● Food Intelligence · Beverage

Bone Broth Glycemic Index and Calculate Your Own Glucose Response

Across 2,470 logs of bone broth sipped alone, members averaged just +18.5 mg/dL (median +14) — and bone broth carries GI 0 / GL 0, because simmered animal bones contribute no digestible carbohydrate. The +22.7 mg/dL average across the broader 12,411-log cohort is what happens when broth stops being a mug and starts being a meal: as a soup or stew base the peak climbs to +30.1 mg/dL, and poured over veg or rice it hits +31.9 mg/dL.

GS
Reviewed by Grace Shryack
Signos Proprietary Data·Updated May 20, 2026·10 min read

● Powered by Signos cohort dataHigh confidence · n=12,411
The swap calculator below draws on 12,411 matched-pair logs — a broader cohort than the page's single-item primary, used to give every ingredient swap statistical power. Welch's t-test on matched pairs, not third-party glycemic-index tables. Each swap shows its sample size and confidence tier inline.
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Tap any ingredient below to swap it for a glucose-friendlier alternative. Your Signos Glucose Score, predicted curve, and nutrition update in real-time. Every swap is data-backed by real CGM response measurements.

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Meal Context
Pre-meal sequence
Activity after meal
Time of day
11
of 100
Signos Glucose Score
Low Spike Risk
75% of members fall between +7 and +9 mg/dL
Predicted Curve · 3-hr window
1401001201401601800m30m60m90m120m150m180m+8
Peak
+8
mg/dL
Time in Range
100%
3hr window
Above 140
0m
danger zone
Swaps
0
applied
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● Key Findings · Does bone broth spike blood sugar?

No — bone broth is GI 0 / GL 0, and across 2,470 single-item logs members averaged just +18.5 mg/dL with 66.6% of responses landing under +20 mg/dL. Of every food in the atlas, bone broth might be the cleanest 'doesn't move my glucose' candidate — and the cohort agrees with the published label. Simmered animal bones carry no digestible carbohydrate, so chicken and beef forms both anchor at 0 mg/dL in the recipe builder. The signal lives in what's around the broth, not the broth itself: used as a soup or stew base the average climbed to +30.1 mg/dL across 391 logs (+8 above the alone-baseline of +21.9), and poured over veg or rice it hit +31.9 mg/dL (n=675, +10 delta). Adding collagen powder barely moved the needle — just +0.7 mg/dL across 1,604 logs.

  • ▸Bone broth alone has the lowest single-item mean of any beverage in the atlas: +18.5 mg/dL across 2,470 logs, with 66.6% of responses landing below +20 mg/dL (median +14).
  • ▸Collagen powder is a non-event: with-collagen logs averaged +22.6 mg/dL — only +0.7 mg/dL above the alone-baseline of +21.9 mg/dL across 1,604 matched logs (high confidence).
  • ▸Broth-as-soup-base climbed to +30.1 mg/dL: a +8 mg/dL delta over the mug-sip baseline across 391 matched logs. Whatever's simmering in the bowl is doing all the work — bones contribute zero carbs.
  • ▸Heavy-carb meals (110g+) containing broth averaged +40.4 mg/dL — 94% above the light-carb bucket of +20.8 mg/dL across 4 carb tiers. Broth doesn't escalate the response; the meal around it does.
● Signos Rules

Three citable insights from this recipe's data

Rule 1
"The Mug Rule"
+18.5 mg/dL alone
Sipped from a mug with nothing else, bone broth produced the lowest mean we measured for any beverage — +18.5 mg/dL across 2,470 single-item logs, with 66.6% of responses below +20 mg/dL. Published GI is 0 and the recipe-builder anchors are 0; the small residual signal almost certainly reflects trace co-logged items (a coffee, a snack) members didn't tag separately.
Rule 2
"The Soup-Base Penalty"
+8 mg/dL vs. mug
Bone broth used as a soup or stew base averaged +30.1 mg/dL across 391 logs — an +8 mg/dL delta over the mug-sip baseline of +21.9 mg/dL. The broth is still GI 0; the noodles, root vegetables, and starchy stew components are the entire spike. Poured over veg or rice runs slightly higher at +31.9 mg/dL (n=675, +10 mg/dL delta).
Rule 3
"The Collagen Non-Event"
+1 mg/dL vs. plain
Adding collagen powder to bone broth pushed the cohort mean to just +22.6 mg/dL across 1,604 logs — a +0.7 mg/dL delta over the +21.9 mg/dL alone-baseline. Collagen peptides are protein, not carbohydrate, so there's no fast-glucose substrate to digest. The delta sits comfortably inside the noise band the editorial team treats as not-actionable.
● Curious about your own?

Curious how your body responds to bone broth specifically?

Across 2,470 logs of bone broth sipped alone, members averaged just +18.5 mg/dL — the lowest beverage mean in the atlas — but the IQR spans 16 mg/dL (p25: +8, p75: +24), meaning individual responses still vary. Your own result depends on what's in the bowl with the broth and on your morning insulin sensitivity. A CGM tells you which side of that range you actually land on.

Learn how Signos works
Why this meal spikes

This meal stacks 3 independent spike drivers — together they account for +0 mg/dL.

Driver 1
What's in the bowl with the broth (soup, veg, rice)
+10 mg/dL
The dominant lever: poured-over-veg/rice pairings ran +10 mg/dL above the mug-sip baseline (n=675), and soup/stew bases added +8 mg/dL (n=391). Bone broth itself is GI 0 — every point of the broader-cohort signal traces to what's around it.
Driver 2
Total meal carb load (≥60g) when broth is present
+17.2 mg/dL
Meals tagged with bone broth and ≥60g total carbs ran 83% higher than the light-carb baseline (CI: +15.49 to +18.81 mg/dL, n=697 vs n=10,621, p<0.001). Same effect, expressed at meal level: the carbs are doing the work, not the broth.
Driver 3
Sugar load (≥20g) in the surrounding meal
+13 mg/dL
High-sugar pairings (≥20g) lifted peaks 62% (CI: +11.65 to +14.42 mg/dL, n=991 vs n=9,116). Sweetened reduction sauces and glazed proteins around the broth drive this signal — observational, not causal.
● Which bucket are you in?

Some members spike +18.5 mg/dL. Others spike +31.9. The only way to know how you'll spike is to measure with a Signos CGM.

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● What's worth knowing
What's worth knowing about bone broth is how cleanly the data confirms the label. Across 2,470 logs of broth sipped alone, members averaged just +18.5 mg/dL — the lowest single-item mean of any beverage we publish, with 66.6% of responses below +20 mg/dL. Bone broth carries GI 0 / GL 0, our recipe-builder anchors are zeroed for both chicken and beef forms, and even adding collagen powder only moved the cohort by +0.7 mg/dL. Of every food in the atlas, this is the cleanest 'doesn't move my glucose' candidate.
— Signos Data Science Team

Why this happens, physiologically

Bone broth is, biochemically, a near-zero-carbohydrate beverage — simmered animal bones release collagen, gelatin, amino acids, and minerals, but essentially no digestible starch or sugar. That's why the published GI is 0, GL is 0, and our recipe-builder form anchors are zeroed for both chicken and beef. The +18.5 mg/dL average across 2,470 single-item logs is small enough to be almost entirely trace co-logged context. In the broader 12,411-log cohort, two levers shift the signal: what's in the bowl with the broth (soup/stew base added +8 mg/dL over the alone-baseline across 391 logs; poured over veg/rice added +10 across 675), and total meal carb load (≥60g carbs ran 83% higher across 697 logs, CI: +15.49 to +18.81 mg/dL). Collagen powder additions barely moved the cohort (+0.7 mg/dL across 1,604 logs).

● Three mechanisms explain bone broth's glucose range

Zero-carb anchor, what's around the broth, and total meal carb load each shape what shows up on the trace

  1. Mechanism 1
    GI = 0
    Zero-carb anchor
    Simmered animal bones contribute no digestible carbohydrate, which is why published GI is 0 and both chicken and beef form anchors are set to 0 mg/dL in the recipe builder. Pure broth cannot raise glucose because there is no substrate to digest into sugar.
  2. Mechanism 2
    +10 mg/dL
    What's in the bowl
    Broth poured over veg or rice averaged +31.9 mg/dL across 675 logs — a +10 mg/dL delta over the +21.9 mg/dL mug-sip baseline. As a soup or stew base it added +8 mg/dL (n=391). The carbs in the bowl are the entire signal.
  3. Mechanism 3
    +83%
    Total meal carb load
    Meals tagged with bone broth and ≥60g total carbs ran 83% higher than the light-carb baseline (CI: +15.49 to +18.81 mg/dL, n=697, p<0.001). Same effect expressed at meal level — the carbs are doing the work.
● Fit Check
Bone broth is glucose-inert — GI 0, GL 0, and an +18.5 mg/dL single-item mean. The cohort signal lives in what's in the bowl with the broth.
✓ This is for you if
  • ▸You sip bone broth from a mug during an intermittent-fasting window. Single-item bone-broth logs averaged just +18.5 mg/dL across 2,470 entries — the lowest beverage mean in the atlas.
  • ▸You add collagen powder to your broth. With-collagen logs averaged +22.6 mg/dL — only +0.7 mg/dL above the alone-baseline of +21.9 across 1,604 matched logs.
  • ▸You drink chicken or beef bone broth — either works. Both forms anchor at 0 mg/dL in the recipe builder; cohort means came in nearly identical (+22.5 chicken vs +21.9 beef, n=3,300 and n=2,586).
  • ▸You log broth in the morning. Morning bone-broth logs ran 16% lower than later-day meals (CI: −4.48 to −3.27 mg/dL, n=4,059, p<0.001) — consistent with morning insulin sensitivity.
✗ Not for you if
  • ▸You use bone broth as a soup or stew base. That combo averaged +30.1 mg/dL across 391 logs — a +8 mg/dL delta over the mug-sip baseline. The noodles and roots are the spike.
  • ▸You pour broth over rice or veg in a bowl. That pairing averaged +31.9 mg/dL across 675 logs — the largest pairing delta at +10 mg/dL above plain broth.
  • ▸You add broth to a high-carb meal (60g+). Meals with bone broth and ≥60g carbs ran 83% higher than the light-carb baseline across 697 logs (CI: +15.49 to +18.81 mg/dL).
  • ▸You stir in sweetened reduction sauces or glazed proteins. High-sugar pairings (≥20g) lifted peaks 62% across 991 logs (CI: +11.65 to +14.42 mg/dL).
● How it fits your day

Calorie band and pairings (member-measured)

Per serving
40–500 kcal
Plain bone broth is ~40–60 kcal per cup; single-item logs averaged 83 kcal; broader multi-item logs averaged 459 kcal as broth becomes a meal component.
● Pair before
  • ▸Sip broth alone in the morning: morning bone-broth logs ran 16% lower than later-day (CI: −4.48 to −3.27 mg/dL, n=4,059, p<0.001).
  • ▸Keep total meal carbs under 40g when broth is part of the bowl: light-carb meals averaged +20.8 mg/dL vs +40.4 mg/dL in the 110g+ bucket — a 94% escalation across 4 carb tiers.
● Pair after
  • ▸Time a 15–20 min walk after broth-based meals with rice or noodles — those pairings averaged +30.1 to +31.9 mg/dL, the highest in the cohort.
  • ▸If you're using broth as a soup base, expect +8 mg/dL over the mug-sip baseline (n=391) — favor a veg-and-protein build over a starch-heavy one.
● Avoid pairing
  • ▸Avoid broth poured over rice or starchy veg bowls: that combination averaged +31.9 mg/dL — a +10 mg/dL delta, the largest in the bone-broth carb-pair table (n=675).
  • ▸Avoid stacking broth into very-heavy carb meals (110g+): those averaged +40.4 mg/dL with 64.9% running above +30 mg/dL (n=77).
● Quick definitions (click to expand)
mg/dL — milligrams per deciliter. The unit blood glucose is measured in. A rise of "+30 mg/dL above baseline" means blood sugar went up 30 units after the meal.
Glycemic Index (GI) — a 0–100 score for how fast a food raises blood sugar in lab tests. Under 55 = low, 56–69 = medium, 70+ = high.
Glycemic Load (GL) — GI adjusted for portion size. Under 10 = low, 10–19 = medium, 20+ = high.
CGM — Continuous Glucose Monitor. A wearable sensor that tracks blood glucose every few minutes. Signos members wear CGMs while eating meals they log.
● Related Foods: How bone broth's glucose response compares to other zero-GI beverages and protein sources
Coffee Glycemic Index & Glucose Score
Coffee is the other zero-GI beverage anchor in the atlas — useful side-by-side with bone broth to see how two GI-0 cups differ in cohort behavior.
Tea Glycemic Index & Glucose Score
Tea shares bone broth's GI 0 / GL 0 profile — the comparison shows how brewed-water beverages cluster around the low-mean baseline.
Chicken Glycemic Index & Glucose Score
Chicken is the protein source behind chicken bone broth — see how the bird itself behaves in matched cohort logs.
Steak Glycemic Index & Glucose Score
Steak is a protein-only comparison point with bone broth — both are zero-carb foods where the meal around them drives any spike.
Track Your Bone Broth Response with Signos →
See how your glucose actually moves when broth is a mug vs. a soup base vs. a rice-bowl pour — CGM data, personalized to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Methodology

This page draws on 2,470 single-item bone-broth logs (meals where broth was logged alone, no pairings) from 930 unique Signos members, plus a broader 12,411-meal cohort spanning all meal contexts where bone broth appeared, drawn from 2,297 unique members. Data were filtered to postprandial glucose responses (PPGR) between 0 and 100 mg/dL to exclude sensor artifacts and implausible readings. Modifier effects were estimated using Welch's t-test on matched pairs against a defined baseline; all reported effects carry p<0.001 unless noted. Bone broth carries a published glycemic index of 0 and glycemic load of 0 — the calculator's form-slot anchors are zeroed accordingly, with the cohort means preserved per option for transparency. We report mean glucose peak across a right-skewed distribution — the median single-item spike of +14 mg/dL is several mg/dL lower than the mean of +18.5 mg/dL, which is typical for this type of data. Any vehicle/pairing slot requires at least 100 matched meals before it appears in the recipe builder.

Limitations

  • Self-reported portion sizes introduce measurement error — a logged "1 cup" of broth may vary in sodium and density depending on simmer time and brand.
  • Cohort skews health-motivated; Signos members actively tracking glucose tend to log more carefully than the general population, so real-world average spikes may differ.
  • The soup-base pairing slot (n=391) carries medium confidence — the reported +8 mg/dL delta is directional rather than statistically firm.
  • Bone broth is often consumed during IF windows or as a snack; the cohort doesn't isolate a clean fasted-vs-fed signal because broth itself is what some members are using to bracket a fast.
  • Modifier analyses reflect meal-level correlations, not controlled feeding trials — causality cannot be established from observational CGM data alone.
  • The published GI 0 / GL 0 reflects properly-simmered broth; sweetened or carb-enriched 'broth' products (some commercial sippable broths add starch thickeners) may behave differently and are not isolated in this cohort.
● Get your own data

See your own bone broth response

Across 2,470 single-item bone-broth logs, members averaged just +18.5 mg/dL — the lowest beverage mean in the atlas — but the IQR spans 16 mg/dL, meaning your personal response could land well above or below that. What's in the bowl with the broth matters too: as a soup base it adds +8 mg/dL, poured over veg or rice +10 mg/dL. A CGM shows you exactly where you land and which builds work best for your biology.

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