Beef Gelatin: Benefits, How to Use It & Gelatin vs. Collagen

Dr. Josh Axe Vitamin Advisor · 4–5 questions

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If you've ever chilled a pot of homemade bone broth and found it set like jelly the next morning, you've already met gelatin. It's the protein that long, slow heat draws out of bones, skin and cartilage, and beef gelatin is that same protein taken from cattle hides and bones, dried and ground into a powder you can stir into soup, set into gummies or whisk into a sauce.12

What makes it valuable is what it's made of. Gelatin is collagen whose strands have been loosened by heat, so it carries collagen's building blocks: glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, the amino acids your body uses to rebuild skin, joints, ligaments and the gut lining.15 Collagen makes up about a third of the protein in your body,8 yet in Heal Your Cells, Dr. Will Cole and I point out that most people eat almost exclusively muscle meat, and that bone broth and animal skin restore the balance modern diets lack.5

In my approach, bone broth comes first, chicken broth in particular, and bovine or fish gelatin sits right beside collagen peptides as the next step.97

Did you know?

• Glycine sits at every third position along each strand of collagen, which is why collagen foods are so rich in it.10

• Gelatin's gel is reversible: it sets as it cools and melts again when it's warmed.2

• One metabolic analysis estimated that the glycine your body makes (about 3 grams a day) plus what a typical diet supplies (1.5 to 3 grams) may fall about 10 grams a day short of what a 154-pound adult needs, collagen-making included.11

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What is beef gelatin?

In its natural form, collagen is a triple helix, three protein strands wound tightly around each other.10 To make gelatin, manufacturers clean and pretreat the hides or bones, then extract the collagen with water at 50 to 100 °C (122 to 212 °F). That heat unwinds the helix into looser strands about a third the size of intact collagen, and the liquid is then filtered, concentrated, sterilized and dried.1 Gelatin from cattle hides is usually pretreated with an alkaline solution, which makes it what manufacturers call type B gelatin.2

Gelatin, collagen peptides and bone broth deliver the same protein in different forms. Collagen peptides are collagen cut further by enzymes into much smaller pieces, which dissolve easily and stay thin instead of gelling.12 Bone broth is the kitchen version, simmered from bones, joints and skin, and it brings glycine, proline and glutamine along with minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc.13 Our guide to what collagen is and what it does covers its types and how levels change with age.

A short history of gelatin

Long before gelatin came in envelopes, it came from the stockpot. In Ancient Remedies, I wrote this about bone broth: "Made by simmering the bones and ligaments of beef, chicken, fish, and lamb, this nourishing food was a staple for our ancestors, who used every part of an animal as sustenance."14 A 2025 review by Mayo Clinic gastroenterologists notes that people have revered broth as a remedy from ancient times to the modern era.13 Powdered gelatin keeps that same protein in a measured, shelf-stable form.

Beef gelatin nutrition facts

Values from USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169599 (gelatin, dry powder, unsweetened); the record doesn't name the animal source. Per-serving amounts are calculated from the per-100-gram values, using USDA's 7-gram envelope.3

Glycine leads the record at 19.0 grams per 100, followed by proline at 12.3 grams, so even a spoonful delivers a concentrated dose of the two amino acids your body uses most to build collagen.310 USDA's record doesn't list hydroxyproline; in the gelatin used in a kidney study, it measured 9.17 grams per 100 grams.15 Twenty grams of gelatin supplies about 17 grams of protein.3

Is gelatin a complete protein?

No. Gelatin has no tryptophan, one of the nine essential amino acids, so it counts as an incomplete protein.316 On my show, I've said collagen counts toward your daily protein only partially, about half: 20 grams of collagen might count toward roughly 10 grams, because it's low in muscle-building amino acids such as leucine and valine.17 Gelatin still fits easily into a healthy diet. A modeling study found that collagen peptides could supply up to 36% of the protein in a typical Western diet while every essential amino acid need was still met.16 Pair it with complete proteins such as eggs, fish and poultry, and see how many grams of protein a day you need in total.

What is beef gelatin good for?

How does beef gelatin work in your body?

Gelatin works by handing your body collagen's raw materials in a form it absorbs within about an hour, and some of them travel as small collagen pieces that connective tissue appears to take up.

Vitamin C matters in that fourth step, so pair gelatin with vitamin C foods such as citrus, berries or bell peppers.

What are the benefits of beef gelatin?

The gut lining comes first here, because that's where Dr. Will Cole and I put gelatin to work in Heal Your Cells.5 Gelatin's other uses are collagen building around exercise, joint support, feeling full and glycine for sleep.

Can beef gelatin help heal your gut?

Rebuilding the gut lining is a food-first job in my approach. Our step in Heal Your Cells for rebuilding the gut barrier calls for amino acid–rich foods: bone broth, collagen or gelatin. As Dr. Will Cole and I wrote there, "These support the tight junctions that prevent nutrient loss and inflammation."5 Tight junctions are the seals between the cells of your intestinal wall. My gut-healing protocol puts this into practice: its Repair phase calls for a large daily intake of bone broth, ideally 16 ounces, alongside 10 to 20 grams of collagen peptides a day.29

The research on broth points the same way. In their 2025 review, Mayo Clinic gastroenterologists found that broth's amino acids, including glutamine, glycine, proline, histidine and arginine, and its minerals support gut health, calm inflammation in the intestinal barrier and improve barrier function, particularly in inflammatory bowel disease. They present broth as a potential remedy for keeping IBD in remission.13 In mice given broth simmered from beef bones for 10 days before colitis was induced, the colon showed less tissue damage, and the inflammatory signals IL-6 and TNF-alpha fell by about 95% and 69%.30

To put gelatin to work for your gut, start with a daily mug of broth, add bovine or fish gelatin to soups and stews, and follow the free Healing Leaky Gut protocol. Our guides to leaky gut, the leaky gut diet and L-glutamine cover the rest of the plan.

Beef gelatin vs. collagen peptides: what's the difference?

In a study in which 15 active men each drank six warm protein servings on separate mornings after an overnight fast, 20 grams of gelatin raised blood glycine to a peak of 674 micromoles per liter, against 747 for 20 grams of collagen peptides and 666 for about 1¼ cups (300 milliliters) of café-made bone broth. The researchers found gelatin as well absorbed as the peptides, while a dairy protein, calcium caseinate, reached only 267.6 Gelatin's glycine peaked a little later, at about 71 minutes against 48 for the peptides.6

Reach for gelatin in broth, soups, sauces and gummies, and for collagen peptides in coffee and smoothies. You can use both. For more, see collagen vs. gelatin, bovine collagen and fish collagen.

What foods are high in gelatin?

Every day, I recommend drinking bone broth or having a collagen supplement.7 On my show, I've pointed out that when you have bone broth, chicken skin or fish skin, you're getting loads of collagen, and that our ancestors didn't discard any part of the animal.31 For an everyday amount, my Anti-Inflammatory Reset calls for a cup of bone broth a day, and the Mitochondrial Longevity protocol from Heal Your Cells calls for 8 ounces most days.3233

• Chicken bone broth, which brings glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid along with its collagen.9 Our chicken bone broth recipe walks you through it.

• Beef or fish bone broth, simmered from knuckles, joints or fish frames; try our beef bone broth recipe.

• Skin-on fish, such as wild-caught salmon, cooked with the skin left on.

• Skin-on chicken, roasted, then simmered with the bones for broth.

• Bovine or fish gelatin, stirred into broth and soups or set into gummies.

For more ideas, see our guide to collagen-rich foods, our bone broth recipes and how much bone broth to drink daily.

How much beef gelatin should you take a day?

Bone broth counts toward your total, and how much collagen it supplies depends on the pot. In a lab analysis, broths made to one standard recipe carried less glycine, proline and hydroxyproline than a 20-gram serving of a collagen supplement, while broths made without a set recipe varied widely, with café-made ones carrying the most of every amino acid measured.34 Stirring a tablespoon or two of bovine or fish gelatin into your mug of broth is a simple way to work toward the 15 to 20 grams used in the studies, since each tablespoon is about 7 grams.3

When is the best time to take gelatin?

Take it whenever it fits your meals. Around training, take it about an hour before you exercise along with a source of vitamin C, the approach used in the collagen-building trial.4

How to use beef gelatin

Beef gelatin dissolves smoothly in two steps: bloom it, then warm it. Sprinkle the powder over a few tablespoons of cold water or juice and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it swells, then stir it into hot liquid until it disappears. Added straight to hot liquid, it tends to clump.

Simple beef gelatin gummies

These take about 10 minutes of hands-on time and set in the fridge in about 2 hours.

• 1 cup 100% tart cherry or pomegranate juice
• 3 tablespoons (3 envelopes) unflavored beef gelatin
• 1 to 2 teaspoons raw honey, if you like them sweeter

1. Pour ¼ cup of the juice into a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it and let it bloom for 5 minutes.
2. Warm the rest of the juice in a small saucepan until it steams; don't let it boil.
3. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the bloomed gelatin and the honey until fully dissolved.
4. Pour into silicone molds or a small glass dish and refrigerate until firm. Store them covered in the fridge and eat them within a few days.

The whole batch holds 21 grams of gelatin, about 18 grams of protein, so a third of it gives you one envelope's worth: 7 grams of gelatin and about 6 grams of protein.3

How to choose beef gelatin

Read the label for the animal first.

• Beef (bovine) or fish on the label. Pig skin has been the leading commercial source of gelatin, about 46% of production in figures a 2011 review reported, so gummies, marshmallows and capsules can contain pork.352 Choose gelatin labeled beef, bovine or fish; here's why I avoid pork. Fish gelatin can also come from catfish or eel skin, which don't meet the fins-and-scales standard I follow, so look for one whose label names a fish with fins and scales, such as cod.2

• Grass-fed or pasture-raised cattle named as the source on bovine gelatin.

• Unflavored, with one ingredient, so you control the sweetness; a little raw honey at home is plenty.

• A kosher or halal symbol if you keep either standard; see what kosher means.

• Independent lab testing for purity and heavy metals, when the maker publishes it.

Beef gelatin side effects and who should be careful

Your own history decides the right source and amount, so here's when to change either:

• Red meat (alpha-gal) allergy. In an allergy clinic that skin-tested 1,335 adults, 30 of the 40 people with red meat allergy tested positive for gelatin and 12 were clinically allergic to it, and researchers found the alpha-gal sugar in bovine gelatin.36 If you have alpha-gal syndrome, skip bovine gelatin and bovine collagen, and choose a source with your allergist.

• Fish allergy. Case reports describe anaphylaxis after marshmallows made with fish gelatin and after hydrolyzed fish collagen.3738 If you're allergic to fish, skip fish gelatin and fish collagen and choose bovine. Our guide to food allergy symptoms covers the warning signs.

• Calcium oxalate kidney stones. Your body can turn hydroxyproline, an amino acid in gelatin, into oxalate. In 10 healthy adults who each ate both diets, 30 grams of gelatin a day for 5 days raised urinary oxalate 43% compared with the same amount of whey protein, and in a separate test in 6 adults, single doses of 5 and 10 grams raised it while 1 and 2 grams didn't.15 If you've had kidney stones, keep gelatin to modest amounts and set your dose with your practitioner.

• Kidney disease with a protein limit. Each 7-gram envelope adds about 6 grams of protein, so count gelatin toward your daily limit.3

• Pregnancy and nursing. None of the gelatin studies on this page enrolled pregnant or nursing women. Broth and gelatin in foods are everyday foods; if you want to take gelatin as a supplement during pregnancy, confirm the amount with your OB.

The bottom line

Beef gelatin: frequently asked questions

References

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2. Said NS, Sarbon NM. Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of Gelatin-Based Films as a Potential Food Packaging Material: A Review. Membranes (Basel). 2022;12(5):442. doi:10.3390/membranes12050442. PMID:35629768
3. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Gelatins, dry powder, unsweetened (SR Legacy, FDC ID 169599). FoodData Central. Accessed October 6, 2026.
4. Shaw G, Lee-Barthel A, Ross ML, et al. Vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(1):136-143. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.138594. PMID:27852613
5. Axe J, Cole W. Heal Your Cells. Avery; 2026. ISBN 9798217181353. Chapter "Personalized Nutrition for Cellular Healing" (bone broth and animal skin, p. 131 running head) and the gut-barrier step list ("Step 3. Rebuild the gut barrier and strengthen the gatekeepers of absorption").
6. Alcock RD, Shaw GC, Tee N, et al. Plasma Amino Acid Concentrations After the Ingestion of Dairy and Collagen Proteins, in Healthy Active Males. Front Nutr. 2019;6:163. doi:10.3389/fnut.2019.00163. PMID:31681789
7. Axe J. The BIGGEST Causes of Fast-Aging Skin (How to Reverse Aging). The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025.
8. Ricard-Blum S. The collagen family. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2011;3(1):a004978. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a004978. PMID:21421911
9. Axe J. 11 Supplements Every 40+ Adult Should Consider. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026.
10. Shoulders MD, Raines RT. Collagen structure and stability. Annu Rev Biochem. 2009;78:929-58. doi:10.1146/annurev.biochem.77.032207.120833. PMID:19344236
11. Meléndez-Hevia E, De Paz-Lugo P, Cornish-Bowden A, et al. A weak link in metabolism: the metabolic capacity for glycine biosynthesis does not satisfy the need for collagen synthesis. J Biosci. 2009;34(6):853-72. doi:10.1007/s12038-009-0100-9. PMID:20093739
12. León-López A, Morales-Peñaloza A, Martínez-Juárez VM, et al. Hydrolyzed Collagen-Sources and Applications. Molecules. 2019;24(22):4031. doi:10.3390/molecules24224031. PMID:31703345
13. Matar A, Abdelnaem N, Camilleri M. Bone Broth Benefits: How Its Nutrients Fortify Gut Barrier in Health and Disease. Dig Dis Sci. 2025;70(6):1951-1961. doi:10.1007/s10620-025-08997-x. PMID:40180691
14. Axe J. Ancient Remedies. Little, Brown Spark; 2021. Chapter "Meals Are Medicine," pp. 94–95 (bone broth).
15. Knight J, Jiang J, Assimos DG, et al. Hydroxyproline ingestion and urinary oxalate and glycolate excretion. Kidney Int. 2006;70(11):1929-34. doi:10.1038/sj.ki.5001906. PMID:17021603
16. Paul C, Leser S, Oesser S. Significant Amounts of Functional Collagen Peptides Can Be Incorporated in the Diet While Maintaining Indispensable Amino Acid Balance. Nutrients. 2019;11(5):1079. doi:10.3390/nu11051079. PMID:31096622
17. Axe J. Burn Fat, Build Muscle, Live a LOT Longer. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026.
18. Graham RR, Salgado BE, Guerrero E, et al. Impact of gelatin supplementation on indices of skeletal muscle recovery: a pilot study. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2026;126(8):4281-4294. doi:10.1007/s00421-026-06288-5. PMID:42228163
19. Hochstenbach-Waelen A, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Veldhorst MA, et al. Single-protein casein and gelatin diets affect energy expenditure similarly but substrate balance and appetite differently in adults. J Nutr. 2009;139(12):2285-92. doi:10.3945/jn.109.110403. PMID:19864402
20. Hochstenbach-Waelen A, Soenen S, Westerterp KR, et al. Effects of a supra-sustained gelatin-milk protein diet compared with (supra-)sustained milk protein diets on body-weight loss. Br J Nutr. 2011;105(9):1388-98. doi:10.1017/S0007114510005106. PMID:21272400
21. Liang CW, Cheng HY, Lee YH, et al. Efficacy and safety of collagen derivatives for osteoarthritis: A trial sequential meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2024;32(5):574-584. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2023.12.010. PMID:38218227
22. Veldhorst MA, Nieuwenhuizen AG, Hochstenbach-Waelen A, et al. A breakfast with alpha-lactalbumin, gelatin, or gelatin + TRP lowers energy intake at lunch compared with a breakfast with casein, soy, whey, or whey-GMP. Clin Nutr. 2009;28(2):147-55. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2008.12.003. PMID:19185957
23. Fan Z, Nelson JM, Wallace TC. Glycine Bioavailability and Sleep-Related Outcomes Following Oral Glycine and Collagen Supplementation-A Scoping Review. J Diet Suppl. 2026;23(5):602-622. doi:10.1080/19390211.2026.2726197. PMID:42687500
24. Iwai K, Hasegawa T, Taguchi Y, et al. Identification of food-derived collagen peptides in human blood after oral ingestion of gelatin hydrolysates. J Agric Food Chem. 2005;53(16):6531-6. doi:10.1021/jf050206p. PMID:16076145
25. Oesser S, Adam M, Babel W, et al. Oral administration of (14)C labeled gelatin hydrolysate leads to an accumulation of radioactivity in cartilage of mice (C57/BL). J Nutr. 1999;129(10):1891-5. doi:10.1093/jn/129.10.1891. PMID:10498764
26. Pullar JM, Carr AC, Vissers MCM. The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health. Nutrients. 2017;9(8):866. doi:10.3390/nu9080866. PMID:28805671
27. Hochstenbach-Waelen A, Westerterp KR, Soenen S, et al. No long-term weight maintenance effects of gelatin in a supra-sustained protein diet. Physiol Behav. 2010;101(2):237-44. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.05.005. PMID:20457173
28. Axe J. Hidden Signs Your Liver Is Sluggish (And What To Do Before It Becomes Serious). The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026.
29. Axe J. Healing Leaky Gut: The 30-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2025. Repair phase (days 14–30) and "Supplement protocol."
30. Mar-Solís LM, Soto-Domínguez A, Rodríguez-Tovar LE, et al. Analysis of the Anti-Inflammatory Capacity of Bone Broth in a Murine Model of Ulcerative Colitis. Medicina (Kaunas). 2021;57(11):1138. doi:10.3390/medicina57111138. PMID:34833355
31. Axe J. Top 10 Reasons You're Not Healing. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025.
32. Axe J. The Anti-Inflammatory Reset: The 30-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026. p. 22, daily foods table (bone broth).
33. Axe J, Cole W. Heal Your Cells: The Mitochondrial Longevity Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026. Supplement table (glycine + NAC) and daily drinks (bone broth).
34. Alcock RD, Shaw GC, Burke LM. Bone Broth Unlikely to Provide Reliable Concentrations of Collagen Precursors Compared With Supplemental Sources of Collagen Used in Collagen Research. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019;29(3):265-272. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0139. PMID:29893587
35. Gómez-Guillén MC, Giménez B, López-Caballero ME, Montero MP. Functional and bioactive properties of collagen and gelatin from alternative sources: a review. Food Hydrocolloids. 2011;25(8):1813-1827. doi:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2011.02.007
36. Mullins RJ, James H, Platts-Mills TA, et al. Relationship between red meat allergy and sensitization to gelatin and galactose-α-1,3-galactose. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012;129(5):1334-1342.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2012.02.038. PMID:22480538
37. Kuehn A, Hilger C, Hentges F. Anaphylaxis provoked by ingestion of marshmallows containing fish gelatin. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009;123(3):708-9. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2008.12.012. PMID:19178936
38. Fujimoto W, Fukuda M, Yokooji T, et al. Anaphylaxis provoked by ingestion of hydrolyzed fish collagen probably induced by epicutaneous sensitization. Allergol Int. 2016;65(4):474-476. doi:10.1016/j.alit.2016.03.012. PMID:27569115
39. EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ); Koutsoumanis K, Allende A, Bolton D, et al. BSE risk posed by ruminant collagen and gelatine derived from bones. EFSA J. 2024;22(7):e8883. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8883. PMID:39015303

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

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