Butter is officially good for you
Butter is officially good for you, in moderation of course.
Butter has had a bad reputation in the past because of its high fat content. But now, scientists are starting to find out that there are good fats. Certain foods with healthy fats are making a comeback. Butter is one of them.
Researchers from Tufts University set out to prove that butter is officially good for you, and that there is no real association between butter consumption and chronic diseases.
The research team pooled 9 studies for a systematic review. The total number of people represented in the studies was over 600,000. The combined studies included 28,271 deaths, 9,783 cases of cardiovascular disease, and 23,954 cases of new-onset type 2 diabetes.
Butter consumption was defaulted to 14 grams per day, which is considered one serving according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Average butter consumption in the combined studies ranged from one-third of a serving per day to 3.2 servings per day. The study did not find any significant links between butter and mortality, heart disease, and diabetes.
What did the authors have to say?
“Even though people who eat more butter generally have worse diets and lifestyles, it seemed to be pretty neutral overall,” said Pimpin, Laura Pimpin, Ph.D., former postdoctoral fellow at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts in Boston. “This suggests that butter may be a “middle-of-the-road” food: a more healthful choice than sugar or starch, such as the white bread or potato on which butter is commonly spread and which have been linked to higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease; and a worse choice than many margarines and cooking oils — those rich in healthy fats such as soybean, canola, flaxseed, and extra virgin olive oils — which would likely lower risk compared with either butter or refined grains, starches, and sugars.”
Tufts University dean weighs in
“Overall, our results suggest that butter should neither be demonized nor considered “back” as a route to good health,” said senior author Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Dr.P.H., dean of the School. “More research is needed to better understand the observed potential lower risk of diabetes, which has also been suggested in some other studies of dairy fat. This could be real, or due to other factors linked to eating butter — our study does not prove cause-and-effect.”
Butter is officially good for you, because the one thing holding it back was fear of association to disease. But now that the “links” between butter and disease have been disproven, it is time to focus on the positive. Take a look at the many health benefits of butter and include it in your diet.
Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.
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REFERENCES:
1. “Little to No Association Between Butter Consumption and Chronic Disease or Total Mortality.” Newswise. Tufts University, n.d. Web. 05 July 2016.
2. “Is Butter Back? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Butter Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Total Mortality.” PLOS ONE. PLOS ONE, n.d. Web. 05 July 2016.
