9 Incredible Health Benefits of Bone Broth

3. Boosts the Immune System

What’s the number one food you crave when you’re feeling under the weather?

I bet it’s a warm bowl of chicken soup.

And it turns out there’s a real reason behind your chicken soup cravings: it boosts the immune system and soothes the gut.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center were curious if there was any truth behind the immune system and chicken soup connection (5).

To their surprise, they discovered that the amino acids (building blocks of protein) found in chicken broth could reduce inflammation, improve digestion, and boost the immune system.

In other words, bone broth can help you feel better and fight illness.

So it seems there’s a reason your body craves soup when you’re sick after all!

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4. Keeps Your Skin Looking Healthy and Young

Collagen is a protein your body uses extensively to keep your skin healthy.

Without it, our skin would gradually lose elasticity and its healthy color. In other words, you would look older.

Normally our body can produce enough collagen to keep our skin healthy and wrinkle-free.

Well…until our 20^th birthday at least.

According to the Scientific American, after the age of 20, our bodies produce “about 1 percent less collagen in the skin each year. As a result, the skin becomes thinner and more fragile with age” (6).

The good news is bone broth is packed with collagen.

And since most of us don’t eat collagen-rich foods, it makes bone broth the perfect remedy for aging skin.

5. Promotes Tissue Regeneration

The cells and tissues in our bodies are constantly dying off as new cells take their place.

But sometimes our bodies have a hard time keeping up with producing enough new tissues and cells.

For example, if you completed an intense cardio or weight-lifting session at the gym, your body is going to need time to repair your muscles and several other tissues involved in the workout.

If your body lacks the required materials to repair the damaged tissue, it’s going to take a lot longer to recover from the workout.

Glutathione is one of those tissue repair materials, and bone broth is full of it.

One study featured in the US National Library of Medicine found that glutathione plays a critical role in creating new cells, protein & DNA synthesis, and keeping the immune system in tip-top shape (7).

Simply put, glutathione is a powerhouse in its ability to help the body regenerate new tissue.

6. Helps The Body Detoxify

Today’s world is riddled with toxins.

We’re constantly exposed to heavy metals like mercury, cancerous chemicals like glyphosate, and an overwhelming number of other toxins.

Our bodies have natural systems in place to isolate these toxins and rid them from the body.

But it can only handle so much.

And since toxins are hiding around every corner, our natural detox system gets easily overwhelmed. This is when toxins start to accumulate in the body and cause big problems.

Luckily, bone broth is a powerful detoxifier for several reasons

• Helps the digestive system expel waste more efficiently
• Improves your liver’s ability to filter toxins from the blood
• Contains glycine which stimulates the production of glutathione—known as the body’s master antioxidant (8). Glycine also protects the liver from becoming oxygen starved, or hypoxia (9).
• Glutathione is also needed for the liver’s detoxification process (phase II) which is important for preventing toxin accumulation (10).

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7. Boosts Brain Health

We use our brain for so much, but how often do we return the favor by giving it nutrients to thrive?

With a healthy brain, you can have a better memory, think more clearly, have stronger willpower, have monk-like focus, and much more.

I think it’s safe to say anyone would be happy to have more of these qualities (including myself).

Well, it turns out that bone broth has several compounds that can improve your brain’s functioning and mood.

Glycine, for example, is one of the most important inhibitory neurotransmitters.

Simply put, glycine can help cognitive performance, regulates how your brain uses energy, and some studies even suggested that glycine can dilate the micro vessels in the brain.

This means glycine can improve circulation in the brain (11).

Bone broth also contains chondroitin, which is shown to have an important role in regeneration and plasticity in the central nervous system (12).

In other words, chondroitin can help with learning and memory.

8. Combats Mental Illness and Helps You Sleep

It’s possible that bone broth can help prevent or even cure mental illness. All thanks to its high glycine content.

There’s a ton of evidence out there on this, so I’m just going to summarize it for you here:

• Glycine can help treat obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults (13).
• Glycine is shown to reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia (14).
• Depression is associated with decreased levels of glycine (15).

Glycine is ultimately associated with relaxation, and decreased anxiety.

That being said, it makes sense to learn that studies find that glycine supplementation can significantly improve the quality of your sleep (16).

9. Protects The Heart

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States (16). That’s why eating foods that improve your heart health is a surefire way to extend your lifespan.

And bone broth is one of these foods.

In fact, studies indicate that glycine found in bone broth can significantly reduce the severity of heart attacks (17).

Glycine also counters the negative effects of methionine—found in meats and eggs.

When your diet is high in methionine-rich food, it can significantly increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, mental illness, and vitamin B deficiencies (18).

My point is, you can suffer from the effects of too much methionine if you don’t get enough glycine.

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Complete List of Bone Broth Nutrients

Bone broth is chock-full of nutrients including a host of minerals and 17 different amino acids. Both of which are responsible for its rejuvenating effects.

The exact nutrients found in bone broth can vary depending on the type of bones used, simmer time, and whether or not other ingredients are used.

I always suggest making your own unless you get a very high quality brand because it’s typically much richer in the following nutrients:

Arginine: An amino acid that’s essential for a healthy immune system and wound healing. It’s also needed for the production of growth hormone, liver cell regeneration, and the production of sperm.

Chondroitin & Glucosamine: Chondroitin and glucosamine are some of the components that make up cartilage, which is the structure that acts like a cushion between joints. They are also a component of tendons and ligaments. Since they are the building blocks of these structures, chondroitin and glucosamine can significantly improve the health of your joints. In fact, studies show that taking a chondroitin and glucosamine supplement can significantly reduce pain from arthritis and improve joint mobility (19). But I usually recommend bone broth since it’s much cheaper than these supplements.

Collagen: Collagen makes up for a whopping 30% of the protein in your body (20). It’s needed to build and preserve healthy cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bone, and skin. Which is why you will often see collagen supplements for joints or promoting healthy skin—as you age, the level of collagen in your body decreases which can make your skin lose its youthful look.

Gelatin: When bones are simmered down to make bone broth, some of the collagen in the cartilage transforms (hydrolyzes) into gelatin. It acts very similar to collagen and it is the compound that’s responsible for the gelatinous consistency of broth or stock once it has cooled.

Glycine: Glycine is an amino acid (building block of protein) that makes up for more than a third of collagen. It also acts as a neurotransmitter, which are chemicals that help the brain with communication and signaling.

Glutamine: Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid. This means your body sometimes won’t produce enough of it on its own. It’s the most abundant amino acid in your blood and responsible for a wide range of functions including protein synthesis, maintaining a pH balance in your kidneys, a source of cellular energy, and much more.

Proline: Proline is another amino acid found in the structure of collagen. Your body is only able to produce proline in small amounts. So if you don’t get proline through your diet, you could be starving your body of this important amino acid. A deficiency may not cause a lot of issues, but it’s good to give your body everything it needs to run efficiently.

Bone marrow: Have you ever broken open a chicken bone or looked at the center of a beef bone? Inside you will see a deep red color substance. This is red bone marrow. It’s where new immune cells and red blood cells are manufactured. Towards the outside of the red bone marrow lies yellow bone marrow which contains healthy fats (21). Both red and yellow bone marrow are responsible for bone broth’s rich taste. Marrow is also associated with several health benefits including a decreased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity-related cancers (22).

Minerals: Bone broth is full of minerals including calcium, copper, magnesium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc. Your body needs these minerals for a wide range of processes. Please note that bone broth won’t contain minerals unless it’s made with an acid such as apple cider vinegar.

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Where You Get Your Bone Broth Matters

Depending on how busy our life is, you can either buy pre-made bone broth or make it yourself.

Whichever decision you make, there’s a few rules you should always follow.

• Bones must be organic and pasture-raised (wild-caught if you’re using fish bones).
• If buying the broth, make sure it’s in glass or a BPA-free container.
• Make sure it’s slow-simmered for at least 24 hours.
• Use roasted bones rather than raw for broth. Raw bones will result in a disgusting broth in all honesty.