Why eating less butter might help kids' hearts
Lower Intake of Saturated Fatty Acids Is Associated with Improved Lipid Profile in a 6-Year-Old Nationally Representative Population
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Trans fat intake dropped sharply (1.4% to 0.8% of energy), but it wasn’t independently linked to lower LDL in the analysis.
Everyone assumes trans fat reduction is the main reason for better cholesterol — but here, SFA reduction was the dominant factor, even as trans fat fell. This challenges the narrative that banning trans fats alone fixes kids’ heart health.
Practical Takeaways
Swap butter on toast for avocado or olive oil-based spreads — especially if your child’s diet is already high in cheese, meat, or baked goods.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Trans fat intake dropped sharply (1.4% to 0.8% of energy), but it wasn’t independently linked to lower LDL in the analysis.
Everyone assumes trans fat reduction is the main reason for better cholesterol — but here, SFA reduction was the dominant factor, even as trans fat fell. This challenges the narrative that banning trans fats alone fixes kids’ heart health.
Practical Takeaways
Swap butter on toast for avocado or olive oil-based spreads — especially if your child’s diet is already high in cheese, meat, or baked goods.
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2022
Authors
H. Helgadottir, Birna Thorisdottir, I. Gunnarsdottir, T. Halldorsson, G. Palsson, I. Thorsdottir
Related Content
Claims (6)
When kids eat less butter and more olive oil or fish, their bad cholesterol goes down — especially if they were eating a lot of saturated fat to begin with.
Over 10 years, Icelandic kids ate less butter and fatty meat, and their 'bad' cholesterol went down a little — showing that changing what kids eat can help their heart health.
When kids eat more saturated fat (like butter and fatty meats), their 'bad' cholesterol goes up a little bit — even at age 6.
Kids who eat the most saturated fat are more likely to have cholesterol levels that doctors worry about — even at age 6.
Dietary intake of saturated fatty acids increases circulating levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in humans through upregulation of hepatic cholesterol synthesis and reduced LDL receptor expression.