IS BUTTER BAD FOR YOU? WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

<script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context":"http://schema.org", "@type":"BlogPosting", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Caitlin Beale, MS, RDN" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Warrior Made", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.warriormade.com", "image": "https://d1ghrtdbdq2gkr.cloudfront.net/media/public/2020/05/is-butter-bad-for-you-thumbnail.jpg" } }, "headline":"IS BUTTER BAD FOR YOU? WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW", "datePublished":"2019-06-09", "dateModified": "2020-05-02", "description":"Is butter bad for you? Not if you know how to use it. Learn the truth about butter, your health, and what the current research says here.", "image": "https://d1ghrtdbdq2gkr.cloudfront.net/media/public/2020/05/is-butter-bad-for-you-thumbnail.jpg" } </script> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What is butter?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "By definition butter is a solid dairy product that is at least 80% milk fat. It’s made by stirring milk or cream until the fats separate from the liquid. Butter comes in several different grades ranging from AA (the highest grade) to grade B, ranked by flavor, color, and salt content." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What type of fat is found in butter?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The majority of fat found in butter comes from saturated fat. The high levels of saturated fat in butter is the main reason it’s had a bad reputation for our health." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What are the benefits to eating butter?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "There are several nutrients in butter that are beneficial for our health: Contains conjugated linolenic acid (CLA), One of the best food sources of butyrate, Good source of vitamin A, Rich in Omega-three fatty acids, Source of vitamin K2" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Should certain people avoid butter?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "For most people, the research tells us that butter is not harmful in moderate amounts. Those who have high cholesterol should keep in mind that butter can raise LDL cholesterol, but this does not always correlate with increases in heart disease risk as you learned earlier." } }] } </script> <article> <div> <ul> <li><a href="#section1">What Is Butter?</a></li> <li><a href="#section2">What Type Of Fat Is Found In Butter?</a></li> <li><a href="#section3">Current Science On Saturated Fat And Our Health</a></li> <li><a href="#section4">What Are The Benefits To Eating Butter?</a></li> <li><a href="#section5">How To Choose The Right Butter Products</a></li> <li><a href="#section6">Should Certain People Avoid Butter?</a></li> <li><a href="#section7">The Takeaway</a></li> </ul> </div> <section> <p>After a long, complicated history surrounding butter and our health, it appears butter is making a comeback.</p> <p>Public health messages have been discouraging the use of butter for over fifty years based on old studies, claiming an association between high-fat foods and an increased risk of heart disease.</p> <p>But more recent research has emerged that suggests butter does have a place in our kitchens.</p> <p>Read on to learn more about the history of butter, what the science says (and what we got wrong), as well as how you can use butter to benefit your health.</p> </section> <hr class="divider-50 divider-medium mx-auto"> <section> <img style="max-width:100%;" class="img-fluid" src="https://d1ghrtdbdq2gkr.cloudfront.net/blog-content/dairy-products-butter-0184.jpg" alt="dairy products butter"> <h2 id="section1">What is butter?</h2> <p>By definition butter is a solid dairy product that is at least 80% milk fat. It’s made by stirring milk or cream until the fats separate from the liquid.</p> <p>Butter comes in several different grades ranging from AA (the highest grade) to grade B, ranked by flavor, color, and salt content^{<a target="_blank" href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/11/01/new-infographic-spreads-word-about-butter-grading" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1</a>}.</p> <p>Butter has a rich history in our culture. It’s been used for thousands of years since the first domestication of animals. Butter is a staple of cooking and baking, adding a certain flavor and texture that is hard to replace.</p> <p>Clarified butter, or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.warriormade.com/content/diet/ghee-vs-butter/" rel="noreferrer">ghee</a>, is made by removing the majority of the milk solids. People with dairy sensitivities often tolerate this type of butter better because the proteins lactose and casein are mostly removed with the milk solids. These proteins are what’s most problematic for people with dairy sensitivities or intolerances.</p> <h3>Butter Nutrition facts</h3> <p>Butter is considered a calorically dense food, providing the following per tablespoon^{<a target="_blank" href="https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">2</a>}: </p> <ul> <li>Calories: 102 kcal</li> <li>Protein: 0.121 g</li> <li>Fat: 11.5 g</li> <li>Carbohydrate: 0.009g</li> </ul> <p>Butter also provides fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. Fat soluble vitamins are essential for our health (you will learn more about what these vitamins do below).</p> </section> <hr class="divider-50 divider-medium mx-auto"> <section> <img style="max-width:100%;" class="img-fluid" src="https://d1ghrtdbdq2gkr.cloudfront.net/blog-content/butter-good-for-you-0187.jpg" alt="butter good for you"> <h2 id="section2">What type of fat is found in butter?</h2> <p>The majority of fat found in butter comes from saturated fat. The high levels of saturated fat in butter is the main reason it’s had a bad reputation for our health. </p> <p>The controversy behind foods high in saturated fat like butter started with something known as the diet-heart hypothesis^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13487862/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">3</a>}. The diet-heart hypothesis, created by an American scientist named Ancel Keys, proposes that dietary cholesterol and saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease by raising blood cholesterol levels in the body^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3776973/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">4</a>}. </p> <p>Keys’ research became the basis for current dietary guidelines on fat in the medical community, even though other scientists argued that there were critical flaws with the research, including cherry picking data and missing information from important countries^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4573412/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">5</a>}.</p> <p>Based on the diet-heart hypothesis, medical professionals started to encourage reductions in overall intake of fat in the diet. People began to replace foods high in saturated fats like butter with alternatives like canola oil and margarine. Low-fat diets supported the rise of foods high in refined carbohydrates that were “fat-free.” We now know that these replacements did more harm than good.</p> <p>Fat is an essential macronutrient in our diet that provides us with energy. Fat not only supports the walls of cells, but is also needed for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, keeps our brain healthy, and more^{<a target="_blank" href="https://www.eufic.org/en/whats-in-food/article/8-facts-on-fats" rel="nofollow noreferrer">6</a>}.</p> <p>There are several types of saturated fats (depending on length); the type present in a food has different implications for health. For example – some types of long-chain saturated fats may cause increases in blood cholesterol, while some kinds of medium-chain saturated fats can cause a rise in blood ketones^{<a target="_blank" href="https://academic.oup.com/cdn/article/1/4/e000257/4555134" rel="nofollow noreferrer">7</a>}.</p> <p>Most studies on saturated fat do not differentiate between the types when applying conclusions to saturated fats and our health.</p> </section> <hr class="divider-50 divider-medium mx-auto"> <section> <img style="max-width:100%;" class="img-fluid" src="https://d1ghrtdbdq2gkr.cloudfront.net/blog-content/butter-bad-for-you-0187.jpg" alt="butter bad for you"> <h2 id="section3">Current science on saturated fat and our health</h2> <p>Current research has not found an association between saturated fat intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24723079/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">8</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20071648/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">9</a>}.</p> <p>Saturated fat does appear to raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, but it also raises HDL (“good”) cholesterol. While there is a relationship between certain types of cholesterol and heart disease, the relationship between dietary saturated fat and heart disease does not appear as black and white^{<a target="_blank" href="https://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/sfa_systematic_review/en/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">10</a>}.</p> <p>Several studies have found that replacing saturated fats with certain vegetable oils such as canola oil (as initially recommended) can increase the risk of heart disease^{<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707" rel="nofollow noreferrer">11</a>}. Similar results were seen when saturated fat was replaced with high carbohydrate foods (like grains and bread)^{<a target="_blank" href="https://openheart.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000032" rel="nofollow noreferrer">12</a>}.</p> <p>After looking at more than 70 studies on saturated fat and heart disease, recent researchers found no evidence that a diet low in saturated fat reduces cardiovascular disease risk^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24723079/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">13</a>}.</p> <p>Another group of scientists found either very small or no associations of butter consumption with death and heart disease. The authors in this review article concluded that their findings did not indicate a need for people to decrease or increase butter consumption significantly^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27355649/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">14</a>}.</p> <p>Based on these studies it appears that there is not currently enough evidence to support a relationship between saturated fat and an increased risk of heart disease.</p> </section> <hr class="divider-50 divider-medium mx-auto"> <section id="section4"> <h2>What are the benefits to eating butter?</h2> <p>There are several nutrients in butter that are beneficial for our health:</p> <ul> <li>Conjugated linolenic acid (CLA): CLA is a fatty acid found in dairy products and meat. While research is preliminary, it appears CLA may support fat burning^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15795434/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">15</a>} and reduce inflammation in the body^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26968277/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">16</a>}.</li> <li>Butyrate. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that is the preferred energy source for the cells of your colon. Butter is one of the best food sources of butyrate. Your gut bacteria also make butyrate as a byproduct of fermentation. Butyrate reduces inflammation in the gut as well as plays a role in the reduction of colitis and colon cancer^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21472114/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">17</a>}. </li> <li>Vitamin A. Butter is a good source of vitamin A, providing 11% of the referenced daily intake in one tablespoon^{<a target="_blank" href="https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods" rel="nofollow noreferrer">18</a>}. Vitamin A supports immune health, vision, and bone health^{<a target="_blank" href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">19</a>}.</li> <li>Omega-three fatty acids. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.warriormade.com/content/diet/krill-oil-vs-fish-oil/" rel="noreferrer">Omega-three fatty acids</a> are known for their anti-inflammatory and mood boosting capabilities. Certain types of butter provides higher levels of omega-three fatty acids^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7905466/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">20</a>}. </li> <li>Vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is important for bone, heart, and brain health. Butter provides amounts of vitamin K2 to support your daily intake^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15514282/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">21</a>}.</li> </ul> </section> <hr class="divider-50 divider-medium mx-auto"> <section> <img style="max-width:100%;" class="img-fluid" src="https://d1ghrtdbdq2gkr.cloudfront.net/blog-content/grass-fed-butter-0187.jpg" alt="grass fed butter"> <h2 id="section5">How to choose the right butter products</h2> <p>When shopping for butter, there are several important things to consider:</p> <ul> <li>Choose grass-fed. Butter from grass-fed cows is higher in several nutrients due to their diet. Grazing on grass is a natural diet for cows versus confined indoor feedlots where the diet may be high in soy or corn. Grass-fed butter may also be higher in vitamin A^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16702259/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">22</a>}. </li> <li>Look for organic. Organic butter has been found to have higher levels of omega-three fatty acids as well as a healthier fatty acid profile. Organic butter may also have higher levels of certain fat soluble vitamins^{<a target="_blank" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28362343/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">23</a>}.</li> <li>Avoid butter substitutes. Butter substitutes used to be encouraged to replace butter, but they are often high in refined vegetable oils. As mentioned, these refined fats may be damaging to your health.</li> </ul> </section> <hr class="divider-50 divider-medium mx-auto"> <section id="section6"> <h2>Should certain people avoid butter?</h2> <p>For most people, the research tells us that butter is not harmful in moderate amounts. Those who have high cholesterol should keep in mind that butter can raise LDL cholesterol, but this does not always correlate with increases in heart disease risk as you learned earlier.</p> <p>Focusing on the overall balance of the diet is likely more important than the total percentage of saturated fat. Limit refined carbohydrates, balance saturated fat with other types of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.warriormade.com/content/diet/keto-superfoods/" rel="noreferrer">healthy fats</a> such as avocados, fatty fish, and olive oil, and increase the intake of fiber-rich produce.</p> </section> <hr class="divider-50 divider-medium mx-auto"> <section id="section7"> <h2>The Takeaway</h2> <p>In summary, butter can be a delicious addition to your diet.</p> <p>Butter is high in saturated fat, but recent studies do not link saturated fat to increases in heart disease risk. More research will continue to examine the relationship between dietary fat and heart disease.</p> <p>Replacing butter with highly refined <a target="_blank" href="https://www.warriormade.com/content/diet/substitute-for-vegetable-oil/" rel="noreferrer">vegetable oils</a> or carbohydrates can increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes.</p> <p>In balance with other healthy fats, butter can provide health-supporting nutrients to your diet, including butyrate, CLA, omega-three fatty acids, and fat-soluble vitamins.</p> </section> </article>