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Bone Broth Revisited

Based on a recent review of bone broths by ConsumerLab.com®, I decided it was time to publish an update on my June 2017 blog on bone broth, Is Bone Broth a good source of Calcium.

Bone broth is made by simmering chicken or beef bones and cartilage in water for an extended length of time with the goal of leaching nutrition from the bones. Bone broth can be a good source of protein, especially collagen. So what is the difference between the bone broth and traditional chicken or beef broth? Bone broth is the liquid of simmered bones. Traditional broth comes from simmering meat on or off the bone. Bone broth generally contains more collagen than traditional broth. You can buy bone broth as a liquid, or a powder.

There is little research on the benefits of bone broth products but some studies do suggest possible benefits from collagen supplementation. Whether this research extrapolates to bone broths is unknown as there are numerous forms of collagen. Collagen hydrolysate, also known as enzymatically hydrolyzed collagen or collagen peptide, is one of the most commonly studied forms and may be absorbed better according to some animal studies. It is hard to know if the broths even contain the same types of collagen found to be beneficial in the research, as not all bone broths indicate the type collagen present.

Here is a summary of what Consumerlab.com® found.

  • Regarding bone health and osteoporosis, some animal studies have noted positive effects of collagen on bone and bone density. There is not much research on collagen and bone health in humans. One Czech study noted some differences, but they did not reflect statistically significant increases in bone mineral density.
  • The Bare Bones Bone Broth, which claimed 10 grams of protein, only contained 3.8 grams per cup and the least collagen of the 11 products tested. It also listed 260 mg sodium and it actually contained 456 mg sodium.  Their review did not include anything on the accuracy of the calcium level of the Bare Bones chicken bone broth, which I had discussed in my June 2017 blog.

  • Typically you get the most for your money by going with a powder instead of a liquid that is made from chicken instead of beef. Three of their top 4 picks are chicken.

  • Their top 4 picks are: Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth Protein, Jarrow Formulas Beyond Bone Broth Spicy Beef Ramen Flavor, Pacific Organic Bone Broth Chicken and LonoLife Grass Fed Beef Bone Broth.

posted on 8/18/2018