A simple diet swap could boost longevity, new research suggests
15:53, 07 Mar 2025
Butter is an everyday favourite for people, but replacing it may be good for your health(Image: Getty Images)
Making a simple switch in your diet could help you live longer, new research suggests. Scientists have found that replacing butter with plant-based oils like olive, corn, or rapeseed could significantly cut the risk of an early death.
Scientists analysed data from over 221,000 adults tracked for 30 to 50 years and found that butter consumption appeared to increase mortality risk. Among the group, 50,932 deaths were recorded, including 12,241 from cancer and 11,240 from heart disease.
After adjusting for other factors, researchers discovered that those with the highest butter intake faced a 15 percent higher risk of dying from any cause compared to those who consumed the least. Meanwhile, people with the highest intake of plant-based oils saw a 16 percent reduction in overall mortality risk, Bristol Live reports.
Further analysis suggested that every 10g daily increase in plant-based oil consumption was linked to an 11 percent lower risk of dying from cancer and a six percent lower risk of death from heart disease.
Replacing 10g of butter daily with plant-based oils could cut overall mortality and cancer death risk by 17%(Image: Getty Images)
A higher intake of butter was also linked to a 12 percent greater risk of dying from cancer, researchers found. However, swapping just 10g of butter per day for an equivalent amount of plant-based oils was associated with an estimated 17 percent reduction in overall mortality and a 17 percent lower risk of cancer death.
Writing in JAMA Internal Medicine, the study authors concluded: “Higher intake of butter was associated with increased mortality, while higher plant-based oils intake was associated with lower mortality. Substituting butter with plant-based oils may confer substantial benefits for preventing premature deaths.”
The research was based on data from the US Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, with contributions from researchers at Harvard Medical School.
Participants' diets were assessed through food questionnaires every four years, allowing researchers to track long-term dietary habits.
Commenting on the findings, Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, said: “This is an important study that shows that people who chose to eat butter don’t live as long as those who choose to eat vegetable oils.
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“Butter is high in saturated fat, contains some trans fatty acids but is very low in polyunsaturated fats. Whereas un-hydrogenated soybean, canola and olive oils are low in saturated fatty acids but high in unsaturated fats.
“The take-home message is that it is healthier to choose unsaturated vegetable oils rather than butter. This is particularly relevant as there has been much negative publicity about vegetable oils on social media, which are based on unfounded claims of potential harmful effects, rather than deaths as described in the present study.”
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