{"id":259098,"date":"2026-01-23T03:26:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T03:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/259098\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T03:26:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T03:26:17","slug":"seed-oils-vs-butter-heres-whats-actually-healthier-according-to-doctors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/259098\/","title":{"rendered":"Seed oils vs butter: Here’s what\u2019s actually healthier, according to doctors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plant oils are \u201cthe biggest villain\u201d out of \u201call the bullshit foods\u201d. Not our words, but those of major health influencer (and big fan of raw milk) Dr Paul Saladino<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Extreme? Very likely. But Saladino\u2019s anti-seed oil stance is no longer fringe. He\u2019s joined in that opinion by swathes of dieters and nutritionists \u2013 as well as the US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.<\/p>\n

Kennedy has called seed oils<\/a> \u201cone of the most unhealthy ingredients that we have in foods,\u201d and has advocated for the return of butter, tallow and lard to American diets, claiming that seed oils promote inflammation in the body.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sentiment reflecting a broader shift in eating habits, says Prof Thomas Sanders<\/a>, nutrition scientist at King\u2019s College London: \u201cIn the last few years, butter has come back on the menu. People are going back to full-fat milk, going back to eating butter.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is particularly true in the US, where the Department of Agriculture<\/a> has reported steadily increasing levels of butter consumption in recent years, reaching a record 3kg (6.8lbs) \u2013 that\u2019s the weight of a newborn baby \u2013 per person in 2024.<\/p>\n

And these trends are worrying health professionals. That\u2019s because, despite all the butter hype, the evidence still suggests that plant oils are a healthier choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe evidence is really consistent,\u201d says Prof Sarah Berry<\/a>, nutrition scientist at King\u2019s College London. \u201cRandomised controlled trials show that plant oils are better for you, and butter is worse for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why\u2026<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n

The hidden problem with butter<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the problem with the return to butter, tallow and lard? Well, they all contain saturated fat. A lot of saturated fat.<\/p>\n

As you\u2019ve probably heard, saturated fat is considered the \u2018worst\u2019 fat for our health \u2013 and for good reason.<\/p>\n

Each saturated fat molecule is made up of a chain of carbon atoms, joined together with as many hydrogen atoms as possible. The carbon is therefore \u2018saturated\u2019 with hydrogen.<\/p>\n

That might not sound bad, but it has a big impact on your cholesterol levels.<\/p>\n

Compared to unsaturated fats (which have a slightly different molecular make-up), saturated fat triggers your body to release more LDL cholesterol (known as the \u2018bad\u2019 kind) into your blood.<\/p>\n

Extra LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream means a higher risk of heart disease \u2013 which is why saturated fats are associated with worse heart health.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s a wealth of evidence to back this up. For example, a recent Harvard study<\/a>, analysing data on 221,000 people, found that eating more butter was associated with a higher risk of heart disease, cancer and early death \u2013 and eating more plant oils was associated with a lower risk of early death.<\/p>\n

The paper estimated that every 10g of butter that a participant ate per day \u2013 instead of 10g of plant oils \u2013 increased their risk of dying during the 30-year study by 17 per cent.<\/p>\n

(It\u2019s important to note this research is just an observational study, so it could be that those who ate more plant oils just had a healthier overall diet.)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just one study, but countless others point to the same thing over and over again: eating a lot of saturated fat is linked to worse heart health.<\/p>\n

\"AnEating a lot of butter in your diet is associated with a greater risk of heart disease – Photo credit: Jupiterimages via Getty<\/p>\n

However, that\u2019s not to say that all saturated fat is equal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dairy fat in milk and cheese and yoghurt seems to be slightly different to butter,\u201d explains Sanders. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have as big a cholesterol-raising effect as butter does. Milk and cheese seem to be quite neutral, and it\u2019s thought other nutrients in cheese and milk mitigate the effect of saturated fat<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, even if you have slabs of cheese and butter that contain similar amounts of saturated fat, the butter \u2013 not the cheese \u2013 is likely to affect your cholesterol levels.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, says Berry, \u201cplant oils are rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats that are really potent in lowering your cholesterol and reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘But seed oils are inflammatory!’<\/p>\n

So far, it\u2019s 1-0 in favour of plant oils \u2013 but these fats are accused by the likes of RFK Jr of something potentially harmful too: causing inflammation in the body. What say the scientists to that?<\/p>\n

In short, they say it\u2019s not true. The supposed culprit is omega-6, some of which gets converted in the body to a substance called arachidonic acid.<\/p>\n

This long-named acid does have some inflammatory effects \u2013 but Sanders says it has some anti-inflammatory properties too, so \u201cthere\u2019s a bit of a yin and yang between the two.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the upshot is that, while it\u2019s true that eating a lot of seed oil could promote inflammation, the evidence currently suggests that it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Instead, a 2019 meta-analysis<\/a> of 30 studies found that higher levels of omega-6 in fat tissue were associated with lower risk of heart disease, heart attacks<\/a> and strokes.<\/p>\n

Sanders adds that omega-6 is \u201cgood\u201d and \u201can essential nutrient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ASeed oils have been accused of promoting inflammation, but that’s not entirely accurate – Photo credit: Catherine Falls Commercial via Getty
\n‘Butter is natural, but seed oils are processed’<\/p>\n

Plant oils might not cause inflammation via omega-6, but that\u2019s not the only anti-oil belief to address.<\/p>\n

Another argument that is often levelled against plant oils is that they are processed, relatively new foods devoid of nutritional value, while butter is a natural, traditional food.<\/p>\n

But Sanders says that\u2019s not true either: \u201cSeed oils have been used for millennia. If you go back to ancient civilisations in the Middle East, you\u2019ll find evidence that they were using safflower oil medicinally. And the Chinese used soybean oil and groundnut oil for a long, long, long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, modern plant oils are processed differently from how they were in the past \u2013 but Berry says it\u2019s nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n

\u201cScary words are used about the refinement process, like bleaching and deodorisation,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re not using bleach. It\u2019s just a term for the process it goes through.\u201d<\/p>\n

That process involves heating the oil to a specific temperature, and then treating it with activated clays, until it\u2019s a certain colour.<\/p>\n

The result, she says, is a shelf-stable refined oil. True, it will contain fewer nutrients \u2013 such as vitamin E or polyphenols \u2013 compared to traditionally cold-pressed oils. But it\u2019s still \u201ca really healthy oil\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"OliveOlive oil, as part of a Mediterranean diet, is associated with longevity and a lower risk of inflammation-related diseases – Photo: banusevim via Getty
\nYou don’t even need to worry about margarine<\/p>\n

So, the key accusations levied against plant oils don\u2019t seem to hold up. But, while plant oils have their fair share of haters, margarine is often demonised by a circle of health influencers.<\/p>\n

For instance, Saladino called margarine \u201cgarbage\u201d in an Instagram reel in March 2025<\/a>, instructing his followers: \u201cDon\u2019t ever touch it. Don\u2019t ever buy it. Don\u2019t ever look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This anti-marg vitriol used to be justified. Back in the day, the spread was seriously unhealthy.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because it contained trans fats: previously liquid oils that had been altered so they were solid at room temperature.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrans fats are really bad for us,\u201d says Berry. \u201cThey raise cholesterol, they increase inflammation, they increase your risk of multiple diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n

But today, margarines don\u2019t contain trans fats. At all. Manufacturing methods have moved on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would absolutely advocate for changing from butter to margarine,\u201d says Berry. \u201cThe evidence is clear that it\u2019s better for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don’t throw the butter out with the bathwater<\/p>\n

From saturated fat to processing methods, there are myriad reasons why plant oils would fare better than butter in a health contest.<\/p>\n

So, should we stock up on sunflower oil to maximise the benefits? Actually, no. Like most foods, plant oils are good for us in moderation \u2013 and most of us are eating too much already.<\/p>\n

\"AnPlant oils might be nothing to worry about \u2013 but many of the foods they’re in are nutritionally poor – Photo credit: Predrag Popovski via Getty<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only problem I have with vegetable oil is that people are eating too much, in crisps and other foods that are not important parts of the diet,\u201d says Sanders. \u201cIf you eat a 40g bag of crisps, a third of that is going to be vegetable oil, which is extra calories.\u201d<\/p>\n

That means that, for a standard bag of ready salted crisps \u2013 which is actually 25g or 0.9oz in the UK \u2013 45 of its 135 calories come straight from its 8g of oil, or roughly half a tablespoon.<\/p>\n

Berry agrees, adding: \u201cAbout 60 per cent of the seed oil that we eat is found in quite unhealthy, heavily processed products, so we should be reducing those products \u2013 but not because of the seed oil; because they\u2019re high in added sugars and salt and low in fibre.\u201d<\/p>\n

As with so many things, moderation is key here \u2013 even with an oil associated with longevity, healthy ageing and lower risk of metabolic diseases.<\/p>\n

Similarly, there\u2019s nothing wrong with enjoying butter in moderation. Sanders says, if you\u2019re having \u201ca little pat of butter on your toast\u201d or using a small lump to flavour your vegetables, that won\u2019t make much difference to your overall health.<\/p>\n

Sanders concludes: \u201cYou can have a little bit of butter\u2026 but it\u2019s better to have more vegetable oil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n