Health Benefits of Bone Broth

The benefits of bone broth include its nutrition profile, as well as potential health benefits such as weight management and digestive and joint health. Bone broth is made by simmering animal bones—such as beef, turkey, and chicken bones—and can be cooked at home or bought in a store.

While you may hear many claims about bone broth's health and wellness benefits, evidence-based research on its effectiveness in preventing illness or promoting health is limited. Nonetheless, with appropriate nutrition advice, bone broth may provide important nutrients like amino acids and minerals as part of a varied and well-balanced diet.

Health Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth provides important nutrients like protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. How much of these nutrients can be utilized by drinking a serving of bone broth may depend on the cooking method and the types of bones used.

Amino Acids

Research supports that bone broth can provide vital amino acids, which are important for making proteins and other important compounds in the body. How much of any given amino acid is in a serving of bone broth may depend on the animal bones used to make the broth.

For example, a study that looked at several different samples of store-bought beef, turkey, and chicken bone broth found that turkey bone broth contained the highest concentration of the amino acids they analyzed. 

Though bone broth does show that animal bones can be a source of amino acids, research has shown that the amount of amino acids gained from bones may not be significantly different from that of other parts of the animal. Nonetheless, whether you eat the meat or drink broth made from the animal's bones, you get some amino acids.

Minerals

Bone broth has been largely touted for being a source of important minerals. For example, bone broth contains calcium, which is a major component of bones (animal and human) and is vital to our bone health.

Other minerals that bone broth may provide include:

• Iron
• Magnesium
• Zinc 
• Copper

However, despite health claims about the high mineral content of bone broth, there is limited research to support these claims, and estimates of its mineral content vary.

• One study found that, per serving, bone broth generally provided less than 5% of the daily recommended levels for calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and copper. However, bovine bone broth provided 16% of the daily recommended intake for iron. 

• Another study found that 100 grams (about 1/2 cup) of concentrated beef bone broth provided 8.5% and 21.2% of the recommended daily values for calcium and magnesium, respectively (based on World Health Organization guidelines). 

Even small amounts of these minerals can count toward your daily mineral makeup of a varied and balanced diet.

More research is needed to determine whether bone broth can be relied on as a good source of important minerals and how much you need to consume.

Gut Health

Drinking a cup of warm broth may be soothing on the stomach for some people, which may be seen as a benefit in and of itself. In addition, certain nutrients in bone broth are thought to promote gut health, but more research is needed to scientifically assess the effect that bone broth may have on the digestive system. 

For example, glutamine—an amino acid found in bone broth—contributes to gut health. Research has shown that glutamine supplementation helps maintain or improve gut health in key ways, including:

• Keeping the gut microbiome balanced
• Helping to keep the intestinal lining intact
• Reducing inflammation in the gut

You may also hear these benefits in the context of certain gastrointestinal conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome or leaky gut syndrome (which is a theory about an intestinal condition, not an officially recognized medical condition).

More research is needed to determine whether bone broth provides enough glutamine to benefit gut health.

If you’re looking for ways to promote gut health with or without an existing gastrointestinal condition, it’s best to consult a healthcare provider to ensure you get appropriate nutrition advice based on your health history and dietary needs.

Joint Health

Collagen is a protein found in bones and connective tissue that breaks down into another protein called gelatin when making bone broth. Gelatin contains the amino acids proline and glycine, which your body uses to build connective tissue.

Maintaining connective tissue is important for healthy joints and preventing arthritis and joint pain. Although limited research has shown that gelatin supplementation increases collagen production, research is needed to determine the effects of bone broth, specifically on collagen production.

In addition, the amount of proline and glycine in bone broth is much lower than the amount found in gelatin supplements.

Weight Management

Bone broth is low in calories and high in protein, which has the potential to help with weight loss or weight management when included as part of a balanced diet.

Indications that bone broth could potentially support weight management are based on research, such as:

• A review of 37 studies found that diets rich in protein have a moderate beneficial effect on body weight management.
• Evidence suggests that people who consume more soup have a lower risk of obesity.

Including bone broth along with other protein sources may help with weight management by preserving muscle mass and promoting satiety (helping you feel full).

Nutritional Profile

The protein found in bone broth usually comes from collagen, a type of protein found in bones, tendons, and ligaments. Collagen is not a complete protein, meaning it doesn’t contain all the essential amino acids to make a complete protein. Yet bone broth can be a good source of protein when consumed as part of a varied diet. 

The nutrition profile of bone broth will differ based on the ingredients and animal bones from which it is made. Read the nutrition facts label of bone broth to know the exact nutritional breakdown. 

Here’s an example of the nutrition breakdown of a serving of bone broth (approximately 1 cup): 

• Calories: 79
• Protein: 10 grams
• Fat: 0.5 grams
• Carbohydrates: 5 grams
• Iron: 0.4 milligrams (2% daily value)
• Sodium: 451 milligrams (19% daily value)

How to Make Bone Broth

Although the cooking time is long, making bone broth is easy. This recipe makes 6 to 8 cups of bone broth.

• Place 2 to 3 pounds of chicken or beef bones in a large stock pot.
• Add coarsely chopped vegetables (carrots, celery, and onion).
• Add seasonings if desired (such as thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf).
• Add about 12 cups of water, or enough to cover the bones by several inches.
• Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
• Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for at least 12 hours.
• Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the bones and solids.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note: If desired, you can roast the bones first to add extra flavor and deeper color to the finished broth.

Risks of Drinking Bone Broth

Though animal bones may provide important minerals, they are also known to contain small amounts of toxic metals like lead and cadmium, leading to some concern about the amount of toxic metals in bone broth. 

Limited research has investigated the risk of ingesting toxic metals when consuming bone broth, and more research is needed to assess the risks of consuming bone broth frequently or as part of an everyday diet.

Yet recent research has shown that amounts of lead and cadmium, two metals of concern, in commercial bone broth/soup are very small (a few micrograms per serving) and thus pose minimal risk.

Check with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian about any risks before adding a large quantity of bone broth to your diet.

Summary

Bone broth has gained popularity as a nutrient-rich beverage with many health benefits. Scientific evidence to support many health claims related to bone broth is lacking, yet bone broth may contribute important nutrients as part of a varied and well-balanced diet.