Ever wonder why drinking bone broth is considered healthy? One reason – It’s loaded with collagen.
Collagen is the most plentiful protein in your body. It is major component of connective tissues that make up several body parts, including tendons, ligaments, skin, and muscles. Collagen has many important functions, including providing your skin with structure and strengthening your joints and bones. Collagen is the building block that holds our tissues together, providing your skeleton with a sturdy yet flexible structure. Thanks to collagen, you’re better able to move, bend and stretch. Additionally, collagen is essential for keratin production, so when collagen levels decline, your nails and hair aren’t as strong.
“Your body has been making collagen your whole life,” says Elizabeth Bradley, MD, Medical Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine. Collagen decreases as you get older. Dr. Bradley also let’s us know, “Your body can’t make collagen if it doesn’t have the necessary elements. The best collagen-boosting food: bone broth (home-made- chicken bone broth recipe). Second best: collagen supplements.” While you can’t measure your collagen level, you can tell when it’s falling.
Collagen decreases as you get older, contributing to:
- Wrinkles and crepey skin
- Stiffer, less flexible tendons and ligaments
- Shrinking, weakening muscles
- Joint issues due to worn cartilage
- Gastrointestinal matters – possibly due to thinning of the lining in your digestive tract