Gelatin: Benefits, Uses, Recipes & What It's Made Of

Gelatin is collagen that long, slow heat has drawn out of animal skin, bones and cartilage, the same protein that makes a pot of homemade bone broth set like jelly in the fridge, and it's sold dried as a powder or thin sheets you can stir into soups and set into gummies.18 Alongside bone broth and collagen, it's one of the foods I recommend for rebuilding your gut lining, and for most people it belongs in the kitchen right beside the broth it comes from, as long as you choose gelatin made from beef (bovine) or fish.2

Our ancestors used every part of the animal, simmering bones and ligaments into a nourishing broth that was a staple of their diet, and until recently that broth had almost disappeared from the modern table.9 Nearly a third of your body's protein is collagen, yet most people now eat almost exclusively muscle meat, which is why I point to bone broth and animal skin to restore the balance modern diets lack.210 By one metabolic estimate, the glycine your body makes plus what a typical diet supplies could leave a 154-pound adult about 10 grams a day short of what the body needs, including what it uses to make collagen.11

If your digestion feels unsettled or your joints feel stiff, part of the root cause may be what's missing from your plate. When your meals are all muscle meat and no bones or skin, your body has less of the raw material it uses to keep your gut lining and connective tissue in good repair, and gelatin is one of the simplest ways to put that material back, in foods you already enjoy.

Did you know?

• Every third amino acid along a strand of collagen is glycine, and that's why gelatin carries so much of it.12

• A gelatin gel can melt and set again: warm it and it turns back into a liquid, then it firms up once more as it cools.8

• About 40% of a fish's catch weight ends up as byproducts such as skin, bones and scales, and fish skin turns out to be a good source of gelatin.13

Advertisement

What is gelatin, and what is it made of?

Collagen as your body builds it is a triple helix, three protein strands twisted tightly together like a braided rope.12 To make gelatin, manufacturers clean and pretreat skins or bones and then draw out the collagen with water heated to between 50 and 100 °C (122 and 212 °F). That heat unwinds the braid into looser strands roughly one-third the size of whole collagen, which are filtered, concentrated, sterilized and dried.1 Gelatin made from pig skin is usually pretreated with acid, which gives what manufacturers call type A gelatin, while cattle hides go through an alkaline process that gives type B.8

Gelatin is also made from fish skin and from donkey, horse and deer hides,15 and the section on whether gelatin is pork explains how to tell which animal you're buying.

You'll find gelatin sold three main ways. Powder, or granules, is the form most home cooks use; sheets, also called leaf gelatin, are popular with bakers; and hydrolyzed gelatin has been cut by enzymes into pieces so small that it dissolves in cold water and no longer gels, which is the form sold as collagen peptides.1617

A short history of gelatin

Gelatin first came from the stockpot, where cooks simmered skin and joints along with the bones. As I've said on my show, when you're eating bone broth, chicken skin or fish skin, you're getting loads of collagen.18 Chinese medicine recommends bone broth with most meals, cooked with vegetables such as carrots, celery and sweet potato,7 and in China, gelatin made from donkey and deer skins is used in medicines.15 My Healing Leaky Gut protocol follows a principle from Chinese medicine too: a healing gut does best with warm, cooked, soft foods rather than raw, cold ones, and broth and gelatin fit that description well.19 Gelatin powder keeps that same old-fashioned protein in a measured, shelf-stable form you can use any day of the week.

Gelatin nutrition facts

Values from USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169599 (gelatins, dry powder, unsweetened); the record doesn't name the animal source. Envelope amounts are our calculations from USDA's per-100-gram values and its 7-gram envelope.3

Glycine and proline together make up nearly a third of gelatin by weight, 19.0 and 12.3 grams in every 100, so even a single spoonful brings a rich supply of the two amino acids that collagen relies on most.312 The USDA record doesn't list hydroxyproline, an amino acid characteristic of collagen; it made up 9.17 grams per 100 grams of the gelatin tested in a study of urinary oxalate.20 Gelatin's value lies in those amino acids rather than in minerals, since an envelope carries about 4 milligrams of calcium, though it does add 0.15 milligrams of copper.3

Is gelatin a complete protein?

No. Gelatin lacks tryptophan, one of the nine essential amino acids, which makes it an incomplete protein.321 I count collagen as about half of a protein serving, so 20 grams of collagen might count toward roughly 10 grams of your daily protein.22 Part of the reason is that it carries little of the muscle-building amino acids such as leucine.3 Gelatin works well beside the rest of your protein, and in one modeling study, collagen peptides could make up as much as 36% of the protein in a typical Western diet without leaving any essential amino acid short.21 Round it out with complete proteins such as eggs, fish and poultry.

Is gelatin good for you?

Every day, I want you either drinking bone broth or getting collagen from a supplement or another collagen-rich protein,7 and gelatin is one of the easiest ways to do that. Bone broth comes first, and bovine or fish gelatin belongs right next to collagen peptides as your next step, adding the same protein to the soups, sauces and treats you already make.

Plain, unflavored gelatin is a different food from the boxed dessert mixes many of us grew up on, which add sugar along with flavorings and colors, and our guide to hidden sugar in packaged foods shows how quickly that adds up. The benefits below draw on studies of gelatin itself, the broth it's drawn from, its main amino acid, glycine, and the collagen peptides made from it, and the recipes later on show how to sweeten gelatin with fruit or a little raw honey instead of sugar.

How does gelatin work in your body?

Gelatin's job in your body is to deliver collagen's raw materials, and it does that quickly, with its amino acids reaching your blood within about an hour. Heat has already loosened collagen's braid, your digestion takes it apart into amino acids and small collagen pieces, and your body carries them to the tissues it's building and repairing, including the lining of your gut and the connective tissue in your joints.

That last step is a practical one, so it helps to eat gelatin alongside vitamin C foods such as citrus, berries or a squeeze of lemon in your broth.

Glycine has a second job that matters for your liver. As I've said on my show, glycine is critical for creating glutathione, your body's master antioxidant,26 and a 2018 review argued that for people eating ordinary diets, the glycine supply can limit how much glutathione the body makes.27 That's why my Mitochondrial Longevity Protocol pairs 3 grams of glycine with 600 milligrams of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) each day for glutathione and oxidative stress,28 and gelatin is one of the easiest ways to add more glycine from food for your liver to work with.

Gelatin benefits

Gelatin's benefits follow from what it carries, starting with the support it gives your gut lining.2

How gelatin supports your gut lining

Your gut lining is held together by tight junctions, the seals between its cells that decide what passes from your gut into your bloodstream.41 Dr. Will Cole and I name bone broth, collagen and gelatin in Heal Your Cells as the amino acid–rich foods to eat when you're rebuilding that barrier, because they support the tight junctions that prevent nutrient loss and inflammation.2 I started using bone broth and collagen with patients to help them heal from chronic digestive issues,26 and my free gut-healing protocol builds them into a daily routine. It ranks bone broth first among its 10 gut-healing foods, and its Repair phase calls for broth every day, ideally 16 ounces, along with 10 to 20 grams of collagen peptides.19

Bone broth helps because it's rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, the building blocks your gut lining is made from, a point I've made on my show.42 The Mayo Clinic reviewers pointed to its glutamine, glycine, proline, histidine and arginine, along with its minerals, as the nutrients that calm inflammation in the intestinal barrier and help it work better.41 Mice given broth made from beef bones for 10 days before researchers induced colitis had less damage to the colon, and two inflammatory messengers dropped, IL-6 by about 95% and TNF-alpha by about 69%.43 In rats, a diet with 5% glycine protected the colon in two models of chemically induced colitis, even when the glycine started after the colitis had set in.44 And in an 8-week study without a placebo group, 13 of the 14 women who completed 20 grams of collagen peptides a day reported fewer digestive symptoms, including bloating.45

To put gelatin to work for your gut health, have a warm mug of broth each day, stir bloomed bovine or fish gelatin into soups and stews, and follow the Healing Leaky Gut protocol for the rest of the plan. Our guides to leaky gut and the leaky gut diet fill in the details.

Gelatin vs. collagen peptides: what's the difference?

Collagen peptides start as collagen that enzymes have cut into pieces far smaller than gelatin's strands, which is why they dissolve in cold water and never gel.161 Your body absorbs both well. When 15 active men came in on six separate mornings to drink a different warm protein serving each time, a 20-gram serving of gelatin lifted blood glycine to a peak of 674 micromoles per liter, close to the 747 reached with 20 grams of collagen peptides and the 666 reached with about 1¼ cups (300 milliliters) of bone broth from a café, while a dairy protein, calcium caseinate, reached only 267.46 Glycine from gelatin took a little longer to peak, about 71 minutes compared with 48 for the peptides.46 In a second study, 10 active men each tried four drinks before exercise, including 15 grams of gelatin and 15 grams of collagen peptides, and in the 4 whose blood amino acids were measured, levels rose about equally with both.47

Which one you reach for depends on what you're making: gelatin gives body to broth, soups, sauces and gummies, and peptides disappear into coffee and smoothies, so many people keep both on hand. Our guides to collagen vs. gelatin, bovine collagen and fish collagen go deeper.

Is gelatin pork?

In figures a 2011 review reported, pig skin supplied about 46% of the world's gelatin, cattle hides 29.4% and pork and cattle bones 23.1%.148 That gelatin turns up well beyond the baking aisle, in gummy candies, marshmallows and medicine capsules, and a 2024 review found that unclear labels often leave shoppers unable to tell which animal it came from.84815

I recommend avoiding pork as a matter of biblical health and wisdom, and Scripture draws the line plainly: "And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you" (Leviticus 11:7). Our guide on why I avoid pork explains the health reasons in full.

The good choices are easy to find once you read the label. Beef gelatin, ideally from grass-fed or pasture-raised cattle, is the most widely sold alternative. Fish gelatin is accepted across religious traditions, according to the same 2024 review,15 but it can be made from catfish or eel skin, and neither fish meets the fins-and-scales standard I follow, so choose a fish gelatin whose label names a fish with fins and scales, such as cod.8 If a package says only "gelatin," the animal isn't named, so pick one that names it.

How much gelatin per day?

Bone broth counts toward your total too. My Anti-Inflammatory Reset includes a cup of bone broth every day,49 with more during gut repair, as the gut section describes. How much collagen a mug carries depends on the pot: in a lab analysis, amino acid levels varied widely from broth to broth, and café-made broths carried the most.50 Stirring a spoonful of bovine or fish gelatin into your broth is a simple way to top it up, since each 7-gram envelope adds 6 grams of protein.3

When is the best time to take gelatin?

Take gelatin whenever it fits your meals. Around training, have it about an hour ahead of your workout with a vitamin C–rich food or drink, as the collagen-building study did.4 In the evening, a mug of broth with gelatin brings glycine at the time of day the sleep studies focused on.33

How to use gelatin powder

Gelatin powder dissolves smoothly when you do it in two steps, bloom and then warm. Scatter the powder over a few tablespoons of cold water or broth and give it about 5 minutes to swell and soften, then stir it into the hot liquid until no grains remain. Stirred straight into hot liquid, it tends to clump. Unflavored gelatin has almost no taste of its own, so it takes on the flavor of whatever you mix it with.

How to make gelatin-rich bone broth at home

Homemade broth is the original gelatin, and it's simple to make. When your broth sets into a soft jelly in the fridge, that jelly is gelatin, drawn out of the bones and joints by hours of gentle heat.1 If you're roasting a turkey this Thanksgiving, simmer the carcass the same way, and see our leftover turkey recipes for more ideas.

Our beef bone broth and chicken bone broth recipes walk you through each version, and our roundup of bone broth recipes has more.

How to choose gelatin

• Beef (bovine) or fish named on the label, for the reasons in the pork section above.

• Grass-fed or pasture-raised cattle listed as the source of bovine gelatin.

• Unflavored and single-ingredient, so you decide how sweet it gets.

• A kosher or halal mark, if you follow either standard; see what kosher means.

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

Gelatin recipes

Unflavored gelatin turns whole fruit, coconut milk and broth into treats and comfort foods, and these recipes keep the sweetening to the fruit itself or a little raw honey, never refined sugar.

Each of the three servings holds one envelope's worth of gelatin, about 7 grams with 6 grams of protein,3 and the berries and lemon bring the vitamin C your body uses to build collagen.25

More ways to cook with gelatin:

For more ideas, see our healthy collagen breakfast recipes and gluten-free desserts.

Gelatin side effects and who should skip it

• Red meat (alpha-gal) allergy. In an allergy clinic, 30 of 40 adults with red meat allergy tested positive to gelatin and 12 of them reacted to it clinically, and the researchers detected the alpha-gal sugar in bovine gelatin.51 With alpha-gal syndrome, leave bovine gelatin out and choose another source with your allergist.

• Fish allergy. Case reports describe anaphylaxis after marshmallows made with fish gelatin and after hydrolyzed fish collagen.4852 If you're allergic to fish, skip fish gelatin and choose bovine, and see food allergy symptoms for the signs to watch.

• Calcium oxalate kidney stones. Your body turns some of gelatin's hydroxyproline into oxalate. In 10 healthy adults, 30 grams of gelatin a day for 5 days raised urinary oxalate 43% compared with the same amount of whey protein, and single doses of 5 and 10 grams raised it while 1 and 2 grams didn't.20 If you've had kidney stones, keep gelatin modest and set your amount with your practitioner.

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

• Pregnancy and nursing. Gelatin in broth, soups and homemade treats is an everyday food. The gelatin studies on this page didn't include pregnant or nursing women, so check supplement amounts with your OB.

• Signs to stop. If you get hives, swelling or wheezing after a gelatin food, stop eating it and get care right away.

The bottom line

Gelatin: frequently asked questions

References

1. Holwerda AM, van Loon LJC. The impact of collagen protein ingestion on musculoskeletal connective tissue remodeling: a narrative review. Nutr Rev. 2022;80(6):1497-1514. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuab083. PMID:34605901
2. 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").
3. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Gelatins, dry powder, unsweetened (SR Legacy, FDC ID 169599). FoodData Central. Accessed November 4, 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. Deep Sleep Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026. Top 8 sleep nutrients (glycine, 3 g before bed).
6. 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
7. Axe J. The BIGGEST Causes of Fast-Aging Skin (How to Reverse Aging). The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025, at 12:18, 25:09 and 32:58.
8. 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
9. Axe J. Ancient Remedies. Little, Brown Spark; 2021. "Meals Are Medicine," p. 94 (bone broth); "Ancient Prescriptions" (sprains and strains: bone broth).
10. Ricard-Blum S. The collagen family. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2011;3(1):a004978. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a004978. PMID:21421911
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. 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
13. Nurilmala M, Suryamarevita H, Husein Hizbullah H, et al. Fish skin as a biomaterial for halal collagen and gelatin. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2022;29(2):1100-1110. doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.09.056. PMID:35197779
14. 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
15. Hassan M, Hussain D, Kanwal T, et al. Methods for detection and quantification of gelatin from different sources. Food Chem. 2024;438:137970. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.137970. PMID:37988934
16. 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
17. Moskowitz RW. Role of collagen hydrolysate in bone and joint disease. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2000;30(2):87-99. doi:10.1053/sarh.2000.9622. PMID:11071580
18. Axe J. Top 10 Reasons You're Not Healing. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025, at 10:33 and 11:04.
19. Axe J. Healing Leaky Gut: The 30-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2025. Healing foods ranked (bone broth #1), Repair phase (days 14–30) and "Supplement protocol."
20. 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
21. 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
22. Axe J. Burn Fat, Build Muscle, Live a LOT Longer. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026.
23. 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
24. 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
25. 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
26. Axe J, Petrucci K. The Real Reason Your Gut Won't Heal (And How Bone Broth Fixes It). The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026, at 2:42 and 11:54.
27. McCarty MF, O'Keefe JH, DiNicolantonio JJ. Dietary Glycine Is Rate-Limiting for Glutathione Synthesis and May Have Broad Potential for Health Protection. Ochsner J. 2018;18(1):81-87. PMID:29559876
28. Axe J, Cole W. Heal Your Cells: The Mitochondrial Longevity Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026. Supplement table (glycine + NAC) and daily drinks (bone broth).
29. 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
30. 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
31. Axe J. Why SLEEP is Medicine: My 4 Tips to Improve Energy. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026, at 39:34 and 45:28.
32. Bannai M, Kawai N. New therapeutic strategy for amino acid medicine: glycine improves the quality of sleep. J Pharmacol Sci. 2012;118(2):145-8. doi:10.1254/jphs.11r04fm. PMID:22293292
33. 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
34. Thomas C, Kingshott RN, Allott KM, et al. Collagen peptide supplementation before bedtime reduces sleep fragmentation and improves cognitive function in physically active males with sleep complaints. Eur J Nutr. 2024;63(1):323-335. doi:10.1007/s00394-023-03267-w. PMID:37874350
35. 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
36. Rubio IG, Castro G, Zanini AC, Medeiros-Neto G. Oral ingestion of a hydrolyzed gelatin meal in subjects with normal weight and in obese patients: Postprandial effect on circulating gut peptides, glucose and insulin. Eat Weight Disord. 2008;13(1):48-53. doi:10.1007/BF03327784. PMID:18319637
37. 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
38. 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
39. Pu SY, Huang YL, Pu CM, et al. Effects of Oral Collagen for Skin Anti-Aging: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2023;15(9):2080. doi:10.3390/nu15092080. PMID:37432180
40. König D, Oesser S, Scharla S, et al. Specific Collagen Peptides Improve Bone Mineral Density and Bone Markers in Postmenopausal Women-A Randomized Controlled Study. Nutrients. 2018;10(1):97. doi:10.3390/nu10010097. PMID:29337906
41. 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
42. Axe J. Complete Guide to Healing Leaky Gut Naturally. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026, at 33:05.
43. 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
44. Tsune I, Ikejima K, Hirose M, et al. Dietary glycine prevents chemical-induced experimental colitis in the rat. Gastroenterology. 2003;125(3):775-85. doi:10.1016/s0016-5085(03)01067-9. PMID:12949723
45. Abrahams M, O'Grady R, Prawitt J. Effect of a Daily Collagen Peptide Supplement on Digestive Symptoms in Healthy Women: 2-Phase Mixed Methods Study. JMIR Form Res. 2022;6(5):e36339. doi:10.2196/36339. PMID:35639457
46. 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
47. Lis DM, Baar K. Effects of Different Vitamin C-Enriched Collagen Derivatives on Collagen Synthesis. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019;29(5):526-531. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0385. PMID:30859848
48. 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
49. Axe J. The Anti-Inflammatory Reset: The 30-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026. p. 22, daily foods table (bone broth).
50. 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
51. 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
52. 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
53. 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.

Read the full bio →

This article is for educational purposes. See our medical disclaimer.