The Bone Broth Myth

This blog post is all about bone broth, and whether you should include it in your diet or not. There are a lot of statements made by celebrities and health experts alike regarding the potential health benefits of bone broth, but there hasn’t been any significant research to support any of those claims. 

Bone broth is made by simmering animal flesh, bones, and connective tissues, and possibly adding a few vegetables, herbs, and spices for flavor. 

The argument that the bone broth has collagen, and thus it translates to collagen in the human body seems a little far-fetched, in my opinion. Your body does not simply absorb collagen – it breaks it down into amino acids and minerals (both of which are great and necessary), but there’s no evidence that suggests that amino acids and minerals specifically from bone broth are beneficial (1). 

What we do know, however, is that bones store heavy metals which are released when bone broth is being prepared.

 In 2013, UK scientists performed a small, controlled study where they prepared 3 different types of organic chicken broth and compared its lead concentration with boiled tap water. Sure enough, such broths contained over 10 times more lead than water (2). As bone broth consumption has gained so much popularity in the recent years, the scientists recommended that doctors and nutritionists take the results of the study into consideration when advising patients about bone broth diets. 

Some might argue that having a chicken soup or bone broth really does make them feel better, but most likely it’s not the fat and collagen of the broth, but simply putting a hot beverage in your body that has such a therapeutic effect. 

Whenever someone gets sick in our family, I immediately prepare a nice vegetable broth by simmering carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bell peppers, stirring in whatever greens and herbs I have at hand (such as parsley, cilantro, leeks), adding some cubed potatoes, vermicelli, and a little bit of salt. This vegetable broth is packed with vitamins and minerals and does work magic every time. 

Stock up on foods rich in vitamin C (oranges, lemons, bell peppers, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, strawberries, etc.) if you want to boost collagen in your body. Vitamin C helps synthesize hyaluronic acid which is associated with increased collagen production in the body (3). There is absolutely no need to drink bone broth and risk all the harmful long-term effects that come with consuming animal protein (increased cancer risk, disorders of the liver, coronary artery disease, etc. (4).