Rich Butter, Poor Health

A recently published study highlighted the impact of small things that are done frequently and how they can add up over the course of a lifetime.

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The news from these researchers made a lot of headlines: higher consumption of butter was linked to an increased risk of mortality in middle-aged and older adults in the US. What did they find? Each 10-g increase per day in butter intake was associated with a 7% increase in total mortality risk. 

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How much is 10g? That’s just over 2 teaspoons, or less than 1/10th of a stick of butter.

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On the other hand, a 10-g increase per day in the consumption of plant-based oils, such as canola, soybean, and olive oils, was associated with a 13% lower risk of death from all causes, an 11% lower risk of death from cancer, and a 6% lower risk of death from cardiovascular diseases. 

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This study looked at 3 large groups of people, totalling over 200,000 men and women whose diets were repeatedly measured and followed over 33 years(!), and the results emphasize the significant health benefits you can achieve over the long term from small dietary changes.

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Why is this result not too surprising? Butter is predominantly a saturated fat, whereas olive oil is primarily unsaturated.

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And we know that saturated fats increase LDL levels (“bad cholesterol”) and cause inflammation, both of which contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. In contrast, unsaturated fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, have the opposite effect: they improve lipid profiles, act as antioxidants, and are anti-inflammatory.

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And certainly prior research has shown similar findings: butter is bad, olive oil is better

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But this recent study stands out because it shows that replacing butter with plant-based oils could reduce mortality risk by 17%!! 

And that’s just by removing 2 teaspoons of butter a day!

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This study has several strengths: large sample size, long duration of follow-up, repeated assessments of diet, and control for potential confounding factors, like overall diet quality.  But it is important to highlight the problems with “observational trials” in general. It’s possible that people who eat butter live less healthy lifestyles in general, and it’s possible that that is the real reason people who ate butter had worse outcomes. Butter is often associated with unhealthier dietary patterns, while plant-based oils are more consumed in healthier patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet and plant-based diets. These researchers tried to account for this by also looking at the effects of the oils when looking at just people with poor overall diet quality, and they found basically the same results. In this study, butter had the same effect whether or not the overall diet was healthy or not.

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There are some nutrition experts who advocate that the healthiest diets have NO oil whatsoever, not even oils commonly assumed to be healthy like olive or avocado oils. But not everyone can take that step to remove all oil from their diets. 

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But this recent study suggests that even without dramatically revamping your diet, small changes can really have a huge impact over time. In that way, these small lifestyle changes are like compound interest in a bank or investment account: If you save any amount of money in a bank account that pays >3% interest, the total will triple after 30 years. 

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The people in this study who decided to do better by getting rid of butter invested in their health, and attained rich health benefits over the long term. 

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At Wisconsin Cardiology Associates, we counsel our patients to aim for a healthy, plant-based diet, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains and nuts. Have questions about the best way you can prevent heart disease? Call us and make an appointment for a consultation.

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References:

Zhang Y, Chadaideh KS, Li Y, et al. Butter and plant-based oils intake and mortality.   JAMA Intern Med. Published online March 6, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.0205

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