Bone broth has seen an enormous uptick in popularity in the United States after being touted on social media as an all-encompassing health elixir. Although the substance has been used for over 2,000 years in Asian cultures for its medicinal benefits, social media is notorious for sensationalizing anything trendy, so here’s the truth behind the bone broth fad.

Bone broth is made by simmering animal bones and tissue in water for 12 to 24 hours, leading to a low-calorie liquid supposedly full of protein, collagen, and amino acids — for example, one cup of chicken broth can have 10 grams of protein and only 45 calories. However, studies have found that the nutrients in bone broth are quite low compared to foods like whole milk or eggs.

In fact, a biomedical scientist at the University of South Dakota, Dr. William H. Percy stated that if you’ve tried bone broth and felt better, you’d benefit more from simply eating “milk or eggs.” That said, some studies have shown that bone broth is helpful in recovering from respiratory illnesses and supporting the immune system in battling ulcerative colitis.