Why is bone broth so popular and is it good for you?

Bone broth or bone stock is a soup made from animal bones, cartilage, skin, vinegar or lemon juice, and often vegetables. During cooking, the acid from vinegar or lemon juice helps break bones and tissues apart, leaving the broth full of minerals, denatured collagen, vitamins, glucosamine, and chondroitin.

Bone broth has become a new health craze, and it has gained considerable popularity over the past couple of years. Many people drink it for bone and joint health, against inflammation, and for better skin. Is bone broth really that good for you? Keep reading and discover all the health benefits of bone broth. 

Bone broth - Nutrition

Bone broth made from animal bones and tissues, as well as vegetables and herbs, is packed with essential nutrients, including:

• Gelatin (Collagen): These proteins come from connective tissues of the animal parts you add to your bone broth. In tissues, gelatin is in its long and undenatured form which is not easily digestible. However, when you cook it at a high temperature, and add acids, it will break apart into smaller, more absorbable parts.
• Amino Acids: As animal tissues contain protein, bone broth will contain protein's building blocks: amino acids. Bone broth can be especially high in glycine, proline, and glutamine.
• Minerals: Bone broth is made up of bones and connective tissue, and it is rich in iron, calcium, selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.
• Glucosamine and Chondroitin: These compounds are commonly found in joint supplements. Your bone broth will be especially rich in them if you decide to add animal parts like feet, wings, knuckles, or any other joint part. 
• Antioxidants: If you choose to add veggies and herbs (like onions, carrots, leeks, rosemary, basil, thyme, etc), you will benefit from adding additional antioxidants to your bone broth. 

Consuming bone broth regularly will provide you with all of these important nutrients. However, the question is, how absorbable and easily bioavailable are they? Does bone broth provide you with enough of these nutrients for it to have significant health benefits? Keep reading and find out. 

Bone broth - Benefits

The health benefits of bone broth are directly connected to its ingredients. What makes it different than just eating the ingredients alone, is the combination of them that packs a nutrient punch into one meal. 

Here are some health benefits of bone broth:

• Reduced gut inflammation - bone broth was found to reduce inflammation markers, probably because of high glutamine and glycine content (1, 2). One study from 2021 found that mice with ulcerative colitis who drank bone broth instead of water for 10 days had less gut inflammation and intestinal damage (3).
• Support joints and muscles - because of high glucosamine, chondroitin, and amino acid content, bone broth could support joint and muscle health (4, 5). This wasn't tested directly for bone broth but for these individual ingredients.
• Improved bone health - because bone broth is full of minerals that come from actual animal bones (like calcium and selenium), it can support bone and cartilage health (6). The dosage isn't the same as if you take a calcium supplement daily, but it can supplement your daily intake of these minerals through food. 
• Enhances skin, hair, and nails - bone broth is rich in gelatin (collagen), which your body can more easily absorb when it falls apart into smaller pieces after cooking in an acidic environment. This type of collagen was found to improve muscle, joint, skin, hair, and nail health (7, 8). 

Dosage of nutrients in bone broths compared to supplements

It's also important to remember that bone broth will not nearly match the amounts of specific ingredients that you can consume as a supplement. For example, bone broth contains collagen, but you'll get more collagen if you take a collagen supplement (9). The same goes for glucosamine, minerals, or antioxidants.

However, what makes bone broth special is that it's a fully rounded meal that contains all of these different nutrients in the same place, and they come directly from natural food sources. It's hard to say that one is better than the other, but bone broth is definitely a healthy addition to an already balanced diet and an active lifestyle. 

Additionally, bone broth is easy on the stomach and easy to digest, and many consider it a comfort food to eat when you're sick or have no appetite. 

If you wish to take some of these nutrients as supplements, we offer a great selection:

• Collagen Peptides Type II - Powder,
• Magnesium Glycinate - 800 mg capsules - 20% elemental magnesium,
• Creatine Monohydrate - Powder.

Bone broth - Recipe

Bone broth is something you can easily make at home, and it just requires some time and dedication. While Beef bone broth is usually named the best bone broth, there is no reason for you not to use any type of animal bones or parts, such as:

• chicken,
• turkey,
• lamb,
• pig,
• beef,
• wild game,
• fish.

A simple recipe for a homemade bone broth

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 kg of animal bones, cartilage, and/or joints (beef, chicken, or fish usually),
• 1 onion, chopped,
• 2 carrots, chopped,
• 2 celery stalks, chopped,
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed,
• 30 ml apple cider vinegar,
• 5 g salt (adjust to taste),
• 5 g black peppercorns,
• 1 bay leaf (optional: rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley),
• 3-4 liters of water (enough to cover bones).

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Season and lightly oil the bones and other animal parts. Roast the bones on a baking sheet for 30 minutes to enhance their flavor.
2. Transfer the bones to a large pot or slow cooker. Add the vegetables, garlic, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.
3. Fill the pot with water until the bones are fully submerged.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 12–24 hours (for beef) or 6–12 hours (for chicken or fish).
5. Skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface.
6. You can strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard whatever is not liquid, or you can eat it as it is, in soup form. 
7. Let it cool, then store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage.

This recipe will provide you with approximately 2.5–3 liters of bone broth.

Bone broth - Powder

As the popularity of bone broth reaches its maximum, we start to see different bone broth products on the market as well. Bone broth powder could be a good option for any person who doesn't feel like cooking the bone broth every time, or is not able to. Just make sure that the bone broth powders you buy don't contain too much sodium, as prepackaged products often do for shelf stability. 

Bone broth - Side Effects

It's hard to imagine that any soup could have significant side effects or downsides. The thing is, bone broth is perfectly safe for you as any food is, just in reasonable amounts. The harmful effects of any ingredient are determined by the dosage, and that's the case with bone broth as well. 

Obviously, not every bone broth will be the same, so it's hard to determine the dosage. However, some general concerns apply to most of them. Here are some downsides of having too much bone broth:

• Too much sodium - this is mostly true for store-bought bone broth stocks or powders, which could have a higher amount of sodium. Make sure your daily sodium intake doesn't exceed the maximum recommended dosage (2 g/day). If you're making your own bone broth, you'll probably be fine but don't make it overly salty. 
• Heavy metals - Some studies suggest that bones may contain trace amounts of heavy metals like lead, that get released upon cooking the bones (10, 11). However, in a bone broth, those levels probably won't be significant if you don't ingest more than one serving (250 mL per day) (12).
  

Conclusion

Bone broth is a very nutritious addition to a healthy diet. It has a wide range of health benefits, such as gut and joint health, and muscle and skin support. Therefore, it is no surprise that many people consider it a staple.

However, like any food, it should be consumed in moderation and as part of a balanced diet. If you’re looking for an easy and natural way to boost your overall well-being, incorporating bone broth into your routine may be a great option!

Literature sources:

1. Zhou Q, Verne ML, Fields JZ, Lefante JJ, Basra S, Salameh H, Verne GN. Randomised placebo-controlled trial of dietary glutamine supplements for postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome. Gut. 2019 Jun;68(6):996-1002. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2017-315136. Epub 2018 Aug 14. PMID: 30108163; PMCID: PMC9549483.
2. Benjamin J, Makharia G, Ahuja V, Anand Rajan KD, Kalaivani M, Gupta SD, Joshi YK. Glutamine and whey protein improve intestinal permeability and morphology in patients with Crohn's disease: a randomized controlled trial. Dig Dis Sci. 2012 Apr;57(4):1000-12. doi: 10.1007/s10620-011-1947-9. Epub 2011 Oct 26. PMID: 22038507.
3. Mar-Solís LM, Soto-Domínguez A, Rodríguez-Tovar LE, Rodríguez-Rocha H, García-García A, Aguirre-Arzola VE, Zamora-Ávila DE, Garza-Arredondo AJ, Castillo-Velázquez U. Analysis of the Anti-Inflammatory Capacity of Bone Broth in a Murine Model of Ulcerative Colitis. Medicina (Kaunas). 2021 Oct 20;57(11):1138. doi: 10.3390/medicina57111138. PMID: 34833355; PMCID: PMC8618064.
4. Hochberg MC, Martel-Pelletier J, Monfort J, Möller I, Castillo JR, Arden N, Berenbaum F, Blanco FJ, Conaghan PG, Doménech G, Henrotin Y, Pap T, Richette P, Sawitzke A, du Souich P, Pelletier JP; MOVES Investigation Group. Combined chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine for painful knee osteoarthritis: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial versus celecoxib. Ann Rheum Dis. 2016 Jan;75(1):37-44. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-206792. Epub 2015 Jan 14. PMID: 25589511; PMCID: PMC4717399.
5. Reginster JY, Neuprez A, Lecart MP, Sarlet N, Bruyere O. Role of glucosamine in the treatment for osteoarthritis. Rheumatol Int. 2012 Oct;32(10):2959-67. doi: 10.1007/s00296-012-2416-2. Epub 2012 Mar 30. PMID: 22461188; PMCID: PMC3456914.
6. Tai V, Leung W, Grey A, Reid IR, Bolland MJ. Calcium intake and bone mineral density: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2015 Sep 29;351:h4183. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h4183. PMID: 26420598; PMCID: PMC4784773.
7. Bischof K, Moitzi AM, Stafilidis S, König D. Impact of Collagen Peptide Supplementation in Combination with Long-Term Physical Training on Strength, Musculotendinous Remodeling, Functional Recovery, and Body Composition in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2024 Nov;54(11):2865-2888. doi: 10.1007/s40279-024-02079-0. Epub 2024 Jul 26. PMID: 39060741; PMCID: PMC11561013.
8. Alcock RD, Shaw GC, Burke LM. Bone Broth Unlikely to Provide Reliable Concentrations of Collagen Precursors Compared With Supplemental Sources of Collagen Used in Collagen Research. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019 May 1;29(3):265-272. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0139. Epub 2018 Sep 26. PMID: 29893587.
9. Egles C, Shamis Y, Mauney JR, Volloch V, Kaplan DL, Garlick JA. Denatured collagen modulates the phenotype of normal and wounded human skin equivalents. J Invest Dermatol. 2008 Jul;128(7):1830-7. doi: 10.1038/sj.jid.5701240. Epub 2008 Jan 17. PMID: 18200055; PMCID: PMC2810554.
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11. Monro JA, Leon R, Puri BK. The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets. Med Hypotheses. 2013 Apr;80(4):389-90. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2012.12.026. Epub 2013 Jan 31. PMID: 23375414.
12. Van Thomme, G. (2024) Is bone broth good for you? MD Anderson Cancer Center.