How Can Bone Broth Improve Your Gut Health?

22nd November 2021
|In Blog
|By Amy Young

When we talk about ‘gut health’ what do we mean? Gut health refers to the health of the gastrointestinal tract – ‘the gut’. All the food we eat is broken down in the gut in preparation to enter our bloodstream as nutrients which keep our bodies ticking. The healthier our digestive system is the healthier we are!

A healthy digestive system contains healthy bacteria and immune cells that help us fight disease and ward off any harmful bacteria. As part of this complex system we also have nerves and hormones in our gut which communicate with the brain. All of these important functions contribute to our overall health and wellbeing, so it comes as no surprise that what we eat can impact how well these functions work – enter bone broth.

Some of the key nutrients in bone broth that make it particularly beneficial for gut health are: collagen/gelatin, glycine and glutamine. These nutrients have all been shown to soothe gut irritation and inflammation, strengthen the gut barrier (wall) and reduce the presence of toxins in the blood.

Gelatin (a cooked form of collagen) can bind to water in your digestive tract, which can help food easily move through your gut.  Gelatin has been known to prevent and heal a condition known as leaky gut. A leaky gut refers to the appearance of tiny brakes in the junctions of the gut wall. These breaks can be caused by many different things including excessive alcohol, stress, medication and an imbalance of good and bad bacteria. These breaks can allow irritants to cross the gut lining and enter your blood stream which can cause inflammation and symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Glycine protects the immune and the digestive system. It is also an amino acid helping to make anti-oxidants in your body. Glycine helps to rebuild the tissue in the gut lining which can help to reduce inflammation thus giving an almost soothing effect.  Although our bodies create small amounts of glycine for daily function, we can benefit from including more glycine into our diets. Glycine also helps stimulate stomach acid which helps the digestive process in our stomach making it easier for foods to be broken down and nutrients absorbed. Glycine has been linked to helping heal liver injuries, protecting against ulcers and strengthening intestinal muscles – to name just a few essential functions!

Glutamine can positively affect gut health by supporting the gut microbiome (good and bad bacteria), the gut wall, and by helping with inflammatory responses which can cause symptoms of bloating, cramps and excess wind. Glutamine is also vital in supporting our immune system and since our gut is the largest organ in the immune system, it is why glutamine is also believed to support better immunity.

Drinking bone broth and using it as a base in recipes can be a simple way of getting these helpful anti-inflammatory and gut supporting amino acids into the body. Bone broth should always be made from organic sources so my fiends at Borough Bone Broth are the ideal solution.

 

Research