Health: Bone Broth Benefits for Digestion, Arthritis, Cellulite and Cancer

Bone broth is touted for its ability to remineralize the body, heal the joints and bones, fill in wrinkles, and help with leaky gut and other digestive issues, auto-immune conditions, arthritis, and cellulite.

The Ancient Healing “Elixir” that Boosts Health (and is Ideal for Cancer Patients!) (source: https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/bone-broth-nutrition/)

Published on May 21, 2014

“Fearless Digestion: Heal Your Gut. Transform Your Life!” is a self-paced online digestive wellness program rooted in traditional foods. How to make chicken and bone stock is just one of many simple recipes you’ll learn to improve you digestive health. Learn more at http://www.fearlessdigestion.com

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Healthy Bone Broth

It’s time we reclaim broth making from the past, our ancestors instinctively knew the benefits. The All New Joy of Cooking describes broth as, ‘inherently calming, consoling, and restorative to our spirit and vigor.’ A pot of broth simmering away on the stove is like therapy and medicine for the soul, along with that it makes a home feel assuredly comforting and inviting.

https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/joint-pain/the-hidden-health-benefits-of-bone-broth.html

Science validates what our grandmothers knew. Rich homemade chicken broths help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.

Fish stock, according to traditional lore, helps boys grow up into strong men, makes childbirth easy and cures fatigue. “Fish broth will cure anything,” is another South American proverb. Broth and soup made with fish heads and carcasses provide iodine and thyroid-strengthening substances.

https://zerocarbzen.com/2015/10/15/bone-broth-is-anti-ketogenic/

“Good broth will resurrect the dead,” says a South American proverb. Said Escoffier: “Indeed, stock is everything in cooking. Without it, nothing can be done.”

A sense of true deep down nourishment always comes with every sip of broth. Because bone broth is easy to absorb, tastes good, and contains a rich concentration of nutrients, broth makes a distinctively good natural ‘medicine.’ In folk wisdom, chicken soup is known as ‘Jewish penicillin’.

Fish broth will cure anything. ~ South American Proverb

Indeed, stock is everything in cooking. . . without it nothing can be done. ~ Auguste Escoffier

Good broth resurrects the dead. ~ South American Proverb…

On the GAPS dietary protocol, one that is meant for individuals to ‘heal & seal’ the gut lining, bone broth is at the center of the plan. It plays a critical role in soothing the gut and allowing the body to absorb critical nutrition in the most assimilable way. Loaded with minerals, one of our nation’s epidemic health issues, bone broth is a great way to replenish the bodies likely depleted mineral reserves.

A cure-all in traditional households and the magic ingredient in classic gourmet cuisine, stock or broth made from bones of chicken, fish and beef builds strong bones, assuages sore throats, nurtures the sick, puts vigor in the step and sparkle in love life–so say grandmothers, midwives and healers. For chefs, stock is the magic elixir for making soul-warming soups and matchless sauces.

Meat and fish stocks play a role in all traditional cuisines—French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, African, South American, Middle Eastern and Russian. In America, stock went into gravy and soups and stews. That was when most animals were slaughtered locally and nothing went to waste. Bones, hooves, knuckles, carcasses and tough meat went into the stock pot and filled the house with the aroma of love.

In the 1930’s a paper was published on bone broth. It basically stated that bone broth was a drink of low nutritional value because it contained very little starch and sugar and a ton of this stuff called gelatin. Bad science, poor nutritional advice, and well-meaning scientists of the day recommended sugar cubes and potatoes over bone broth. Imagine that?

Why gelatin is one of the nutritious substances?

When broth is cooled, it congeals due to the presence of gelatin. The use of gelatin as a therapeutic agent goes back to the ancient Chinese. Gelatin was probably the first functional food, dating from the invention of the “digestor” by the Frenchman Papin in 1682. Papin’s digestor consisted of an apparatus for cooking bones or meat with steam to extract the gelatin. Just as vitamins occupy the center of the stage in nutritional investigations today, so two hundred years ago gelatin held a position in the forefront of food research. Gelatin was universally acclaimed as a most nutritious foodstuff particularly by the French, who were seeking ways to feed their armies and vast numbers of homeless in Paris and other cities. Although gelatin is not a complete protein, containing only the amino acids arginine and glycine in large amounts, it acts as a protein sparer, helping the poor stretch a few morsels of meat into a complete meal. During the siege of Paris, when vegetables and meat were scarce, a doctor named Guerard put his patients on gelatin bouillon with some added fat and they survived in good health.

The French were the leaders in gelatin research, which continued up to the 1950s. Gelatin was found to be useful in the treatment of a long list of diseases including peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice and cancer. Babies had fewer digestive problems when gelatin was added to their milk. The American researcher Francis Pottenger pointed out that as gelatin is a hydrophilic colloid, which means that it attracts and holds liquids, it facilitates digestion by attracting digestive juices to food in the gut. Even the epicures recognized that broth-based soup did more than please the taste buds. “Soup is a healthy, light, nourishing food” said Brillant-Savarin, “good for all of humanity; it pleases the stomach, stimulates the appetite and prepares the digestion.”

Bone broth contains gelatin, a colloidal substance that attracts digestive juices to itself and prevent gastrointestinal bugs from attaching themselves to the gut wall and wreaking havoc.The gelatin in bone broth assists digestion. It is helpful in treating the following conditions such as: IBS,food allergies, dairy maldigestion, colic, bean maldigestion, meat maldigestion, grain maldigestion, hypochlorhydria, hyperacidity (gastroesophageal reflux, gastritis, ulcer, hiatal hernia) inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut syndrome, malnutrition, weight loss, muscle wasting, cancer, osteoporosis, calcium deficiency and anemia.

It also assists in neutralizing whatever intestinal poison is causing problems during an intestinal bug or flu.

Anemia and other blood disorders respond to gelatin in the diet as well. Gelatin is used to tonify the blood. Glycine, a key ingredient in gelatin, plays a vital role in the blood. (Table II) Also if gelatin is extracted from bone, then marrow, where blood cells are produced is also extracted. Chinese studies have shown gelatin to increase red blood cell and hemoglobin count, increase serum calcium level, increase the absorption and utilization of calcium, and prevent and treat myotonia atrophica (muscle wasting).

Scurvy is a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. It results in symptoms such as bleeding gums, bruising, and poor wound healing. These manifestations are actually due to a deficiency of collagen, because vitamin C is needed to synthesize collagen. It converts proline into hydroxy proline.

What researchers didn’t realize is that gelatin is one of the most nutritious substances on the planet – a protein that literally anyone can digest. When animal bones and marrow, feet, tendons, and ligaments are simmered for 24-48 hours, collagen (which gets broken down into gelatin) is released along with amino acids, and highly absorbable minerals like calcium, magnesium, sulphur, silicon, phosphorus, and trace minerals.

Because of this, bone broth is touted for its ability to remineralize the body, heal the joints and bones, fill in wrinkles, and help with leaky gut and other digestive issues, auto-immune conditions, arthritis, and cellulite. Throughout history, the gelatin in bone broth has been used to heal peptic ulcers, infectious diseases, and cancer. Sugar and starch can’t do that.

Many soups are overly laden with sodium to bring up the flavor profile or to help mask unpleasant flavors, so we really want to be sure we are keeping our intake to the recommended 1500 mg/day for the average individual, with the uppermost limit around 2300 mg.

When we routinely exceed these limits, we pay the consequences with nasty things like uncomfortable bloating, edema, high blood pressure, even osteoporosis, to only name a few.

Not surprisingly, some soups are also high in animal fats. Of course, we know these have been proven to be a less than optimum source of fats for us because they can lead to all kinds of unhealthy conditions, like congestion in your body, which can lead to issues such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which have been linked to heart disease (the number 1 killer in western culture).

Some other negative effects of consuming foods that are high in animal fats include an increased risk of colon cancers, and decreases in both kidney and liver function.

SO WHAT’S THE ADVANTAGE TO BONE BROTH?

Coincidentally, these are among the many proven advantages of a diet rich in organic fruits and vegetables, but unlike bone broth, there are innumerable studies and reams of research to back these claims up.

In researching the nutrition claims about bone broths specifically, it is impossible to find any really concrete facts at all.

Why? This is partially because not all bone broths are created equal. By this I mean that bone broths can be made from many different animals and also from many different parts of animals.

To complicate things further, you really can’t know how healthy the animal was or what type of lifestyle it had to begin with before you purchase the bones. Suffice it to say that things like fat content and mineral density may come down to just which bones were actually used to make the broth.

Many proponents of bone broths maintain that the highest quality ones are the ones that are made from feet, knuckles, and head bones. Head bones? Why?

AND NOW A WORD ABOUT COLLAGEN:

PICTURE OF COLLAGEN DIAGRAM

What comes into question is what the body actually gains from consuming it, and is this really the best way to get to these nutrients?

The claim is that the collagen from the connective tissues will break down under sustained heating, usually for 8 hours or more, leaving behind a somewhat thicker liquid than most stocks we are accustomed to seeing.

It is said that you will know you have cooked it correctly if the liquid actually turns to a jiggly, gelatinous substance when cooled.

Does consuming bone broths will infuse to your body with additional collagen – that wondrous protein substance that we rely upon to keep our bones strong, our joints healthy, and our skin youthful and elastic?

The problem with that logic is that this is simply not part of our body’s natural process at all. Your body is no more likely to take that collagen you are eating and put it in your bones, joints and skin than it is to grow a head of thick lustrous hair for you if you simply eat a big plate of hair every day!

William Percy, an associate professor from the Sanford School of Medicine (part of the University of South Dakota) had this to say on the subject:

“Since we don’t absorb collagen whole, the idea that eating collagen somehow promotes bone growth is just wishful thinking.”

We know that the body actually uses amino acids to make its own collagen.

So the road to collagen production is through consuming foods rich in the necessary amino acids.

Amino acids like Proline and Threonine are among the building blocks of collagen, but much healthier sources of these would include things like:

Dark green leafy vegetables
Mushrooms
Beans and legumes like lentils (soaked overnight)
Quinoa, millet and other gluten-free grains (soaked overnight)
Hemp protein or sprouted raw vegan protein powders
Brussels sprouts

Threonine is also a key player in supporting immune system health as well as healthy cardiovascular function because it helps our muscles stay strong and retain their elasticity in addition to helping build strong bones and teeth.

Bone Broth Benefits for Digestion, Arthritis and Cellulite

Bone Broth Benefits - Dr.Axe

For thousands of years, there have been traditional foods like fermented vegetables and cultured dairy that have been touted for their health benefits. But one common healing food that is now being recognized for its incredible health benefits is bone broth. Why? Because bone broth benefits are numerous and extensive.

With that in mind, let me share a few ancient secrets with you on what makes bone broth benefits so remarkable.

Bone Broth Benefits

I have found bone broth to be the No. 1 thing you can consume to:

Treat leaky gut syndrome
Overcome food intolerances and allergies
Improve joint health
Reduce cellulite
Boost immune system

Chicken soup isn’t just good for the soul: There’s a reason that it’s prescribed by doctors and mothers alike when you’re feeling under the weather. All bone broths — beef, chicken, fish, lamb and more — are staples in the traditional diets of every culture and the basis of all fine cuisine. That’s because bone broths are nutrient-dense, easy to digest, rich in flavor and they boost healing.

Bone broth or stock was a way our ancestors made use of every part of an animal. Bones and marrow, skin and feet, tendons and ligaments that you can’t eat directly can be boiled and then simmered over a period of days. This simmering causes the bones and ligaments to release healing compounds like collagen, proline, glycine glutamine and arginine that have the power to transform your health.

Collagen forms the foundation of bones, muscles, skin, and tendons. It gives the skin its strength and elasticity and declines with age subjecting the body to numerous health conditions. Good thing bone broth has you covered. Several studies have found that collagen, along with minerals are needed for the creation and healing of bone, improves severe rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, regenerates tissue, plays a role in many autoimmune diseases, and helps the body look good. It is also integral to cartilage formation and repair.

Proline prevents and reverses atherosclerosis, helps lower blood pressure, and helps produce collagen for joints, ligaments, tendons, and skin.

Glycine plays a pivotal role in preventing neurobehavioral disorders, regulates blood sugar, promotes muscle growth, heals wounds, inhibits inflammation, helps regulate hormones, prevents arthritis and inflammatory diseases, and has proven promising at preventing and treating cancer.

Glutamine strengthens the immune system, heals the gut lining and improves metabolism.

Arginine builds muscle, enhances fat metabolism, and prevents a whole bunch of other things. All you need to know is that arginine enhances sexual performance.

Nutrition researchers Sally Fallon and Kaayla Daniel of the Weston A. Price Foundation explain that bone broths contain minerals in forms that your body can easily absorb: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and others. They contain chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, the compounds sold as pricey supplements to reduce inflammation, arthritis and joint pain.

A study of chicken soup (broth) conducted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center wondered what it was in the soup that made it so beneficial for colds and flu. Researchers found that the amino acids that were produced when making chicken stock reduced inflammation in the respiratory system and improved digestion. Also, research is proving it can also boost the immune system and heal disorders like allergies, asthma and arthritis.

Fallon explains that most store-bought “stock and “broth” today aren’t “REAL.” Instead, companies use lab-produced meat flavors in bouillon cubes, soup and sauce mixes. Also, manufacturers began using monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is recognized as a meat flavor but in reality is a neurotoxin.

If you want real bone broth and real bone broth benefits, you can make it yourself at home, which I explain at the end of this article. You need to get grass-fed bones from your local farmers market or from a online health food store like Wise Choice Market.

Bone broth is a great place to find all of the valuable amino acids, collagen, gelatin and trace minerals. In fact, there are dozens of different nutrients found within bone broth, many of which can’t be obtained easily from other commonly eaten foods. That’s partly why there are so many incredible bone broth benefits.

Bone broth contains minerals such as calcium, silicon, sulphur, magnesium, phosphorous & trace minerals in an easily assimilable form. These minerals are pulled out of the bones in part due to using a vinegar solution prior to cooking. The vinegar helps to draw the mineral salts out of the bone. All of the minerals present in bones used for bone broth, except fluoride, are macro-minerals, which are essential for proper nutrition and are required in greater amounts than 100mg/day. The only macro-mineral not present in bone is chlorine. Minerals have numerous functions in the body beyond the composition of bone, which is why the body will rob the bones and tissues to maintain steady levels of minerals in the blood and other fluids. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in bone, it is also the most abundant mineral in the body. The calcium present in bone broth can be considered for use in the following deficiency signs, symptoms and conditions: pain and inflammation, cramps, muscle spasms, delusions, depression, insomnia, irritability, hyperactivity, anxiety, palpitations, hypertension, high cholesterol, allergies, brittle nails, periodontal and dental disease, pica, rickets, osteomalacia, osteoporosis and any situation that creates bone loss such as aging, immobilization, post-menopause, and caffeine.

By regularly drinking bone broth or using it in recipes, you can help promote healthy gut integrity while reducing permeability and inflammation. Here are the six major bone broth benefits.

1. Protects Joints

Bone broth is one of world’s best sources of natural collagen, the protein found in connective tissue of vertebrae animals. It is abundant in their bones, skin, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and bone marrow.

Another word for collagen is gelatin. Collagen is a scientific term for a particular protein in the body, while gelatin is a food term referring to extracted collagen. Real collagen is the source of stock’s immune-boosting properties. You’ve probably seen this jiggling layer atop the broth in your cooling roasting pan and discarded it, but think again next time — this is the good stuff that provides many of the bone broth benefits available.The breakdown of collagen in bone broths is what produces gelatin.

Gelatin (the breakdown of collagen) was one of the first functional foods used as a medical treatment in ancient China. Dr. Francis Pottenger and other world-class researches have found gelatin and collagen.

As we get older, our joints naturally experience wear and tear, and we become less flexible.

Why does that matter? As we age, cartilage diminishes as it gets attacked by antibodies (age-related degradation of joint cartilage). As bone broth simmers, collagen from the animal parts leaches into the broth and becomes readily absorbable to help restore cartilage.

One of the most valuable components of bone broth is gelatin, which acts like a soft cushion between bones that helps them “glide” without friction. Gelatin also provides us with building blocks that are needed to form and maintain strong bones, helping take pressure off of aging joints and supporting heathy bone mineral density.

Research done by the Department of Nutrition and Sports Nutrition for Athletics at Penn State University found that when athletes supplemented with collagen over the course of 24 weeks, the majority showed significant improvements in joint comfort and a decrease in factors that negatively impacted athletic performance.

2. Good for the Gut

Studies show that gelatin is beneficial for restoring strength of the gut lining and fighting food sensitivities (such as to wheat or dairy), helping with the growth of probiotics (good bacteria) in the gut, and supporting healthy inflammation levels in the digestive tract. A report published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology found that gelatin effectively supports intestinal health and integrity.

Bone broth is easily digested and soothing to the digestive system, unlike many other foods, which can be difficult to fully break down. After all, a food is really only useful if we have the means of absorbing its nutrients.

Studies have found that in individuals with digestive imbalances, serum concentrations of collagen are decreased. Because the amino acids in collagen build the tissue that lines the colon and entire GI tract, supplementing with collagen can support healthy digestive function.

3. Maintains Healthy Skin

Collagen helps form elastin and other compounds within skin that are responsible for maintaining skin’s youthful tone, texture and appearance. Collagen integrity is accredited with helping reduce the visible signs of wrinkles, decreasing puffiness and fighting various other signs of aging. Many people report a decrease in cellulite when consuming foods and supplements containing collagen, since cellulite forms due to a lack of connective tissue, allowing skin to lose its firm tone.

Here is another incredible benefit from the collagen found in bone broth: It can make your skin look amazing! According to Donna Gates, author of “Body Ecology,” bone broth benefits you skin because it makes it supple and can decrease cellulite!

She says cellulite comes from a lack of connective tissue, and if someone has very smooth skin, it’s because the skin is high in connective tissue. Gates explains that consuming collagen-rich bone broth can reduce cellulite and tighten your skin, making you look younger — adding it to the long list of bone broth benefits.

Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies investigating the age-defending properties of collagen have found that 2.5–5 grams of collagen hydrolysate (CH) used among women aged 35–55 once daily for eight weeks supports skin elasticity, skin moisture, transepidermal water loss (dryness) and skin roughness. At the end of only four weeks, those using collagen showed a statistically significant improvement in comparison to those using a placebo with regard to skin moisture and skin evaporation, plus noticeable decreases in signs of accelerated aging, all with little to no side effects.

4. Supports Immune System Function

One of the most remarkable things about bone broth is its gut-supportive benefits, which as described above actually have a holistic effect on the body and support healthy immune system function.

Leaky gut occurs when undigested particles from foods seep through tiny openings in the weakened intestinal lining and enter the bloodstream, where the immune system detects them and becomes hyperactive. This increases inflammation and leads to dysfunctions all over, as the immune system releases high levels of antibodies that cause an autoimmune-like response and attack healthy tissue.

Bone broth is one of the most beneficial foods to consume to restore gut health and therefore support immune system function and healthy inflammation response. Collagen/gelatin and the amino acids proline, glutamine and arginine help seal these openings in the gut lining and support gut integrity. Traditionally made bone broths are believed to support healthy inflammatory response and normal immune system function. Bone broth can even promote healthy sleep, boost energy during the day and support a healthy mood.

5. Boosts Detoxification

Today in the Western world, the average person is exposed to an array of environmental toxins, pesticides, artificial ingredients and chemicals of all sorts. While the human body has its own means of detoxifying itself from heavy metals and other toxic exposures, it often has a hard time keeping up when flooded with an overwhelming amount of chemicals. Bone broth is considered a powerful detoxification agent since it helps the digestive system expel waste and promotes the liver’s ability to remove toxins, helps maintain tissue integrity, and improves the body’s use of antioxidants.

Bone broth contains potassium and glycine, which support both cellular and liver detoxification.

Some of the ways in which bone broth boosts detoxification is by supplying sulfur (especially when you add veggies, garlic and herbs to your broth) and glutathione, which is a phase II detoxification agent that lowers oxidative stress. Stanford University’s Medicine Preventative Research Center has found that glutathione helps with elimination of fat-soluble compounds, especially heavy metals like mercury and lead. It also helps with the absorption of various nutrients, the use of antioxidants and with liver-cleansing functions. Bone broth also increases intake of essential minerals, which act like chelators to remove toxins by stopping heavy metals from attaching to mineral receptor sites.

6. Aids the Metabolism and Promotes Anabolism

Bone broth is a great way to obtain more glutathione, which studies show plays important roles in antioxidant defense, nutrient metabolism and regulation of cellular events. A 2004 study published in the Journal of Nutrition states that glutathione’s roles and benefits include regulating gene expressions, DNA and protein synthesis, cell proliferation and apoptosis, signal transduction, cytokine production, and immune responses.

Amino acids found in bone broth have numerous metabolic roles, including building and repairing muscle tissue, supporting bone mineral density, boosting nutrient absorption and synthesis, and maintaining muscle and connective tissue health. Glycine found within collagen helps form muscle tissue by converting glucose into useable energy, plus it slows cartilage, tissue and muscle loss associated with aging by improving the body’s use of antioxidants. Studies have revealed that glycine protects skeletal muscle loss and stops the expression of genes associated with age-related muscle protein breakdown.

Glutamine is another amino acid that’s important for a healthy metabolism, since it helps us maintain energy by sending nutrients, including nitrogen, to our cells. Arginine also has the role of breaking down nitric oxide that helps improve circulation and sends blood and nutrients to cells throughout the body, improving muscle and tissue integrity and promoting normal wound healing.

Bone Broth Nutrition

Bone broth could be called “nature’s multivitamin.” How so exactly? It’s packed with:

over 19 easy-to-absorb, essential and non-essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins)
collagen/gelatin, which help form connective tissue
nutrients that support digestive functions, immunity and brain health

Did you get that? Bone broth benefits literally every part of your body, from your gut to your brain, from your muscles to your ligaments.

It’s also relatively low in calories yet very high in minerals and other chemical compounds that many people are lacking. There’s no doubt that bone broth makes a great everyday addition to your diet.

Here are six of the key nutritional compounds found in bone broth that help provide all these wonderful bone broth benefits.

1. Glycosaminoglycans (GAG)

Glycosaminoglycans have the primary role of maintaining and supporting collagen and elastin that take up the spaces between bones and various fibers. GAGs are supportive for digestive health since they help restore the intestinal lining, which is why a deficiency in these nutrients has been linked to digestive challenges.

Several important GAGs are found in bone broth, including glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate.

2. Glucosamine

There are two main types of naturally occurring glucosamine: hydrochloride and sulfate. Both help keep up the integrity of cartilage, which is the rubbery substance within joints that acts like a natural cushion. Studies show that glucosamine can become depleted as we get older, so supplements are often used to support joint health.

An easy and relatively inexpensive way to obtain glucosamine naturally is from drinking more bone broth, which helps support the loss of cartilage health, acting as an alternative to pricey glucosamine supplements. Consuming more glucosamine can help support joint health, flexibility and comfort.

3. Hyaluronic Acid

Found throughout connective, epithelial (skin) and neural tissues, hyaluronic acid contributes to cell proliferation, differentiation and mitigation, allowing our cells to perform various functions throughout the body as needed. It offers support for multiple skin types and promotes healthy aging, cell rejuvenation and skin firmness.

4. Chondroitin Sulfate

Chondroitin sulfate is a beneficial glycosaminoglycan found in the cartilage within the joints of all animals. It’s often used to support joint health and comfort, especially in combination with glucosamines.

Chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine in bone broth may help reduce inflammation and Dr. Canale, MD., from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons certainly seems to be a fan. Even Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD., recommends bone broth as part of her gut healing protocol.

Studies have found that supplementing with chondroitin supports healthy inflammation response as well as cardiovascular health, bone health, skin health and healthy cholesterol levels.

5. Minerals and Electrolytes

Bone broth provides essential minerals, including electrolytes, all provided in an easy-to-absorb form. Electrolytes found within bone broth include calcium, magnesium and potassium (not to mention many other minerals, such as phosphorus), which are important for supporting healthy circulation, bone density, nerve signaling functions, heart health and digestive health. When added sodium levels are kept low, bone broth contains an ideal balance of sodium and potassium to support cellular health and efficiency.

Bone broths are a rich source of minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. They are also in a form that the body can easily absorb. It nourishes skin to keep away cracked heels and dull skin.

6. Collagen

Collagen is the main structural protein found within the human body that helps form connective tissue and “seals” the protective lining of the gastrointestinal tract. It’s also the gel-like, smooth structure that covers and holds our bones together, allowing us to glide and move freely.

Irritation within the gut that impairs normal digestive functions and causes permeability, allowing particles to pass into the bloodstream, known as leaky gut.

As a rich source of gelatin, bone broth protects and seals the mucosal lining of the GI tract, which means it improves nutrient absorption and also helps keep particles from leaching out where they shouldn’t be.

Bone Broth Benefits: The Magic of Collagen and Gelatin

Real collagen is the source of stock’s immune-boosting properties. You’ve probably seen this jiggling layer atop the broth in your cooling roasting pan and discarded it, but think again next time — this is the good stuff that provides many of the bone broth benefits available.

Collagen is the protein found in connective tissue of vertebrate animals. It’s abundant in bone, marrow, cartilage, tendons and ligaments. The breakdown of collagen in bone broths is what produces gelatin.

Gelatin (the breakdown of collagen) was one of the first functional foods used as a medical treatment in ancient China. Dr. Francis Pottenger and other world-class researches have found gelatin and collagen to have the listed benefits:

Gelatin helps people with food allergies and sensitivities tolerate those foods, including cow’s milk and gluten.
Collagen protects and soothes the lining of the digestive tract and can aid in healing IBS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and acid reflux symptoms.
Gelatin promotes probiotic balance and growth.
Bone broth increases collagen, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and banishing cellulite.
Because gelatin helps break down proteins and soothes the gut lining, it may prove useful for leaky gut syndrome and the autoimmune disorders that accompany it.
Gelatin provides bone-building minerals in easily absorbable ways, preventing bone loss and reducing join pain.

Bone Broth Benefits: Healing Amino Acids

Gelatin in bone broths contains “conditional” amino acids arginine, glycine, glutamine and proline. These amino acids also contribute to stock’s healing properties.

Conditional amino acids are those classified as nonessential amino acids that are essential under some conditions. You don’t produce them very well if you are ill or stressed. Kaayla Daniel points out that unhealthy Western diets, heavy on processed carbohydrates, low in quality grass-fed animal products, and devoid of homemade soups and broths, make it likely that these amino acids are chronically essential.

What do these conditional amino acids do?

Arginine

Necessary for immune system function and wound healing. Can be considered for use in the following conditions: poor wound healing, soft tissue injury (including surgery), cartilage and bone injury (including dental degeneration). It has also been found to improve body weight as well as bone mineral density in states of protein undernutrition.
Needed for the production and release of growth hormone
Helps regenerate damaged liver cells. Broth could be considered a liver tonic (or liver supportive). Broth helps the body to detoxify during a cleanse, and in fact at any time it is eaten.
Needed for the production of sperm

Glycine

Prevents breakdown of protein tissue like muscle
Used to make bile salts and glutathione
Helps detoxify the body of chemicals and acts as antioxidant
Is a neurotransmitter that improves sleep and improves memory and performance
Glycine plays a pivotal role in preventing neurobehavioral disorders, regulates blood sugar, promotes muscle growth, heals wounds, inhibits inflammation, helps regulate hormones, prevents arthritis and inflammatory diseases, and has proven promising at preventing and treating cancer.

Proline

Helps regenerate cartilage and heal joints
Reduces cellulite and makes skin more supple
Helps repair leaky gut

Glutamine

Protects gut lining
Metabolic fuel for cells in small intestine
Improves metabolism and muscle building

Talk about some incredible bone broth benefits! For these reasons, I have most of my patients consume bone broth as a partial fast, detox or during meals to help heal their guts and detoxify their cells, gut and liver.

How to Make Bone Broth

There are a few important basics to consider when making good stock. You can make bone broth with animal components alone, but in his chicken soup study, Dr. Rennard found that the combination of animal products and vegetables seemed to have synergistic effects, working together to be more beneficial than either alone.

Fallon says that it’s important to use body parts that aren’t commonly found in the meat department of your grocery store, things like chicken feet and neck.

You also want to buy animal products that you know are pasture-fed and free of antibiotics and hormones in order to truly unlock all the bone broth benefits.

Fallon describes the essentials as bones, fat, meat, vegetables and water. If you’re making beef broth or lamb broth, you should brown the meat before putting it into a stock pot. Fish and poultry are fine to put in a pot without browning first. Add a bit of apple cider vinegar to your pot to help draw the minerals from the bones.

Cooking Suggestions

Place bones into a large stock pot and cover with water.
Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to water prior to cooking. This helps to pull out important nutrients from the bones.
Fill stock pot with filtered water. Leave plenty of room for water to boil.
Heat slowly. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for at least six hours. Remove scum as it arises.
Cook slow and at low heat. Chicken bones can cook for 24 hours. Beef bones can cook for 48 hours. A low and slow cook time is necessary in order to fully extract the nutrients in and around the bone.
You can also add in vegetables, such as onions, garlic, carrots and celery, for added nutrient value.

After cooking, the broth will cool and a layer of fat will harden on top. This layer protects the broth beneath. Discard this layer only when you are about to eat the broth.

Final Thoughts on Bone Broth Benefits

Remember, bone broth is rich in minerals that support the immune system and contains healing compounds like collagen, glutamine, glycine and proline.

The collagen in bone broth heals your gut lining and reduces intestinal inflammation. In addition, collagen supports healthy skin and can reduce the appearance of cellulite. Also, the glycine in bone broth can detoxify your cells from chemicals and improve brain function.

I recommend consuming eight ounces one to two times daily as a soup, a plain beverage or doing a bone broth fast to get all these wonderful bone broth benefits. I typically drink eight ounces upon waking every morning.

Have you ever had bone broth? Do you think you might give it a try?

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(SOURCE: https://draxe.com/the-healing-power-of-bone-broth-for-digestion-arthritis-and-cellulite/)