Butter vs. Margarine: Which is better for my heart?

(From Martha Grogan, M.D., Mayo Clinic cardiologist as well as the Cardiology department from the Cleveland Clinic)

I want to get this debate straightened out right away: Butter is bad, it’s that simple. Even though it seems obvious that plant-based oils in margarines (or should I say 'spreads') would be tons better for you than animal-based butter, there are still some folks out there that think that ‘butter's better’…well listen up, IT'S NOT! The reason is the type of fat contained in each product – but you still have to become an educated consumer and choose the right spread.

Let’s take a look at the differences between butter and margarine or spreads. First up, butter.

Butter

The problem with butter is that it contains two cholesterol-raising ingredients: dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. Dietary cholesterol is found only in animal products so you won't find any cholesterol in a plant-based food, such as margarine.

The thing is that some of us are more affected by cholesterol in the diet than others, meaning some people can consume a diet high in cholesterol without blood cholesterol levels being affected; but others need only eat a little dietary cholesterol and their cholesterol levels soar. Overall, it is recommended that healthy persons consume no more than 200 milligrams cholesterol each day. Butter has 33 milligrams of cholesterol in one tablespoon alone!

Cholesterol aside, butter's biggest trouble is its saturated fat content. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are found largely in red meat, high-fat dairy products (like butter) as well as coconut and palm oils. When eaten in excess, saturated fats increase the "bad" cholesterol (LDL) as well as the "good" cholesterol (HDL). Despite the fact that saturated fats raise good cholesterol, they don't raise it enough to warrant you eating it. Cardiologists and nutritionists agree that saturated fat intakes are associated with increases in the risk of heart disease. They also agree that a healthy range of saturated fat is 10 – 15 grams each day. Just one tablespoon of butter contains over 7 grams of saturated fat!

Margarine (Spread)

Margarine is by no means void of artery clogging fat. The controversy with margarine lies with its level of trans-fat, basically a man-made fat. Trans-fats are formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oils, making the oil more solid and less likely to spoil. This process is called hydrogenation or partial hydrogenation which allows stick margarine to be firm at room temperature. Trans-fats have been shown to increase the "bad" cholesterol (LDL) similarly to saturated fats, and they tend to lower the "healthy" (HDL) cholesterol when eaten in large amounts. Further, trans-fats may make our blood platelets stickier. 

Another factor is that not all margarines are created equal — and some may even be worse than butter. As a general rule of thumb, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fat it contains — so stick margarines will usually have much more trans fat than do tub margarines. 

Margarine: Stick, Tub or Liquid? It DOES make a difference!

A little margarine or spread know-how will help you reduce the amount of trans-fat you eat. Stick margarine contains the most trans-fat  at 3 grams per one tablespoon. Simply by switching to tub or liquid margarine you'll cut that by almost 2/3, to 1–2 grams trans-fat.

Further good news is that margarine manufacturers are now cutting their trans-fat levels even further, to less than 0.5 grams per serving! This low level is allowed to carry the claim "trans-fat free or zero trans-fat". How do they do it? They switched their first ingredient from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil to water or liquid vegetable oil. As a result, you keep the total trans fat close to zero  and saturated fat under 2 grams per serving.

 
Selecting a Good Spread

Rule number one is to always check the Nutrition Facts panel on the product and pay particular attention to the grams of saturated fat and trans-fat. Look for products that have the lowest combined amount. Also, look for products with a low daily value percentage for cholesterol. Keep in mind, margarines contain greater amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils, which helps reduce bad cholesterol when used to replace saturated and trans-fats found in butter.

 

Look for a healthy blend of oils that include olive oil or canola! Also, if you haven't tried margarine in awhile because you didn’t like the taste, things have changed dramatically in the past few years. There are healthy margarines out there that taste just like butter…so you won’t miss out on flavor.

So, now you have some choices and your answer: margarine (the trans-free tub or liquid kinds) is recommended most highly, over both stick margarine and butter. So, if you’re a regular user, aim for the growing number of tub and liquid trans-free margarines available on the market today and rest-assured that you are eating a more heart-healthy diet.

Cook, eat, live!