Wound Healing

Wound healing is the process of replacing injured tissue with new tissue produced by the body which demands an increased consumption of energy and particular nutrients.

When the body sustains a wound, the body releases stress hormones and metabolism changes in order to supply the injured area with the nutrients it needs to heal. If the body is not provided with adequate nutrients, wound healing is likely to be delayed.

There are a number of nutrients that play an important role in wound healing.

Protein is essential for the maintenance and repair of body tissue. Low protein levels will cause a decrease in collagen development, slowing the wound healing process.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in humans. The role of collagen in wound healing is to attract fibroblasts and encourage deposition of new collagen to the wound bed.

Vitamin C plays an important role in collagen synthesis and subsequent cross-linking, as well as the formation of new blood vessels. Adequate Vitamin C levels will help strengthen the healing wound.

Reference:

Stechmiller, J. K. (2010). Understanding the role of nutrition and wound healing. Nutrition in clinical practice, 25(1), 61-68.