Is bone broth good for gut health and joints?

The health benefits of bone broth center around its unique amino acid and protein profile. Gelatin, the cooked form of collagen, is the compound that makes good bone broth gel in the fridge. When consumed, it breaks down into amino acids that support several key systems.

For gut health, bone broth provides glutamine, the preferred fuel source for the cells lining your intestinal wall. Research has shown that glutamine helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier, preventing the increased permeability known as "leaky gut"⁴. Glycine, another abundant amino acid in bone broth, has anti-inflammatory properties that may help calm an overactive immune response in the gut³. See our Collagen page for the science behind the key compounds.

For joint support, the gelatin and collagen in bone broth supply the same raw materials your body uses to maintain cartilage. The glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate naturally present in simmered connective tissue are the same compounds sold as joint supplements, but in bone broth they come in a whole-food matrix.

For immune function, grandma's chicken soup was right. A study published in the journal Chest found that chicken soup (essentially a seasoned bone broth) had measurable anti-inflammatory properties, inhibiting the migration of neutrophils, the immune cells involved in upper respiratory inflammation². The combination of easily absorbed minerals, anti-inflammatory amino acids, and warm hydration creates a genuinely therapeutic food during illness.

How to make it properly: the key is time and quality ingredients. Use bones from grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, or wild-caught fish. Add 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to the cold water before heating. The acid helps leach minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus out of the bones. Simmer beef or pork bones for 24-48 hours, poultry bones for 12-24 hours, and fish bones for 6-8 hours. The broth should gel when refrigerated; if it does not, you either used too much water or not enough bones and connective tissue.

The gap between store-bought and homemade is significant. Most commercial bone broths are cooked for far shorter periods, use lower-quality bones, and contain additives like "natural flavors," yeast extract, or excessive sodium. Many do not gel, which means they contain substantially less gelatin and collagen. Some commercial brands have been tested and found to contain surprisingly low protein content compared to homemade versions. If buying pre-made, look for brands that list protein content above 8-10g per serving and gel when refrigerated.

Scaldaferri et al. (2014) tested gelatin tannate, a gelatin powder containing tannic acids that is commonly used as an intestinal astringent, in mice with acute colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Gelatin tannate, given by gavage, reduced disease activity and body weight loss, preserved colon length, and decreased the amount of enterobacteria and enterococci. On confocal microscopy, colon samples from treated mice showed a mucus layer of similar thickness and composition to that of healthy mice, whereas samples from the placebo group had no mucus layer or a thinner one; treated mice also had lower blood lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels than controls. The authors concluded that gelatin tannate decreased the severity of colitis: acting as a gut barrier enhancer, it recovered intestinal permeability and mucus layer integrity and modulated the microbiota. Because the preparation also contains tannic acids and the work was done in mice, this study does not show that gelatin alone, or bone broth, protects the gut in people¹.

Rennard et al. (2000) published a landmark study in Chest demonstrating that chicken soup inhibited neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. Neutrophils are white blood cells that drive the inflammatory symptoms of upper respiratory infections, including congestion and mucus production. The researchers tested traditional chicken soup and found a dose-dependent inhibition of neutrophil migration. They concluded that chicken soup likely contains multiple substances with medicinal activity, and the anti-inflammatory effect was not attributable to any single ingredient but rather the combination of compounds extracted during cooking².

Alarcon-Aguilar et al. (2008) tested whether glycine, one of the most abundant amino acids in bone broth, affects cytokine production in living animals, using lean mice and mice made obese with monosodium glutamate. In lean mice, glycine suppressed TNF-alpha expression in fat tissue and serum IL-6 levels while raising adiponectin. In the obese mice, glycine suppressed TNF-alpha and IL-6 gene expression in fat tissue and significantly reduced protein levels of IL-6, resistin, and leptin. The authors concluded that glycine suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokine production and increases adiponectin secretion in vivo through activation of PPAR-gamma (whose expression rose in lean but not in obese mice), and suggested that glycine might help prevent insulin resistance and associated inflammatory diseases. Because this is a mouse study of glycine itself, it points to a possible anti-inflammatory mechanism rather than showing that bone broth has this effect in people³.

Kim and Kim (2017) reviewed the roles of glutamine in the intestine and its implications in intestinal diseases. They described glutamine as the most abundant free amino acid in the human body and a major substrate utilized by intestinal cells, and reported that, in gut physiology, it promotes enterocyte (intestinal lining cell) proliferation, regulates tight junction proteins, suppresses pro-inflammatory signaling pathways, and protects cells against apoptosis and cellular stresses. Because glutamine stores are depleted during severe metabolic stress, including trauma, sepsis, and inflammatory bowel diseases, glutamine supplementation has been examined in patients to improve their clinical outcomes, and the review discusses the current evidence for its efficacy in intestinal diseases⁵. A 2015 review by Wang and colleagues likewise noted reports that glutamine regulates intestinal barrier function in injury, infection, weaning stress, and other catabolic conditions, and that growing evidence supports glutamine as a conditionally essential amino acid for adults⁴. Both reviews concern glutamine itself rather than bone broth, so they support the amino acid's role rather than any benefit of drinking broth.