ROCHESTER — Butter, butter mixes, or margarines. Which do you prefer in your morning toast? Researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health compared
to find out which option is best for your cardiovascular health.
“What we found is that in today’s US market, margarines are now a better choice than butter for your health,” says Celia Weber, lead author of the study. “There was a lot of debate in the past about which product was best for you, but now that trans fats have been removed from margarines, they are the best option in terms of heart health.”
In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
partially hydrogenated oils from foods such as margarines because they are bad for cardiovascular health. Partially hydrogenated oils are a man-made form of trans fat, which can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease.
The researchers looked at the fatty acids in 83 different margarine, margarine, and butter blend products and compared them to butter. They found that after the FDA ban, margarine and butter mix products had less saturated fat and cholesterol than butter. And margarine products in tubs or squeeze tubes had less fat than stick margarines.
When it comes to cardiovascular health, the study authors say it’s smarter to choose tube and tube margarines because they contain the least amount of saturated fat, which is why they’re softer than stick products at room temperature .
This study is published in the journal
.
The American Heart Association
supports these findings. It lists liquid or jarred margarines as the healthiest option. They also point out that while choosing canned margarine over butter is a good step, doing so alone probably won’t lower cholesterol levels to a healthy level. Visit their website for information on what constitutes a heart-healthy diet.
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