Bone marrow may hold many protective properties as a food.
When you hear the words “bone marrow”, visions of dinosaur remains piled high in a museum room may come to mind, or the deep inner workings of your skeletal structure whose exact appearance is a little bit of a mystery to, well, most of us. A delicious treat basking on a china dinner plate may be quite far from your mind’s eye. And so it may come as a surprise to learn that the delicious treat is actually a real thing.
Bone marrow is the stuff found in the middle of your bones that produces stem cells. These go on to produce your blood cells. People have been eating bone marrow for thousands of years and some are now swearing by it as a top-notch, favored delicacy. Why do humans eat bone marrow and how can you incorporate it into your next meal? Here’s a look.
What’s in Bone Marrow?
People have been consuming bone marrow for hundreds of thousands of years. In fact, research led by academics from Tel Aviv University uncovered evidence in 2019 indicating that Paleolithic humans kept animal bones in Qesem Cave near Tel Aviv for weeks and then consumed the marrow inside them like food from cans. These humans from about 400,000 years ago turned to bone marrow for their survival and it must have worked because…here we are! Bone marrow is:
- rich in calories and fat
- Low in protein
- High in collagen
- Home to conjugated linoleic acid
- home to glycine, chondroitin, and glucosamine
- A low source of vitamin B12
Is the stuff really that good for you? Some experts feel that bone marrow isn’t much more than a high-calorie, high-fat food like bacon or butter that doesn’t really bring much else to the table. Some research has shown that there’s more to this ancient food than meets the eye, however.
The Healthy Side of Bone Marrow
If you’re looking for a way to boost the health of your skin, bone marrow may be your friend. This substance is a source of collagen. This can be helpful in restoring the look of aging skin. As you grow older, your body produces less collagen on its own, contributing to reduced skin elasticity. Eating foods that contain collagen over a longer period of time has been found to potentially improve the visible signs of aging.
Eating bone marrow can also potentially increase your bone density, although doctors say that more objective research is needed in this area.
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Finally, bone marrow contains a type of fat thought to decrease inflammation in your body while simultaneously enhancing your immune system. This is called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA has been studied for its anti-carcinogenic properties, as well as its ability to help fight obesity and arthritis. The adiponectin released by bone marrow fat may also reduce your chances of developing diabetes.
Again, experts insist that more research is needed to determine if ingesting CLA really does help stave off these diseases and conditions. If the hunches of scientists are right, however, the benefits of consuming bone marrow could be substantial.
How to Cook With Bone Marrow
How can you cook this ancient stuff? Bone marrow can be cooked in many ways. You can find large cooking bones in most grocery stores. You place them in soups, roast them, incorporate marrow into sauces, or spread cooked bone marrow on crackers.
Roasted bone marrow has a buttery, nutty flavor and a delicate texture.
For tips on cooking with bone marrow, check out GreatBritishChefs.com and Yummly.com.
photo credits: Brent Hofacker/Shuttestock.com
