Remedy · animal food
Bone broth: what the evidence says about collagen, joints and gut claims
A warm, savory, traditional food that is easy to drink when you are unwell. The popular claims about gut lining, joints and skin have not been tested in people.
By the editors of Alimentotherapy Last reviewed 4 min read Not medical advice
Bone broth
Best-supported use: Joint, skin or gut benefits
The short answer
There are no clinical trials showing that bone broth helps joints, skin or the gut lining. When researchers measured the amino acids that make up collagen in broths, they found amounts far below the doses used in collagen supplement studies and wildly variable from one recipe to the next Alcock 2019. It is a good, traditional food; it is not a proven remedy.
The evidence, use by use
Each claim graded on human studies only. How we grade
| Use | Grade | What the research found |
|---|---|---|
| Joint health and collagen | Not supported | No trials of bone broth for joints exist. A laboratory analysis found broth made to a standard recipe supplied much less glycine, proline and hydroxyproline than a 20 g research dose of collagen supplement, with large swings between recipes. Alcock 2019 |
| Repairing or "sealing" the gut lining | Not supported | We found no human trials. The claim comes from diets such as GAPS, which have not been tested in controlled studies. Monro 2013 |
| Comfort and fluids during a cold | Limited | Small lab studies of hot drinks and hot soup show short-lived relief of a blocked nose and a sense of feeling better. This applies to warm broths generally, not bone broth in particular. Saketkhoo 1978; Sanu 2008 |
What bone broth is
Bone broth is stock by another name: bones (often with joints, feet or knuckles) simmered in water for many hours, sometimes with vegetables and a splash of vinegar. Long cooking pulls gelatin out of the connective tissue, which is why a good broth sets to a jelly when cold. Gelatin is cooked collagen, and that is the root of most of the claims made for it.
Every traditional cuisine has a version, and using bones is a sensible part of eating the whole animal. See nose-to-tail eating for that tradition.
Does the collagen in broth reach your joints or skin?
The idea is that eating collagen supplies the building blocks your body uses to make its own. Collagen peptide supplements have been studied for joints and skin with mixed results, but those trials used measured powders, not broth.
Australian researchers analyzed commercial, cafe-made and lab-prepared broths for the key amino acids. Broth made to a standard recipe was significantly lower in all of them than a 20 g research dose of collagen, and broths made to home-style recipes varied enormously. They concluded broth is unlikely to be a reliable source Alcock 2019. Your body also digests collagen into amino acids like any other protein, so eating it does not deliver collagen straight to a knee.
The lead question
Bones store lead. A small 2013 study measured organic chicken broths and found several times the lead concentration of the water they were made with, highest in broth made from skin and cartilageMonro 2013. It was a small study published in a hypothesis journal, and it has not settled the question. It is a reason to vary your diet rather than drink large amounts of broth every day, especially for children and in pregnancy.
Why it still has a place
Warm, salty, savory liquid is easy to take when you have a cold or a stomach bug and do not feel like eating. Lab studies found hot drinks and hot chicken soup briefly loosened nasal mucus and made people with colds feel better Saketkhoo 1978; Sanu 2008. That is comfort and fluids, which matter, and nothing more.
In the kitchen
Cool broth quickly, refrigerate it within two hours, and lift off the fat once it sets. Reheat to a rolling boil before drinking. Long-simmered broth left out overnight is a classic source of food poisoning.
Before you try it: safety and interactions
Who should avoid it or ask first
- You are on a low-sodium diet for heart or kidney reasons: use unsalted homemade broth or count it.
Possible side effects
- High sodium in many commercial broths: check the label if you are watching salt.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Broth that is boiled and handled safely is an ordinary food in pregnancy. Because of the unresolved question about lead from bones, it is sensible not to drink large amounts every day. Monro 2013
Medicine interactions
We found no well-documented medicine interactions for bone broth at food amounts. That is not proof there are none: tell your pharmacist about any herb or supplement you take.
Check another food or medicine in the interactions list.
Common questions
Is bone broth good for your joints?
There is no trial evidence that it is. A 2019 laboratory analysis found standard bone broths supplied far fewer collagen building blocks than the 20 g collagen doses used in research, and amounts varied widely between recipes.
Is bone broth good for the gut lining?
No human trials have tested that claim. It comes from diets such as GAPS that have not been studied in controlled trials. Broth is an easy, gentle food to take when you are unwell, which is a different thing.
Is there lead in bone broth?
Possibly a little. A small 2013 study found organic chicken broths had several times the lead level of the water used to make them. The study was small and the question is unsettled, so variety is wiser than drinking large amounts daily.
Sources
Primary research and government sources, each checked on the date this page was reviewed.
- PubMedAlcock RD, et al. Bone broth unlikely to provide reliable concentrations of collagen precursors compared with supplemental sources of collagen used in collagen research. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019. PMID 29893587.
- PubMedMonro JA, Leon R, Puri BK. The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets. Med Hypotheses. 2013. PMID 23375414.
- PubMedSaketkhoo K, Januszkiewicz A, Sackner MA. Effects of drinking hot water, cold water, and chicken soup on nasal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance. Chest. 1978. PMID 359266.
- PubMedSanu A, Eccles R. The effects of a hot drink on nasal airflow and symptoms of common cold and flu. Rhinology. 2008. PMID 19145994.
Keep reading
- Kitchen practiceNose-to-tail eatingEating the whole animal is an old habit with a real nutritional case: organ meats carry more of several vitamins and minerals than muscle meat. Liver also carries enough vitamin A that portion size matters.
- RemedyChicken soupThe most famous food remedy of all. The studies behind it are small lab experiments, but a hot, salty, savory broth does bring short-term relief and fluids.
- GoalFood and colds: honey, zinc, vitamin C and chicken soupNo food stops a cold. Honey has good evidence for easing cough in children over one, and regular vitamin C slightly shortens colds; most other remedies are comfort.
- GoalFood and inflammation: what CRP is and what diets actually changeWhole dietary patterns, not single foods, have shown measurable drops in inflammation markers. Most 'anti-inflammatory food' lists rest on lab studies.