Why You Should Drink Bone Broth

As an aid to digestive problems: the traditional use of bone broth

Meat and fish broths play a central role in all traditional cuisines — French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, African, South American, Middle Eastern and Russian. But the history begins with the ancient Greeks, where Hippocrates (the father of medicine) recommended bone broth to cure digestive problems. 

Later, bone broth was picked up by other ancient cultures. More than 2,500 years ago, it was used in traditional medicine to aid digestion, as a blood builder and to strengthen the kidneys.

Today we know that the essential amino acids in bone broth help fight IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) [*] and regulate gut bacteria. [*] 

Amino acid content of bone broth

Bone broth is a great source of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein — which are divided into essential and non-essential amino acids. Non-essential amino acids are what your body makes itself. Essential amino acids (EAAs), as the name implies, are essential because they can’t be made by the body. The only way to get them is through food.

Individually, amino acids act on so many pathways in the body. From muscle strength and cognitive performance, to cell building. Bone broth, however, is most dominant in the amino acid glycine.

Glycine has many benefits. To name a few: It is crucial for good sleep [*] (more on that later) and glutathione production. [*] 3 grams of glycine helps regulate blood sugar when taken before a meal. [*] Glycine also promotes creatine production [*] and regulates the immune system. [*]

Better sleep

Glycine in bone broth plays a major role in both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters.  Neurotransmitters are a kind of messengers between the body and the brain, particularly related to your mood. One of them impacted by glycine is the neurotransmitter serotonin. [*] 

Serotonin is the precursor to melatonin, our sleep hormone. This makes glycine perfect for better sleep. In fact, 3 grams of glycine taken before bed has been shown to improve sleep, both the quality of sleep and falling asleep faster. It also helps with daytime sleepiness. [*]

The key to longevity: balancing methionine and glycine

You may have heard that red meat is a killer. But this is a short-sighted thought. [*] Red meat predominantly contains the amino acid methionine. Methionine is also found in eggs, dairy, poultry, and fish. Glycine, on the other hand, is especially abundant in skin, bones, organ meats, ligaments, and bone broth. 

Both are needed to protect our tissues as we age, to help us heal properly when we are injured, and to prevent degenerative diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

The problem is that most people today are eating too much methionine and neglecting the glycine-rich foods. The key to longevity is a perfect ratio between the two. 

So, what would be the perfect ratio?

First, you have to understand that it’s easier to focus on getting enough protein than it is to get enough methionine, simply because of the fact that if we get enough protein in our diet, we also get enough methionine. 

Every gram of methionine must be compensated by 0.5-1 gram of glycine. A bone broth or collagen supplement provides 25 times more glycine than methionine. You can choose the perfect ratio by adding a gram of extra bone broth powder for every 10 grams of methionine-rich protein.

So for example, if you consume 100 grams of methionine-rich protein (lean meat, eggs, dairy or fish), add a serving of bone broth powder that contains 10 grams of protein. [*]

Joint health

In addition to glycine, bone broth is rich in collagen. Collagen is the other key ingredient you want to consume if you’re into aging gracefully. Here’s why. 

Collagen is the body’s most abundant protein and it is found primarily in our connective tissue. The body’s natural ability to produce supportive amounts of connective tissue declines after the age of 25. And because we no longer eat these glycine- and collagen-rich foods, it is so important to supplement collagen to maintain normal joints, bones and muscles as you age.

Many studies have been done on the effect of oral collagen on joint disorders, such as arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The clinical dosage of collagen varies greatly. From 2 grams to 10 grams has been shown to be effective in reducing pain and stiffness and increasing mobility in the joints. [*]

Bone health

The benefit of collagen in bone broth also applies to bone health. Bone mineral content contributes to bone stiffness and rigidity, while collagen fibers provide toughness to bone — making it less brittle so that it better resists fracture. Supplementing collagen could be helpful. Especially if it is a clinical disorder. [*], [*]

A randomized controlled trial showed that increasing your collagen intake to 5 grams per day may improve bone density (with the help of calcium and vitamin D) in postmenopausal women. [*]

Skin, hair and nails

The popularity of bone broth and collagen-related products has come from the effect of collagen on skin rejuvenation. Taking collagen orally seems to be more effective than applying it topically. Starting at 2.5 grams of collagen peptides already improved skin hydration, elasticity, roughness and density. [*] 

Orally ingested collagen may also help improve nail growth and reduce brittle nails. [*] Although there is not much data on it. Most of it is anecdotal. 

The same goes for the effect of collagen on hair health. So far, there has only been one study done on an oral supplement with collagen in it that has a proven effect on thickening hair. [*] Again, most of the evidence is anecdotal. 

But fortunately for those looking to improve hair health, bone broth contains a third ingredient and that is gelatin. Gelatin is actually cooked collagen. When a bone broth is properly prepared, it should have a layer of gelatin on top. The effects of gelatin on hair health have been studied and proven successful on hair growth and hair thickening. [*], [*] 

Bone broth powder vs. homemade bone broth

Ease 

Even though technically it is not difficult to make bone broth, there is more to it than that. It all comes down to the right heat, the right amount of bone versus water, and how long it sits on the stove. As mentioned above, you can tell a good bone broth by the amount of gelatin floating on top. 

But to make it easy for you, we’ve launched a bone broth powder made from the finest raw materials, sourced from Swedish, grass-fed, organic and KRAV-certified cattle.

You use the bone broth powder by simply putting 1 or 2 tablespoons into an empty cup and pouring in 100-200 ml of hot water. Add your favorite fat source, season to taste, and you have your amazingly nutritious homemade bone broth in just 2 minutes. Pretty easy huh?

Standardized nutrition content

While there is, of course, nothing wrong with a homemade bone broth, there is evidence that the amino acids are wildly different in various homemade bone broth preparations (depending on how long the bone broth has simmered, high versus low heat, and the amount of bone used) compared to bone broth powder, a collagen or glycine supplement, which are standardized. [*] This way you know exactly how much glycine you’re getting to balance out methionine, and you know you’re getting the recommended 2-10 grams of collagen for better joints, bones, skin and nails. 

You can grab Premium Bone Broth Powder here.