Research Roundup: Plant-Based & Seed Oils vs. Butter Mortality Rates

A new study revealed that those who use consume more plant-based oils live longer than those who consume more butter. It specifically focused on participants’ intake of butter versus plant-based oils and their mortality rates. Lower saturated-fat plant based oils (yes, including the recently demonized seed oils) offer more health benefits and prevent premature deaths as opposed to the less heart-healthy saturated fats such as butter, coconut oil, palm oil, and beef tallow (sorry not sorry, influencers!) So first, let's talk about the research, then get into what this all means for our health and diet:

This was a prospective cohort study (which means they took big groups of people and followed them over a long time -221,054 adults for up to 33 years in this case) which compiled all this data to determine which dietary habits are associated with better (or worse) outcomes over time.

This study showed that people who ate the most amount of butter had a 15% higher risk of death from any cause (total mortality), and a 12% higher risk of death from cancer specifically (cancer mortality). People who ate the most plant-based oils (these include olive oil and seed oils such as safflower, soybean, corn, and canola) had a 16% lower risk of death from any cause; and, each 10 gram increase in plant-based oils consumption was associated with an 11% lower risk of death from cancer, 6% lower risk of death from heart disease. Eating 5 grams more of:

• canola oil per day was associated with a 15% lower risk of death

• soybean oil was associated with a 6% lower risk

• olive oil was associated with an 8% lower risk

Those who consumed the most amount of butter had a 15% higher risk of death overall and a 12% higher risk of death from cancer; whereas participants who ate more plant-based oils had a 16% lower risk of overall death. Swapping 10 grams of butter a day (that's less than a tablespoon) with heart-healthy plant-based oils may lower the risk of overall death and cancer by 17%.

So - why can butter, beef tallow, and palm & coconut oil be detrimental to your health? Saturated fat is solid at room temperature and is most often found in animal sources including meat, beef tallow, and butter. There are a couple plant-based exceptions to the rule, being palm and coconut oil. It can raise your LDL cholesterol (the "bad" one) and can also impair insulin sensitivity.

  Should these be eliminated all together? Not necessarily, no - all foods fit in a healthy varied diet, we simply encourage people to aim more for unsaturated fat sources that are more heart-healthy. We don't recommend using these saturated fats like butter or beef tallow exclusively in cooking/as the only or primary cooking fat, however it is typically unnecessary to completely eliminate them (in short: nutrition is very nuanced and there are very few "one right answers" to these questions - there are so many variables to take into account when analyzing a diet, such as culture/traditions, taste/preferences, budget and socioeconomic status, etc). If you have no significant family history of heart disease, your LDL cholesterol and blood sugars are well-regulated, and you eat a variety of foods including plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins, I would not stress about it too much. But again, in general I would aim to use butter and other saturated fats selectively, and instead reach for one of the many heart-healthy plant-based oils available.

Speaking of, let's discuss some of the plant-based alternatives to butter! These unsaturated fats can improve your good cholesterol and help maintain your brain health. It can also help your body absorb certain vitamins! Unsaturated fats are typically found in plant-based foods. Here are a few examples of common plant-based oils:

• Olive

• Vegetable

• Canola

• Avocado

• Peanut

• Sesame

  
  

How can you incorporate these into your diet? Olive oil is one of my personal faves, but you can also use peanut and sesame oils (if not allergic of course) - I use both (and vegetable oil as well) - all for different cooking & baking aplications! Many of these oils can be a great substitute for butter when frying, sauteing or baking. We encourage people to cook with healthier unsaturated fat sources over the less-healthy saturated fats (again, I personally prefer olive oil in most cases but will switch it up with veg oil sometimes, or sesame if I want that flavor instead). I use butter selectively – I love the taste of butter so I do use it when I would prefer that flavor, but it is not my first choice when cooking most meals for the above reasons.

Essentially, butter is not a health food but it is delicious. Lower saturated fat plant based oils (yes, including the recently demonized seed oils) are going to offer you more health benefits and prevent premature deaths, as opposed to the less heart-healthy saturated fats such as butter, beef tallow, lard, coconut oil, and palm oil. Swapping out less than a tablespoon of butter a day for plant-based oil may decrease your risk of death - sounds like a fair deal to me!

Click here to learn more about your risk for heart disease.