Butter not bad for health, does not raise risk of heart disease: study

Eating small quantities of butter daily has little impact on overall mortality, nor has it any significant link with cardiovascular disease and strokes, a new study has revealed.

The study by scientists from Tufts University in Boston, US has found that eating one tablespoon of butter a day has had little impact on overall mortality and no significant link with cardiovascular disease and strokes. Instead, it could even have a small positive effect in reducing the risk of diabetes, says the study.

The robust research - one of the largest meta-studies to be carried out on the health effects of butter – comes as a rebuttal to growing trend of 'demonising' of dairy products and other saturated fats.

By combining and standardising the results, researchers found a daily serving of butter – 14g or roughly one tablespoon – was associated with a 1 per cent higher risk of death.

Butter consumption had 'no significant association' with any type of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease and stroke.

A smaller sample of results indicated a daily serving of butter was associated with a 4 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes - although researchers said this needed further investigation.

The paper said, ''Together, these findings suggest relatively small or neutral associations of butter consumption with long-term health… A major focus on eating more or less butter, by itself, may not be linked to large differences in mortality, cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

''In sum, our findings do not support a need for major emphasis in dietary guidelines on butter consumption, in comparison to other better established dietary priorities.''

Butter consumption had ''no significant association'' with any type of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease and stroke'

Senior author Dr Dariush Mozaffarian adds, ''Our results suggest that butter should neither be demonised nor considered 'back' as a route to good health.''

Study researcher Dr Laura Pimpin, now at the UK Health Forum, says, ''Even though people who eat more butter generally have worse diets and lifestyles, it seemed to be pretty neutral overall.

''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.''

The UK government had earlier advised food companies to restrict saturated fat content in food products in order to restrict intake and limit the risk of heart disease.

However, following two studies which found no link with heart diseases and butter intake, the government has decided to recall the earlier advice.

In the latest research, scientists analysed the results of nine studies published since 2005 from 15 countries, including the US, UK and Europe. The study involved nearly 640,000 adults with an average age of between 44 and 71 years, tracked over a combined total of 6.5 million years.

The study included more than 28,000 deaths, nearly 10,000 cases of cardiovascular diseases and nearly 24,000 cases of diabetes.

The government's guide to healthy eating could actually be causing obesity and type 2 diabetes, a nutritionist has claimed.