No ifs, no buts – time’s up for butter!
Previous research has highlighted links between butter intake and increased disease risk. A new, large-scale study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has gone further by directly comparing the health effects of butter with those of plant oils.
Drawing on data from three major cohorts – the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study – the researchers analysed over 220,000 adults followed for more than 33 years. Consuming about one tablespoon of butter per day was associated with a 15 per cent higher risk of death from any cause compared with people who ate little or no butter, and higher butter intake was also linked with greater cancer risk.
In contrast, those who consumed roughly 1.5 to two tablespoons of plant oils a day had a 16 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality, along with reduced risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease. So when self-styled ‘experts’ claim butter is healthy and dismiss seed or vegetable oils, they are ignoring a substantial body of evidence. So, when you hear people promoting butter while attacking plant oils, it’s time to unfollow them!
Zhang Y, Chadaideh KS, Li Y et al. 2025. Butter and plant-based oils intake and mortality. JAMA International Medicine. 185 (5) 549-560.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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