Why bone broth isn't the magical elixir it's hyped up to be

By Stuart Marsh|

Bone broth is nutritious, but at the end of the day it really is just a stock. (image) iStock
Bone broth is nutritious, but at the end of the day it really is just a fancy stock.

Is bone broth really as nourishing as people say or is it simply an upmarket stock?

The truth is somewhere in between.

"Bone broth is essentially a stock, where bones have been slow-cooked for a much longer time, concentrating nutrients like collagen and amino acids," Susie Burrell, accredited practising dietitian and founder of Shape Me, tells Coach.

"The hypothesis that bone broth is really beneficial for your immune system isn't necessarily incorrect, it's just that the health benefits are likely exaggerated."

What actually is bone broth?

For those of you at home still wondering what on earth bone broth is, it’s an extremely slow-cooked stock that uses the bones of animals like chickens, cows and pigs.

There's no singular recipe for making bone broth, but the online consensus seems to prefer bones with large amounts of marrow which are then chucked into a pot along with vegetables like onions and herbs, and allowed to simmer for at least six hours.

Some people like to season it with salt, while others leave it out, believing that your body could do without the added sodium.

(According to traditional culinary textbooks – and this differs greatly between countries – a "broth" is any liquid that has had meat and vegetables cooked in it, while a "stock" must be made from bones to make it so. So in this regard, "bone broth" is actually more a stock than it is a broth.)

If you are considering trying it for yourself, Burrell recommends attempting it yourself at home, that way, you know exactly what has (and hasn't) gone into it.

"In commercial soups and some off-the-shelf bone broths, there can be large amounts of salt," says Burrell.

According to one online nutrition calculator, a simple bone broth made from beef bones, garlic and apple cider vinegar is surprisingly calorie-dense.

A one cup serve (approximately 167 grams), contains 208 calories, nine grams of fat, 16 grams of protein, 17 grams of carbohydrates and 172mg of sodium.

A case of cholesterol

Here at Coach, we hear all kinds of interesting diet and fitness-related anecdotes, including theories about detoxes, cleanses and magical fitness results.

So it interested us when we heard about a woman who only made one change to her diet – she added bone broth to her breakfast – and found that after several weeks her cholesterol levels had increased. But is it right to blame the broth?

Potentially, says Burrell, but the real issue lies in the amount of broth she was drinking, not the broth itself.

"Bone broth is a really concentrated food product, and we know that consuming any concentrated food in large amounts is unlikely to be good for you," says Burrell.

"A small, sensible amount of bone broth is unlikely to make a huge change [on cholesterol levels]."

RELATED: Say hello to the new health foods

The exaggerated benefits

Bloggers and celebrity chefs alike have taken to the bone broth trend with gusto, claiming its healing properties can do everything from curing leaky gut syndrome to protecting your joints and even make you look younger.

But as Burrell explains, most of these benefits are largely overplayed, as the science is simply too limited at this stage to make any definite conclusions.

That doesn't mean we should completely rule bone broth out — it's just more rational for us to think about the broth as a nourishing soup rather than a magical elixir.

"When it comes to bone broth boosting immune function, there is limited evidence that it's beneficial," says Burrell.

"For a long time chicken stock was considered excellent for boosting immune function, largely because of the chicken bones – bone broth is a modern-day version of this."

So if you're looking to put a stop-gap on contracting the flu this winter, bone broth may help, but it certainly is no cure-all and shouldn't be treated like one.

"When it comes to bone broth, many people automatically think that more is better, but that's not necessarily the case," says Burrell.

"But really, like all things, bone broth must be looked at as a piece in the big picture of your health, because it certainly isn't a magical cure by itself."

RELATED: Why the latest fad diet isn’t working for you
