Health challenge: Cooking with butter vs. plant-based oils

Swapping butter for plant-based oils may be a simple way to support better long-term health.

A new study suggests that people who consume more plant-based oils – such as soybean, canola, and olive oil – tend to live longer than those who regularly eat butter.

The research, which tracked dietary habits for over 30 years, found a lower risk of death from cancer and heart disease among those who opted for plant oils.

Meanwhile, higher butter intake was linked to an increased risk of early death.

How diet affects longevity

Scientists from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Mass General Brigham, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard analyzed dietary data from more than 220,000 participants.

These individuals were part of long-running studies that collected information on eating habits every four years.

By reviewing this data, researchers could estimate butter and oil consumption over time.

Butter intake included all sources – spreads, cooking, baking, and margarine blends – while plant-based oil intake was calculated based on how often participants used oils in frying, sautéing, baking, and salad dressings.

Butter vs plant-based oils

The study’s lead author, Yu Zhang, M.B.B.S., is a research assistant at the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“What’s surprising is the magnitude of the association that we found – we saw a 17% lower risk of death when we modeled swapping butter with plant-based oils in daily diet. That is a pretty huge effect on health,” Zhang explained.

The key difference comes down to fat composition.

Butter is high in saturated fat, while plant-based oils contain more unsaturated fats. Previous research has looked at dietary fats in general, but fewer studies have focused on their primary sources.

The findings suggest a clear contrast in health risks. Participants who ate the most butter had a 15% higher risk of death compared to those who ate the least.

Meanwhile, those who consumed the most plant-based oils had a 16% lower risk of dying.

Choosing plant-based oils over butter

“People might want to consider that a simple dietary swap – replacing butter with soybean oil or olive oil – can lead to significant long-term health benefits,” said corresponding author Daniel Wang, M.D., Sc.D., of the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“From a public health perspective, this is a substantial number of deaths from cancer or from other chronic diseases that could be prevented.”

To further explore this link, the researchers ran a substitution analysis. Their model showed that replacing just 10 grams of butter per day – less than a tablespoon – with an equivalent amount of plant-based oil could reduce cancer deaths and overall mortality by 17%.

“Even cutting back butter a little and incorporating more plant-based oils into your daily diet can have meaningful long-term health benefits,” Wang added.

Environmental and economic benefits

Beyond personal health, switching from butter to plant-based oils has broader implications.

Butter production requires more land, water, and energy compared to plant oil production. Dairy farming, which supports butter production, contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.

In contrast, plant oils have a lower environmental impact, making them a more sustainable choice.

Economically, plant-based oils are often more affordable and widely available than butter.

With rising food prices, making the switch could be a cost-effective way for individuals and families to improve their diets without significantly increasing their grocery bills.

What’s next for research?

Although the study presents strong evidence, the investigators do recognize some limitations.

A majority of participants were healthcare professionals, so the results may not be representative of the overall U.S. population.

Also, self-reported food intake information may have some error, although the long duration and large number of participants in the study reduce the concerns of the scientists in this regard.

Future studies will investigate the biological processes that mediate these health consequences.

For the moment, the message is straightforward: replacing butter with plant-based oils is a simple, practical move toward improved health in the long run.

Small, sustainable changes to eating habits can have long-term payoffs – not only for individuals but for public health and the planet too.

The full study was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

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