Foreword: What is bone broth?
Bone broth is a culinary preparation obtained by simmering animal bones (such as chicken, beef, pork or fish) for a long period of time, often 12 to 48 hours.
Its benefits on general health
In 2021, researchers from the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon (Mexico) conducted a nutritional analysis of bone broth prepared from beef femur. They found that a 100 ml serving of bone broth provides 232 mg of amino acids, more than half of which (54%) are essential amino acids: histidine, arginine, lysine. (Source 1). “These Amino acids are essential for health : they participate in particular in the renewal of muscle tissue, bone matrix, skin, etc.,” illustrates Alexandra Murcier.
What is the best bone broth to consume (homemade, cubed, organic, etc.)?
Made from beef, veal, pork, chicken, or even lamb ; in its organic, salted, defatted, concentrated or not version…; in the bone broth section, it’s easy to get lost. Dietician Alexandra Murcier especially warns against the “ready-made” formulas found in supermarkets: “They are often too salty, knowing that in addition, the French already have too high a salt consumption.” In France, the INCA3 study reveals that, on average, all categories of the population are affected by excess salt consumption (source 2):
- 4.4 g per day in children aged 0 to 10 years,
- 6.5 g per day in adolescents aged 11 to 17,
- 7 g per day for women and 9 g for men.
And as a reminder, “when consumed in excess, salt is now recognized as a factor promoting high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stomach cancer and osteoporosis” underlines the Nutritional Resources and Information Center (source 2). “Among the bone broth options, the healthiest version will therefore be the homemade recipe with little added salt” advises dietician, Alexandra Murcier.
Bone broth and old age, what is the link?
Although people advocate bone broth as a anti-aging food miraculous; thanks in particular to the contribution of collagen that it would provide to the body; science, however, does not yet recognize any properties concerning health in general nor on old age in particular. “We should therefore not hope to rejuvenate, by simply drinking bone broth” emphasizes Alexandra Murcier. And besides, if we rely on the tables of Ciqual (source 3), a plate of 250 g of meat and vegetable broth of the pot-au-feu type would only provide:
- 2 mg/100 g of magnesium when Anses recommends an intake of 6 mg/kg/day for an adult.
- 0.2 g/100 g of protein while ANSES still considers that the nutritional reference in proteins for healthy adults (RNP) is 0.83 g/kg/day.
In short: not enough to meet your daily protein/mineral needs or to gain any real youthful benefits from it.
Let us recall in passing that Skin aging is an inevitable process. “As skin ages, skin cell turnover slows down, and can increase to more than 30 days. Older cells can then accumulate and give the appearance of dullness and thickened skin, also reflecting the dry skin that is often the first complaint of aging people ” recalls the French Society of Dermatology (source 4). More than consuming a particular food, it is therefore a set of good practices that it is important to put into action.
Food: what are the real anti-aging reflexes?
To slow down the effects of timeIt is rather recommended to consume foods rich in antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress (a type of attack on cell constituents).
Vitamin C is found in fruits such as pomegranate and vitamin A in vegetables such as carrots or sweet potatoes. Having a good intake of omega 3 through the consumption of small fish such as sardines or anchovies and also, certain oils such as flax or rapeseed will also have health benefits in terms of the functioning of the brain and the nervous system. Alexandra Murcier, nutritionist dietician.
Without forgetting the importance of good hydration. “To delay skin aging, nothing is more effective than drinking water regularly. Water is present in large quantities in the different layers of the skin, and it is the main responsible for the skin’s appearance” explains Alexandra Murcier. It is also recommended to “drink a minimum of 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day (for adults) and even before being thirsty” advises Anses (source 5).
Also paying attention to your alcohol consumption, which promotes the production of free radicals, especially in the liver (source 6); getting quality sleep (sleeping 7 to 8 hours per night); limiting prolonged exposure to the sun’s UV rays; or practicing regular physical activity, but also cleaning your face morning and evening to get rid of any polluting particles (source 7) are other “anti-aging” reflexes to adopt in your daily routine.
In the end, what can we really expect from bone broth (dangers, etc.)?
In 2017, Taiwanese researchers wanted to know if bone broth could perhaps be a source of toxic metals. According to their results, the risks associated with the ingestion of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium in the broth are minimal, since the levels are of the order of a few μg per portion (source 8). There would therefore be no dangers for the time being in consuming bone broth, but let’s repeat it, concerning its anti-aging virtues: these are what could be classified as mechanisms of the placebo effect.