Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
Despite the very unattractive name, (I mean, bone broth? Really??) bone broth has become another sacred cow of the health industry. No pun intended. What once was just a fad has now become commonplace in the advice of many wholistic and "natural" health practitioners. In many circles it is touted as having magical properties such as building strong bones, curing colds, soothing digestive issues, and reducing joint pain. But do we have the whole story? Is bone broth really as good for you as the claims make it out to be? Let's find out!
Bone broth is typically made by simmering the leftover bones from cooking (either chicken or beef) in water, along with other vegetables such as celery, onion, and carrots, and seasonings. After the broth has simmered for several hours, the broth is then strained, and the remaining liquid can be used for cooking or saved for drinking as a preventative health measure or for during sickness. While we've heard many of the purported benefits of bone broth over the years, let's look at whether they hold water...again, no pun intended.
Bone Broth and sickness
You've probably heard your mother or grandmother advise you to drink bone broth when you're not feeling well with a cold or flu. Many people also suggest it's consumption to soothe stomach discomfort. This has more to do with not overburdening the stomach with hard-to-digest foods and providing your body with nutrients are more easily absorbed than magical digestive properties. No studies that I could find, show the ability of chicken soup or broth in the reduction or healing of cold symptoms. To the contrary, chicken in itself showed no cytotoxic effect in one study on how chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro.[1] Meaning that it did not have the effect of toxicity to cells. This weak study used to promote chicken soup benefits does not take into account the anti-inflammatory power of the vegetables included in the broth.
One study, written in 1934, did a comparison on the nutrient value of bone broth and vegetable broth and found that vegetables provided the majority of the nutrient content with the exception of fat.[2] For the broth to have optimal nutrients, the vegetables should be boiled.
Bone Broth and Collagen
Many people drink bone broth due to the high fat and collagen content. However, there’s a problem. Your body doesn’t absorb collagen whole. Once it’s ingested, your body breaks the collagen down into amino acids and your body will then use them where it’s needed. It doesn’t go straight to your skin or wrinkles or hair. Don’t be distracted by people who praise the amino acids found in gelatin and collagen as being helpful. They forget to mention your body produces many of these naturally and don’t need to be consumed as a supplement. One of the best things you can do to support your body, is to consume the building blocks of collagen, so that your body has what it needs to make it naturally. Additionally, there are many other nutrients needed to make collagen and there are better ways to consume them than drinking bone broth. Eat fresh! Most people don’t have a collagen deficiency. They have a nutrient deficiency.
Bone Broth and Lead
One of the most concerning studies on bone broth showed high amounts of lead in the broth due to the lead content of the bone. This study, done in 2013, looked at the lead content of bone broth made from organic chicken bones.[3] The highest amount of lead was contributed by the skin and cartilage of the bird, and the broth contained more than 10x more lead than the water alone.
What to do?
So, if bone broth doesn’t have magical powers, what is one to do? I still really like cooking with broth because of the flavor it adds. What I like to do is find a good quality vegetable broth and use that or make my own. You can do this easily by combing organic, washed vegetables (the more variety, the more flavor) and salt and other seasonings (like Italian) with water and then cooking for an hour or two. Clink the link for a website that has a detailed recipe that may be worth checking out. With vegetable broth you’ll get a good amount of the water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B6.
If you do go the route of store-bought broths, be aware that many broths contain sugars and other additives - even the organic ones! Watch for broths that contain dextrose, as it is a form of sugar that can come from corn or gluten. It’s used as sweetener or preservative, and it raises your blood sugar quickly. People who are gluten free should watch out for added flours and yeast as well.
As of the writing of this article, I have found that both Pacific brand vegetable broth and Trader Joe’s brand, are organic and have good ingredients.
So, that’s my bone to pick with bone broth. There’s potential there, but as always, there’s more to the story.
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[1] Rennard BO, Ertl RF, Gossman GL, Robbins RA, Rennard SI. Chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. Chest. 2000;118(4):1150-1157. doi:10.1378/chest.118.4.1150 [2] McCance RA, Sheldon W, Widdowson EM. Bone and vegetable broth. Arch Dis Child. 1934;9(52):251-258. doi:10.1136/adc.9.52.251 [3] Monro JA, Leon R, Puri BK. The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets. Med Hypotheses. 2013;80(4):389-390. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2012.12.026