients goes up. The short version After 40, you need more of specific nutrients: vitamin D, magnesium, omega-3, B vitamins, calcium and protein. Your diet is the foundation, and the right supplements fill the gap. The gaps Three things shift at once. Your hormones increase the rate at which bone breaks down and rebuilds, making it harder to maintain muscle. The stomach produces less acid, which makes it harder to absorb nutrients like vitamin B12, while the skin becomes less efficient at producing vitamin D from sunlight. Appetite often decreases just when the body actually needs more nutrients. This is simply the gap, and the gap is what good supplementation is built to close. Can’t I just get it from food? Food is the foundation, always. But modern produce is often lower in minerals, processing strips others, and some nutrients are genuinely hard to get from food at all. Vitamin D is the clearest case: in the UK, official guidance recommends a daily supplement through autumn and winter, because diet and limited sunlight rarely provide enough. Good supplementation fills specific, evidence-based gaps. The right supplements fill a real gap. They don’t do the work of a good diet. The nutrients most worth your attention Vitamin D. Contributes to normal bones, muscle function and immunity. Hard to get from food and UK light. Magnesium. Contributes to reduced tiredness, normal muscle and psychological function. Choose bisglycinate over oxide. Omega-3 (EPA & DHA). Contribute to normal heart function. Mainly from oily fish, easy to fall short on. B vitamins, especially B12. Support energy metabolism and reduced fatigue. Absorption declines with age. Calcium. Needed for normal bones. Works alongside vitamin D, magnesium and protein. Protein and collagen. Protect muscle, skin and joints. Collagen drops sharply as oestrogen falls. More on collagen after 40. How to choose well Supplements are not a substitute for sleep, protein, strength training or managing stress. Used on top of those foundations, the ones worth taking share a few things in common: Clinically meaningful doses, the amount used in the research, not a token sprinkle. Bioavailable forms your body can actually absorb and use. Formulated for women over 40, not a generic multivitamin for everyone. The goal isn’t more of everything. It’s the right things, at the right doses for you. Perimenopause and menopause is the life stage where needs and gaps peak, as oestrogen falls and affects bone, muscle, mood and sleep. Evidence-led supplements at clinically meaningful doses can support those changing needs, alongside diet, movement and sleep. Rooted in science. Designed for you. Supplements built for this stage of life Every Zourra formula is built on peer-reviewed research and dosed at clinically meaningful levels, with full transparency on every label. Explore the range Zourra Calm Power Wellness This article is for educational purposes and reflects general, evidence-led information about nutrition after 40. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you are perimenopausal, menopausal, pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or managing a health condition, please speak to a qualified healthcare professional before starting a new supplement.

As oestrogen falls in perimenopause and menopause, collagen loss accelerates across your whole body. Here’s the evidence, and what to do about it. By Margot Neveux, Nutritionist You’ve probably heard the word collagen thrown around a lot but here’s what doesn’t get talked about nearly enough: collagen isn’t just a beauty ingredient. It’s one of the most important structural proteins in your body. Perimenopause, the transition leading up to menopause, typically begins somewhere in the mid-to-late 40s, though for many women it starts earlier. This period is marked by a gradual but meaningful drop in oestrogen. Oestrogen is often associated with the menstrual cycle, but in reality: it affects your mood, your sleep, your metabolism, your bone density, your muscle mass and, you guessed it, your collagen. One of the trickier parts of this life stage is that while your energy requirements go down slightly as you age, your need for key nutrients and protein goes up. It sounds contradictory, and it is. What it means in practice is that eating the way you did in your 30s may no longer be enough to cover your nutritional bases. And one of the most significant gaps that opens up during this period is collagen. The short version Collagen is the body’s most abundant protein, the scaffolding for skin, bones, joints, muscle, hair, nails and gut lining. Natural production starts declining in your mid-20s, then drops sharply when oestrogen falls in perimenopause and menopause. Women can lose up to 30% of their skin collagen in the first five years after menopause. Hydrolysed collagen peptides are the most bioavailable, best-studied form. Most research uses 5–10g a day, paired with vitamin C. It’s a long-term habit, not a short-term fix: skin results typically take 8–12 weeks, bone benefits 6–12 months. What is collagen, and why does it matter so much? Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, making up roughly 30% of your total protein content. Think of it as the scaffolding that holds everything together: your skin, bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments and even your gut lining. It’s what keeps your skin firm, your joints cushioned, your bones resilient and your muscles structurally supported. Why does collagen decline faster after 40? While your body produces collagen naturally, production actually starts to decline in your mid-20s, at a rate of roughly 1% per year. When oestrogen drops during perimenopause and menopause, collagen loss accelerates dramatically. Women can lose up to 30% of their skin collagen inthe first five years after menopause, and natural production continues to fall by around 2% per year from then on. This has implications and the effects can be felt across the whole body. Women can lose up to 30% of their skin collagen in the first five years after menopause. How collagen loss shows up across your body Your joints are often where women feel this first: extra stiffness in the morning, or movements not quite as effortless as they used to and your structural bone integrity declines too, leading to density loss over time. From our 40s, we naturally lose lean muscle mass at 1–2% per year, and collagen’s amino acids help maintain the connective tissue that supports it. Many women also notice their hair feeling thinner or their nails snapping more easily, and declining collagen is part of the explanation, as collagen’s amino acids are the building blocks for keratin, the protein that hair and nails are made of. Finally, emerging research points to collagen’s role in supporting gut lining integrity and microbiome balance, something that matters even more when hormonal changes are already stirring up inflammation in our gut. Can you get enough collagen from food? The honest answer is: sort of, but it’s complicated. Your body can use the amino acids from collagen-rich foods to support its own collagen production. The best dietary sources include bone broth, oily fish, chicken and eggs, alongside vitamin C-rich foods such as citrus, kiwi, bell peppers and strawberries, which help with absorption. Even so, hitting meaningful amounts through food alone is difficult, especially as absorption from the gut becomes less efficient with age. The collagen in food also has to be broken down, digested and rebuilt, so it doesn’t transfer directly into your skin or joints in the way we might imagine. This is where supplementation starts to make real sense, as a targeted way to fill the gap. What to look for in a collagen supplement The evidence is genuinely promising, especially for women over 40. Hydrolysed collagen peptides, collagen that has been broken down into smaller, more easily absorbed fragments, are the most well-studied form. But not all collagen supplements are created equal. Here’s what to look for: Choose hydrolysed collagen peptides. These are the most bioavailable form, so your body can actually absorb and use them more efficiently. Look for doses of 5–10g per day. This is what most skin and bone research is based on. Higher doses (above 10g) are typically used in muscle-recovery contexts. Always pair with vitamin C. Collagen synthesis cannot happen without it. Vitamin C is an essential cofactor in the process, so without it your body simply doesn’t have what it needs to put that collagen to work. Treat it as a long-term habit, not a short-term solution. Most studies showing meaningful results ran for at least 8–12 weeks, with bone-related benefits taking closer to 6–12 months. Collagen isn’t just a trendy buzzword. It’s a protein your body genuinely depends on, one that declines faster in women than in men, and faster after 40 than at any other time. The good news is getting enough protein overall, eating collagen-supportive foods, reducing the things that accelerate collagen breakdown (excess sugar, smoking, excessive sun exposure) and considering a quality hydrolysed collagen supplement are all steps that make a real difference. Common questions Collagen after 40, answered Does collagen really help during perimenopause and menopause? The most robust evidence is for hydrolysed collagen peptides supporting skin, joint, and bone health, which becomes particularly relevant as oestrogen falls and collagen loss accelerates. Results build over time. How much collagen should a woman over 40 take? Most research on skin and bone benefits uses 5–10g of hydrolysed collagen peptides per day. What is the best type of collagen for women over 40? Hydrolysed collagen peptides are the most bioavailable and the most studied form, which is why they’re generally preferred over un-hydrolysed collagen. Do I need to take vitamin C with collagen? Yes. Vitamin C is an essential cofactor for collagen synthesis, so pairing the two helps your body actually put the collagen to work. How long before I see results from collagen? Most studies showing meaningful skin results ran for 8–12 weeks. Bone-related benefits tend to take longer, closer to 6–12 months, which is why consistency matters. Can I get enough collagen from my diet? Foods like bone broth, oily fish, chicken and eggs provide the amino acids your body uses to make collagen, but reaching meaningful amounts through diet alone is difficult, especially as absorption becomes less efficient with age. Rooted in science. Designed for you. This is exactly why we made Zourra Our Collagen Powder is built on clinically meaningful doses of hydrolysed collagen peptides, paired with the cofactors your body needs to put them to work. Evidence-led formulas, intentionally designed for women 40 and over. Begin your ritual Zourra Wellness This article is for educational purposes and reflects general, evidence-led information about collagen. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. If you are perimenopausal, menopausal, pregnant, breastfeeding or managing a health condition, please speak to a qualified healthcare professional before starting a new supplement.