Are butter fats safer than margarine fats?
Effects of ruminant trans fatty acids on cardiovascular disease and cancer: a comprehensive review of epidemiological, clinical, and mechanistic studies.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some studies suggest that trans fats from processed oils (like margarine) might hurt your heart, but trans fats from cows (like butter) might not. Scientists aren't sure yet because the studies on butter fats were small or used too much fat. No one has studied if either kind causes cancer in people.
Surprising Findings
Ruminant trans fats (from cows) may not be linked to heart disease, while industrial trans fats are.
Most people assume all trans fats are equally dangerous—this suggests nature-made trans fats might be harmless or even neutral, contradicting blanket warnings.
Practical Takeaways
Choose butter over margarine if you’re avoiding industrial trans fats, but don’t assume butter is a health food.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some studies suggest that trans fats from processed oils (like margarine) might hurt your heart, but trans fats from cows (like butter) might not. Scientists aren't sure yet because the studies on butter fats were small or used too much fat. No one has studied if either kind causes cancer in people.
Surprising Findings
Ruminant trans fats (from cows) may not be linked to heart disease, while industrial trans fats are.
Most people assume all trans fats are equally dangerous—this suggests nature-made trans fats might be harmless or even neutral, contradicting blanket warnings.
Practical Takeaways
Choose butter over margarine if you’re avoiding industrial trans fats, but don’t assume butter is a health food.
Publication
Journal
Advances in nutrition
Year
2011
Authors
S. Gebauer, J. Chardigny, M. U. Jakobsen, B. Lamarche, A. Lock, S. Proctor, D. Baer
Related Content
Claims (4)
Industrial hydrogenation of vegetable oils generates trans fatty acids, which are causally linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction.
Small experiments on ruminant trans fats and heart health markers haven't given clear answers — maybe because they used too few people or too much fat that you can't actually eat in real life.
We don’t know if natural trans fats from meat and dairy affect cancer risk — no solid human studies have looked at this yet.
Some studies suggest that the natural trans fats found in milk and meat might not raise heart disease risk the same way that artificial trans fats in fried and baked foods do.