Butter vs margarine: Which oil supports cardiometabolic health?

About a teaspoon (5 g) of butter a day can help improve cardiometabolic health outcomes and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), reports a recent study. In contrast, margarine may elevate the risk of both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and T2D.

A total of 2,459 individuals (aged ≥30 years) with valid 3-day food records were included in this analysis. The investigators calculated the hazard ratios for incident CVD and T2D over 18 years using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. They also estimated the mean levels of cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factors over 4 years associated with baseline intakes of butter, margarine, and nonhydrogenated oils using analysis of covariance.

Higher butter consumption (>5 vs 0 g/day) correlated with less insulin resistance (p=0.0011), higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels (p=0.0021), lower triglycerides (TG; p=0.0032), and lower TG:HDL ratio (p=0.0052), as well as a 31-percent lower risk of T2D (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.49–0.97). 

On the other hand, higher intakes of margarine (>7 vs <2 g/day) correlated with a 29-percent higher risk of CVD (95 percent CI, 1.02–1.63) and a 41-percent greater risk of T2D (95 percent CI, 1.02–1.95).

For nonhydrogenated oils, higher consumption (>7 vs ≤2 g/day) was associated with higher BMI (0.6 kg/m2) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (8 mg/dL).

“These findings suggest butter may be a healthier dietary fat source for the benefit of CMR,” the investigators said.