Bone Broth is a Health Trend That Still Lives Up to the Hype

Health trends come and go but there’s one superfood that is sticking around – and that’s bone broth. In fact, despite being around for a while, it’s still so popular that it’s a staple of the Paleo diet and bone broth shops are even becoming a thing. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Shailene Woodley are still singing this magic elixir’s praises.

What exactly is bone broth? Well, it’s not stock. It’s an aromatic broth simmered with beef or poultry bones and vegetables.The primary difference between a broth and a stock is the amount of time it is simmered. The longer the liquid cooks, the more nutrients and minerals leach from the bones. Broths are made by simmering the bones and meat (often pre-roasted) of an animal or fish for an extremely long time. How long? Often more than 24 hours, versus a stock only requires about three hours.

Although there is no published research on bone broth itself, there’s plenty of evidence that suggests drinking it may be very beneficial. The promise is that it unlocks nutrients from animal bones such as collagen, anti-inflammatory fats, amino acids, and minerals, and that all of this will help with achy joints, leaky gut, dull skin, and the common cold.

Here are some other benefits to drinking bone broth:

It boosts immunity. Amino acids in bone broth, like arginine, glutamine, and cysteine, have been shown to boost immunity in humans and animals.

It heals your gut. Bone broth is full of amino acids, like proline, which are the building blocks that aid in preventing inflammation for your digestive tract health and promote the growth of healthy probiotics. And the gelatin in bone broth supports healthy digestion. It may be beneficial for individuals with leaky gut or other inflammatory bowel diseases.

It makes you look younger. The large amount of collagen extracted from the simmered bones improves the skin, makes the hair healthy and strengthen the finger and toe nails. Also, collagens are powerful compounds that can diminish wrinkles and rejuvenate dry cells.

It supports joint health. As we get older, the cartilage in our joints breaks down. That’s just a natural part of aging. Bone broth contains collagen and gelatin to help the body rebuild cartilage and it reduces inflammation, which can cause joint pain.

It improves cardio-vascular health. Peptides are amino acids that have beneficial effects to the heart. Studies showed that during digestion, proteins found in roasted bones breakdown into peptides. These are smaller components of amino acids contain a property which is unique from the original proteins.

It helps your sleep better. Some rresearch has shown that glycine, found in bone broth, may help improve sleep and ward off fatigue. And who couldn’t use a little help in that department?