Butter VS Margarine

Butter versus margarine — seems like a feud as old as the Hatfields and the McCoys. I am asked all the time, which is a better choice.

As a dietetic intern, I was taught that saturated fats increased the risk for heart disease and stroke and, as such, food sources of saturated fat should be reduced or avoided. This was the “official” position of health professionals everywhere.

Foods to promote were skim milk, low-fat yogurt, fat-reduced cheeses, lean meats and white poultry, and margarine. The no-no foods included red meat, dark meat poultry, whole milk, full-fat cheeses, tropical fats such as coconut and palm oil and, of course, butter. Saturated fats were all treated the same.

The problem is, there are several different types of saturated fat and only a handful were shown to raise LDL cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol which is a designation considered by many experts to be overly simplistic. LDL cholesterol particles differ in shape and size, and some LDL particles are thought to carry a greater risk. The small, dense ones appear to be worse because they can penetrate the arteries, which is the first step in plaque formation. The large ones, are fluffier and don’t appear to be as much of a problem in this regard.

It was assumed that saturated fats would raise cholesterol and cholesterol, in turn, increased the risk for heart disease. The evidence however, was never straightforward.

Most individuals who have heart attacks have normal or even low cholesterol levels and only about half of their arteries are blocked. Reconciling these facts, based on a theory that started in the 1950s, was a nightmare.

Fast forward to last month with a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It analyzed the results of 21 studies that followed 347,747 subjects up to 23 years and found no association between the amount of saturated fat eaten and cardiovascular disease.

What? This flies in the face of everything we’ve been taught to be true.

What does seem to help reduce the risk for heart disease is the amount of polyunsaturated fat (PUFAs) in our diet. In fact, it’s the ratio of PUFAs to saturated fats that seems to have the biggest influence — specifically the greater the ratio, the better.

Polyunsaturated fats include both omega-6 and omega-3 (Omega-3 from plants is alpha-linolenic acid, and from fish and seafood are EPA, and DHA). Increasing our intake of these fats seems simple enough. However some experts say we are consuming too many omega-6 fats — up to four times as much, at the expense of the omega-3s.

It’s this imbalance that may in fact be a risk factor for heart disease and other diseases. Our high consumption of omega-6 fats — in the form of seed and grain oils like sunflower, safflower, corn and soybean oil and foods made with these oils — seem to be the culprit.

Before these oils were introduced into the food supply, we ate a more balanced amount of omega-6 to omega-3 fats. That changed in the middle of the last century when we moved away from getting our fats from whole foods and started to consume more of those oils.

Where most North Americans need help is with the omega-3s, both plant and marine sources such as chia and flax seeds, fish and seafood, walnuts, canola oil, soybeans (edamame). Getting more omega-3s and less omega-6s and, therefore, achieving a more balanced intake of these fats is key.

So where do butter and margarine fit into all of this?

In my opinion, there is no evidence that butter cannot be part of a heart-healthy diet. When margarine first hit the shelves, it was partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil which was high in trans fats (some cheaper versions are still made this way) However, even today’s better-designed products, may be contributing to an over-consumption of omega-6 fats given the prevalent use of corn, sunflower and safflower oil in their production. And while some products like Becel have added DHA, it’s only a scant 50mg per 2 tsp compared to 750mg found in 3oz/100g of sockeye salmon.

A better way to get your omega-6 fats without overdoing it is by eating whole foods such as nuts and seeds, nut and seed butters, chia and flax (both of which contain omega-6s) and hemp butter.

And it would be better to bolster your omega-3s (both plant and marine) with a couple of servings of fish each week, omega-3 fortified eggs, chia and flax seeds and walnuts.

If you’re looking for good cooking oil, invest in a good olive oil or buy Canadian and choose canola. Both are a great source of heart healthy monounsaturated fats and canola has plant-based omega-3s to boot.

Arguing that margarine is somehow “fake” or “one molecule away from being plastic” is neither fair nor accurate. For me, the choice to use butter is more straightforward. It’s natural, and its saturated fat content is not associated with heart or cardiovascular disease.

And best of all, the taste is out of this world.