At the Kahn Center we teach plant-based diets with no or low oil content, preferably extra-virgin olive oil. There has been an uptick in interest in butter and beef tallow from the #MAHA and ancestral health groups. Is there new data to consider?
A new study provides convincing reasons to avoid butter and similar beef tallow.
A prospective population-based cohort study used data from 3 large cohorts was performed. The data was from the Nurses’ Health Study (1990-2023), the Nurses’ Health Study II (1991-2023), and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1990-2023). Women and men who were free of cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, or neurodegenerative disease at baseline were included.
Primary exposures included intakes of butter (butter added at the table and from cooking) and plant-based oil (safflower, soybean, corn, canola, and olive oil). Diet was assessed by validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires every 4 years.
Total mortality was the primary outcome, and mortality due to cancer and CVD were secondary outcomes. Deaths were identified through the National Death Index and other sources. A physician classified the cause of death based on death certificates and medical records.
During up to 33 years of follow-up among 221 054 adults, 50 932 deaths were documented, with 12 241 due to cancer and 11 240 due to CVD.
The highest butter intake was associated with a 15% higher risk of total mortality compared to the lowest intake.
In contrast, the highest intake of total plant-based oils compared to the lowest intake was associated with a 16% lower total mortality.
.There was a statistically significant association between higher intakes of canola, soybean, and olive oils and lower total mortality.
Every 10-g/d increment in plant-based oils intake was associated with an 11% lower risk of cancer mortality and a 6% lower risk of CVD mortality , whereas a higher intake of butter was associated with higher cancer mortality.
Substituting 10-g/d intake of total butter with an equivalent amount of total plant-based oils was associated with an estimated 17% reduction in total mortality and a 17% reduction in cancer mortality.
In this cohort study, higher intake of butter was associated with increased mortality, while higher plant-based oils intake was associated with lower mortality. Substituting butter with plant-based oils may confer substantial benefits for preventing premature deaths.
A key difference between butter and oil is the types of fatty acids contained in them. Butter is rich in saturated fatty acids, while plant-based oils have more unsaturated fatty acids. While there have been many studies on dietary fatty acids, fewer studies have focused on their primary food sources, including butter and oils.
Saturated fats are much higher in butter and beef tallow. They occur naturally in many foods and most come from animal sources, including meat and dairy products, including beef, lamb, pork, poultry, beef tallow, butter and cheese, as well as from tropical fruits such as coconuts.
The American Heart Association’s dietary guidance recommends imiting saturated fat intake (to less than 6% of total calories consumed each day) and replacing it with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. For an adult consuming about 2,000 calories a day, that measures out to no more than 120 calories, or 13 grams, of saturated fat, which is a little less than one tablespoon of butter per day.
At the Kahn Center, we will continue to teach whole food plant-based diets with either no or low oils, preferably extra-virgin olive oil.
