Why eating less butter helps protect against heart disease and cancer, new study finds
Using more plant-based oils, including seed oils, and eating less butter can lower the risk of premature death, cancer, and heart disease, new research suggests.
Butter may be delicious, but a large new study suggests that the less of it you eat, the longer you may live.
Using more plant-based oils and less butter was associated with a 17% lower risk of dying prematurely and a lower risk of cancer and heart disease, according to a report published Thursday in JAMA Internal Medicine and presented at the American Heart Association EPI/Lifestyle Scientific Sessions.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston analyzed data from more than 200,000 people who were followed for more than three decades. Participants who reported consuming the highest daily amounts of butter were 15% more likely to die prematurely, while people who had a high intake of plant-based oils, especially soybean, canola and olive oil, were 16% less likely to die prematurely, the researchers found.
“The message from this study is: Less butter and more plant-based oil could lead to better health,” said the study’s lead author, Yu Zhang, a graduate student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“We’re not saying that people should give up butter entirely,” Zhang said. “But we’re suggesting that a small reduction in the daily consumption of butter and an increase in plant-based oil could lead to significant long-term health benefits.”
Rating: 5