Bone Broth vs Collagen: Which Provides the Best Health Benefits?

In the world of wellness, the popularity and hype surrounding collagen and bone broth has shot through the roof in the last five years, and the buzz keeps growing. At the surface level, both can have a significant impact on your overall health, and offer benefits that appeal to all ages and walks of life. Many people are starting to question which is better to include in your daily routine. The answer depends on your lifestyle preference and health goals. Some people prefer one over the other, and some enjoy the benefits of combining both in their personalized diet and nutrition plans. 

Is drinking bone broth the same as taking collagen?

Collagen by itself can certainly improve several facets of your health. The most well-known benefits of collagen supplements include:

• Improved gut health
• Stronger hair and nails
• Support of healthy, glowing skin
• Promotion of healthy joints

But if you’re looking for an all-encompassing, high quality source of an array of nutrients, protein, and collagen, then bone broth is your go-to health hack. Bone broth contains a good dose of collagen, meaning it can bring you the same benefits as a collagen supplement, in addition to:

• Maintaining healthy inflammation levels
• A high content of glycine for improved sleep
• An impressive amino acid profile for muscle health & growth

And if that wasn’t enough to turn your head, bone broth not only contains its own store of collagen, but the abundance of amino acids provides the foundation for your body to repair and regenerate the collagen that makes up your joints and cartilage, along with the tendons and ligaments that support your joints.

The Primary Benefits of Bone Broth

1. Bone broth is packed with many important vitamins and minerals

   The bones we use in our Broth Elixirs come from animals who are grass-fed, grass-finished, free range, and free of hormones and antibiotics. This means that you are receiving all-natural, organic broth brimming with the vitamins and minerals your body needs to build and strengthen your own bones. Some of the notable nutrients found in bone broth include

   • Calcium
   • Magnesium
   • Potassium
   • Phosphorus

   The connective tissues of animals used to make bone broth contains glucosamine and chondroitin. These are natural compounds found in cartilage that specifically rally to support the health of your joints.
   Bone marrow contains zinc, boron, iron, manganese, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin K2, omega-3s and omega-6s, which are all essential vitamins, trace minerals, and fatty acids that your body needs for regular maintenance and functioning activities. Both marrow and connective tissues provide your body with protein collagen which, when cooked, breaks down into gelatin. This then yields a handful of very important-to-your-health amino acids

2. Bone broth has a huge impact on your digestive system

   Speaking of amino acids, gelatin is the big player for gut health found in bone broth. The amino acid glutamine is a component of gelatin that helps maintain the function of your intestinal wall. This is why glutamine is known to prevent and heal the condition known as leaky gut.
   
   Gelatin naturally attracts and holds onto liquids. It has the ability to bind to water inside your digestive tract which is helpful in making your food travel through your gut easily. Gelatin also has a reputation for both healing and protecting the mucosal lining of your digestive tract. This prevents harmful substances from leaking through gaps in your tissues and into your bloodstream. If these do end up circulating through your body, the result is chronic inflammation and other serious health issues. This is what makes bone broth particularly beneficial for people with leaky gut, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or an Inflammatory Bowel Disease such as Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's Disease.

3. Bone broth can help fight inflammation

   Another reason amino acids are so important to your health is that they possess incredibly strong anti-inflammatory effects. Chronic inflammation can lead to a long list of serious diseases including diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, and a variety of different cancers. Glycine and particularly Arginine are the two main amino acids found in bone broth that have the tools your body needs to fight off chronic inflammation.

4. The nutrients in bone broth improves joint health

   Joint health should be on your list of priorities no matter what stage of life you find yourself. Don’t wait until you feel the effects of wear and tear on your joints to start protecting them. Use the naturally occurring collagen found in bone broth to support the health of your joints.
   We already know that collagen drawn from the bones and connective tissue during the cooking process further breaks down into gelatin. Gelatin contains other helpful proteins including proline and glycine - building blocks for your body to continue to build its own connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments. These are what keep your muscles connected to your bones and your bones connected to all your other bones. You can see why these connective tissues are top priority when it comes to joint health.
   Glucosamine and chondroitin are natural compounds drawn out of the animal cartilage that can help decrease joint pain and lessen any symptoms of osteoarthritis.

5. Bone broth can improve sleep and cognitive function.

   Glycine is another important amino acid found in bone broth. This component has the ability to help you relax and can ease you into a restful sleep. One study proved that consuming only 2 grams of glycine before preparing for bed helped the participants who struggled with falling asleep:

   • Fall asleep faster
   • Wake up fewer times during the night
   • Maintain a deeper, restorative sleep
   • Reduce their daytime sleepiness
   • Improve their mental function, focus, and memory

Other benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth receives praise for being weightloss-friendly. This is due to the high protein content which helps improve appetite control and maintain lean muscle mass. If you’re looking to add more whole foods to your daily diet, bone broth falls into that category. What’s more, this whole food pairs well with grains, stews, and soups, adding a significant amount of nutrients to any meal. 

OWL Broth Elixirs are even more beneficial than your average bone broth because we infuse organic healing herbs and nutritious veggies in every batch. Not to mention, our locally sourced bones come from responsibly and sustainably raised animals that are grass fed and finished. We guarantee the most nutritious and all natural bone broth on the market, because we are invested in bringing you the best products with your health and wellness at the focus of our mission.

Julie Weller

Julie is a self-made writer on a forever journey of fitness and health. As a high school music teacher, she has seen and experienced the challenges of maintaining good health while simultaneously balancing a career and healthy relationships.

Julie has always lived a healthy and active lifestyle. She loves the outdoors, hiking, and camping. Over the years she has continued to learn smarter and better ways to take care of her body while continuing to do the things that make her smile. Naturally, all of her teacher friends wanted to know how she did it - what was her secret?

Julie found herself explaining over and over everything she'd learned in her research, and sharing her experiences through trial and error. Her friends would take her advice, try some new things, and then come back to ask how to take it to the next level.

"You should charge for this kind of information!" Became a constant phrase, and so began her career of writing to share her knowledge with the world through health and wellness companies looking to spread healing and healthy habits within their communities. Now Julie gets to combine two of the things she enjoys most - writing and wellness - and use them to affect change in a real way.

When not making music with her kiddos, or writing wellness tips for a higher quality of life, you can find her reading, hiking, drumming, and fitnessing