Foods and Collagen: Protein Sources, Bone Broth Content and What Research Shows

What foods supply

MedlinePlus says protein in food is broken down into amino acids during digestion, and that you do not need to eat animal products to get all the protein you need. [1] Plant foods such as beans, soy and grains also supply amino acids; whether a plant-based diet changes collagen has not been tested in the sources we read. For broader food profiles see Functional Foods and protein foundations.

Protein foods and "collagen-rich" foods

Collagen is a main part of connective tissue in animals. [5] When you eat it, it is digested like other protein, broken into amino acids. [1] Whether a collagen-rich food raises collagen in your skin, joints or bones: Proper evidence not found. We searched PubMed for bone broth with joint, skin, collagen and trial terms and found a lab analysis of broth, a plasma amino-acid study, a lead report and food-science papers, but no trial measuring skin, joint or bone outcomes from broth. The details are on the bone broth page, and the head-to-head is in bone broth vs collagen supplements.

Bone broth content

A study of commonly consumed bone broths found a large variability in amino acid content when broths were made to non-standardized recipes. [6] It concluded broth is unlikely to be a consistently reliable source of key amino acids. [6] This is a lab analysis, not a trial in people with a health outcome.

Eggshell membrane and similar "food" ingredients

Eggshell membrane is covered in chicken collagen and eggshell membrane. We do not carry its trial results over to ordinary egg dishes.

Vitamin C foods: cooking and storage

MedlinePlus says raw fruits and vegetables are the best food sources of vitamin C, and that cooking or long storage can reduce the content. [2] The NHS says vitamin C cannot be stored in the body, so it is needed in the diet every day. [3]