Plant-based oils linked to lower mortality risk than butter

A long-term study involving approximately 200,000 individuals has linked the consumption of plant-based oils to a lower risk of premature death compared to butter. The research, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, tracked dietary and health data for over 30 years.

Researchers from Mass General Brigham, the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute found that replacing butter with plant oils—specifically olive, canola, and soybean oils—was associated with a 17% reduction in mortality risk. The study noted that while butter is high in saturated fatty acids, these plant oils are higher in unsaturated fatty acids.

Specifically, the consumption of olive, canola, and soybean oils was linked to lower risks of total mortality, cancer-related deaths, and cardiovascular disease deaths. Conversely, butter consumption was associated with higher risks of total and cancer-related mortality. Lead author Yu Zhang noted that the magnitude of the 17% reduction in mortality risk observed in the modeling was surprising.