A recent study involving over 220,000 people over a span of 30 years revealed that replacing butter with vegetable oils can significantly reduce the risk of death, particularly from cancer and cardiovascular diseases, thus contributing to a longer lifespan.
The study, conducted by researchers from Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and published in JAMA Internal Medicine, indicated that this simple dietary switch could be one of the most effective ways to promote public health.
The findings showed that individuals who consumed higher amounts of butter had a 15% higher risk of death compared to those who consumed less, while those who consumed larger amounts of vegetable oils—especially olive oil, canola oil, and soybean oil—had a 16% lower risk.
Moreover, increasing butter intake by just 10 grams per day was associated with a 12% higher risk of cancer-related death, while the same amount of vegetable oils reduced the risk of cancer death by 11% and the risk of heart disease death by 6%.
Through a dietary substitution analysis, researchers concluded that merely replacing 10 grams of butter daily with an equivalent amount of vegetable oils could reduce overall mortality and cancer-related deaths by up to 17%. The key difference between butter and vegetable oils lies in the type of fat: butter is rich in saturated fats that raise levels of harmful cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease and strokes, whereas vegetable oils contain unsaturated fats known for their health benefits.
Lead researcher Yu Chang highlighted the “magnitude of the discovered effect,” noting that a simple dietary swap can lead to a significant difference in mortality rates.
Researcher Daniel Wang also emphasized the important public health implications of these findings, stating that many deaths could be prevented by a simple change in dietary habits, such as switching from butter to soybean or olive oil.
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