When people with high cholesterol ate butter or dairy fat instead of plant-based fat for two months, their bad cholesterol (LDL) didn’t go up any more than when they ate plant oil.

Even though winter butter had more saturated fat than plant oil, it didn’t raise bad cholesterol more — meaning not all saturated fats affect cholesterol the same way.

Butter made from spring milk raised total cholesterol a bit more than plant oil, even when both had the same amount of saturated fat — meaning something else in spring milk might be affecting cholesterol.

Butter from spring milk made a protein called apoC-III go up more than plant oil — and this protein is linked to higher heart disease risk, even if bad cholesterol didn’t change.

Spring butter made an inflammation marker (CRP) go up more than plant oil — meaning it might make your body more inflamed, even if cholesterol didn’t change.

Eating more dairy while dieting didn’t make bad cholesterol go up or good cholesterol go down—it didn’t hurt heart health markers at all.