Does Bone Broth Really Cause Gas and Bloating?

Examining if Bone Broth Causes Gas and Digestive Issues

Bone broth has become an incredibly popular health food in recent years. Advocates claim drinking bone broth can strengthen bones, heal leaky gut, improve joint health, and more. However, some people wonder - does all this bone broth cause gas or digestive problems?

This article examines the science behind bone broth, gut health, and digestion. We’ll explore if compounds within bone broth can lead to extra gas, bloating, or other unwanted issues.

The Rapid Rise of Bone Broth’s Popularity

While bone broth has been used for centuries in various cultures, this nourishing, collagen-rich soup broth saw a major resurgence within the last decade. The GAPS diet, Paleo movement, and increased interest in gut health triggered bone broth’s rise to superfood status.

Today, bone broth isn’t just for strict special diets anymore. You can find bone broth powders in most health food stores. Many cafes even sell cups of hot bone broth for sipping. The collagen-rich broth makes big promises - but could excess gas be an unpleasant side effect?

Common Ingredients and Preparation Methods

Bone broth origins can be traced back to stock made from boiling animal bones and connective tissues over extended periods to extract nutrients. Traditional broth uses ingredients like:

• Beef, chicken, or fish bones
• Connective tissues like feet, hooves, knuckles
• Aromatic veggies like onion, celery, carrots
• Acids like vinegar or lemon juice
• Herbs and spices for flavor

Most bone broth is simmered slowly for 12-48 hours to break down connective tissues. This extracts compounds like collagen, proline, glycine, and glutamine.

The exact ingredients and cook times vary widely between basic homemade broths to commercial broths aimed at maximum nutrition. But could all these bones and extended simmering also extract digestive irritants?

Common Causes of Gas and Bloating

Before analyzing if bone broth contributes to gas and tummy troubles, let’s review some typical culprits behind digestive discomfort:

Hard to Digest FODMAPS

FODMAPS - types of carbs like fructose, lactose, and others - can ferment in the gut causing gas and bloating when they aren’t properly absorbed. Those with IBS or other conditions may react strongly to these.

Protein Rich Foods

Foods high in protein like meat, eggs, dairy, beans/legumes, etc can result in more hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide gas production as protein breaks down in the large intestine.

Sugar Alcohols

Sugar substitutes like sorbitol, xylitol, and mannitol found in sugar-free foods can’t be fully broken down by the body, allowing gut bacteria to create gases from them.

Too Much Fiber

While fiber has many benefits, suddenly increasing fiber intake can lead to temporary gas and bloating as the digestive system adjusts. Some soluble fibers produce gas when fermented.

Swallowed Air

Eating too fast, drinking through straws, chewing gum, smoking, and other habits can cause air swallowing which can build up in the digestive tract.

So what connections could bone broth have with these common causes of digestive woes?

Does the Collagen in Bone Broth Cause Gas?

Collagen is the predominant protein found within bone broth, making up 15-45% of the solids depending on the bones used. Since high protein intake can sometimes increase gas, could all this extra collagen lead to problems?

Surprisingly, research indicates the collagen in bone broth is unlikely to be a culprit behind gas or bloating. One reason is that collagen is almost completely broken down into amino acids like glycine and proline before leaving the small intestine.

Amino acids themselves do not trigger significant gas or fermentation the way undigested carbohydrates or intact proteins reaching the colon can. The amino acids in collagen can actually improve digestion and reduce inflammation.

For most people, the high collagen content of bone broth does not seem to increase flatulence. The amino acids may even have positive effects on gut health and function.

Low FODMAP Status of Bone Broth

Since FODMAP carbohydrates provoke gas and bloating reactions, it’s useful to know bone broth is low FODMAP certified. Tests confirm broths made from standard ingredients like bones, vegetables, and herbs measure below cutoff thresholds for fructans and other FODMAPs.

This again confirms the majority of compounds within bone broths are absorbed early within the small intestine rather than reaching the colon. Bone broth itself does not subject the gut to hard to digest carbs.

Ingredients That Could Contribute to Gas

While the bulk collagen and water content of bone broth does not trigger gas on its own, a few minor ingredients sometimes used could be contributing factors behind unpleasant symptoms:

Onions, Garlic, and Leeks

These aromatic vegetables often flavor bone broths. However, they contain fructans and other compounds that can cause bloating issues in sensitive people when consumed in excess.

Beans and Legumes

Some vegetable or ham bone broth recipes call for adding items like split peas or lentils while simmering to ramp up protein content. The oligosaccharides in legumes can lead to gas though.

Cruciferous Vegetables

While nutritious, cabbage, kale, and brussels sprouts contain complex sugars that could ferment and cause gas for some people if added to broths in large amounts.

So while bone broth itself does not provoke gas, small quantities of select add-ins could contribute to intestinal distress in those prone to digestive issues when consuming FODMAPs and oligosaccharides.

Tips to Limit Gas from Bone Broth

Here are some simple tips to enjoy bone broth without unwanted gas or bloating:

Strain Out Vegetables

Pour finished broth through a fine mesh strainer to remove fiber-rich veggies. Discard solids then chill remaining liquid broth.

Skim Excess Fat

Cool chilled broth so fat solidifies on top, then scrape off and discard fat layer. Broths heavy in saturated fat can trigger stomach issues.

Limit Onion, Garlic, Leeks

Use minimal amounts of these gas-provoking ingredients while simmering broth, or avoid them altogether if very sensitive.

Avoid Common Intolerance Foods

Leave out ingredients you react to like nightshades, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, soy etc if making your own broth.

Start with Small Portions

Introduce bone broth slowly and drink modest portion sizes at first to see how your body handles it before consuming large mugfuls.

Be mindful of personal sensitivities and avoid problem ingredients to best prevent unwanted gas or bloating from this highly nutritious broth.

The Bottom Line on Bone Broth and Digestion

So does bone broth cause gas? While some ingredients occasionally used like onion or legumes could contribute to gas production, bone broth itself is unlikely to provoke bloating issues.

In fact, the amino acids released from bone broth’s collagen content may improve gut health and integrity for many people. The broth provides hydration and electrolytes that can actually benefit digestion as well.

Focus on making broths tailored to your individual tolerance, and introduce this traditional food slowly. Most people should be able to incorporate bone broth without unwanted gas or discomfort once any irritant ingredients are avoided.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.