Amino Acids in Bone Broth and How They Help You

Bone broth is the cornerstone of healing and maintaining health. I discuss it throughout my blog and the recipe for it is here: Recipes

The key is the amino acids. That said, the details of the amino acids found in broth (due to the presence of gelatin) are a mystery to me for the most part, so I am going to investigate a few of them. First, though, what is an amino acid? The most basic definition is that an amino acid is something the body uses to build protein. There are 20 of them that are incorporated directly into our genetic code, and broth/gelatin contain 18 of the 20 (they are missing Tryptophane and Cystine).

Note that if you are making bone broth with poultry there are 19 amino acids, including cysteine. The amino acids in gelatin are as follows (from http://www.gmap-gelatin.com/about_gelatin_comp.html):

Alanine                      8.9%

Arginine                     7.8%

Asperic acid              6.0%

Glutamic acid          10.0%

Glycine                     21.4%

Histidine                     0.8%

Hydoxylysine              1.0%

Hydroxyproline         11.9%

Isoleucine                   1.5%

Leucine                       3.3%

Lycine                          3.5%

Methionine                  0.7%

Phenylanine                2.4%

Proline                       12.4%

Serine                          3.6%

Theronine                    2.1%

Tyrosine                       0.5%

Valine                           2.2%

100%

Glycine is the amino acid of highest concentration, followed by proline, so I am starting my learning there. Dr. Kaayla Daniel has written an excellent article on the importance of these two amino acids: Food Features: Why Broth is Beautiful "Essential" Roles for Proline, Glycine and Gelatin.

Many people experience joint and muscle pain, and Dr. Daniel summarizes the role of these two amino acids as follows: “…proline and glycine play starring roles in the collagenous fibers built from gigantic proteins containing some 1,000 amino acids each. Glycine contributes one-third of the total aminos. Glycine is a tiny amino with a talent for structuring very tightly packed chains. The other aminos that figure prominently are proline and hydroxyproline, an uncommon team with a passion for twisting themselves into tightly wound, left-handed helixes, then switching directions and twisting to the right into a superhelix.”

A portion of Dr. Daniel’s Weston A. Price November 2009 conference presentation description addresses other benefits of glycine and proline: Old-fashioned bone broths are rich in calcium and other crucial minerals as well as cartilage, collagen and gelatin. Fascinating studies from the late 19th and early 20th century reveal the clinical use of gelatin for gastrointestinal distress, immune system breakdown, arthritis and skin health as well as the special needs of invalids, pregnant women, and babies and children who are failing to thrive. Recent studies reveal the healing power of proline and glycine, two of the amino acids found abundantly in broth. Proline and glycine shortages are found in many people on low-protein or vegetarian diets, as well as those who digest protein poorly. Both proline and glycine help restore gut health, and glycine aids blood sugar problems, anxiety and stress reduction.

Here are additional points from the “Why Broth is Beautiful” article regarding glycine:

• Contributes to the manufacture of other amino acids
• Used in the synthesis of hemoglobin, creatine, porphyrin, bile salts, glutathione and the nucleotides DNA and RNA.
• Involved in glucogenesis (the manufacture of glucose), and low levels may produce hypoglycemic-like symptoms.
• Helps with detoxification. The human body requires copious amounts of glycine for detoxification after exposure to chemicals.
• Helps digestion by enhancing gastric acid secretion.
• Promotes healing of wounds.
• Glycine deficiency could limit growth in infants. The "demands of the growing fetus for glycine are very high..." By optimizing the intake of this amino acid, the outcome of pre-term infants could be improved.
• Glycine helps children recover from malnutrition.

 

 

Finally, to see the artistic beauty of glycine and proline, click on these links from Florida State University: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/aminoacids/pages/glycine.html and http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/aminoacids/pages/proline.html. They are stunning!

Next up in the discussion: Hydroxyproline.

Enjoy your broth!

Comments

[Maria Droujkova]

Please check my math... Broth contains maybe 2-3% of gelatin solids by weight, I guess? So, you get about .6% glycine in broth, by by weight. You need to drink about 170g of broth to get 1g of glycine. In comparison, meat has about 2% of glycine by weight. So, it takes 50g of meat to get 1g of glycine. It's pretty neat and makes a lot of sense, considering that broth is made out of throw-away products like bones.

I wonder, also, if broth promotes glycine adsorption better. Meat takes energy to digest.

[Erica @realfood2health]

Laura, did you go to the conference? I wish I had seen you, would have loved to have met!