Butter or margarine? They hurt? Let's find out together

A very common question today is the following: is it better to use butter or margarine in the kitchen ?

For those who are lactose intolerant , the choice generally falls on the latter, even if there are companies on the market that offer delactosed butter.

But regardless of the ailment due to the lack of lactase, it is common to think that margarine is the best alternative, being of vegetable origin, as opposed to butter which is of animal origin.

Surely it would be good to opt for a third alternative, then choose neither product, and use the beneficial extra virgin olive oil , but let's try to understand together the differences between the two condiments so much discussed by examining the difference between butter and margarine .

Should butter be avoided?

Contrary to popular belief, butter is rich in nutrients and beneficial compounds such as butyrate and conjugated linoleic acid. It is also rich in vitamin A and has a moderate content in vitamin D and E.

However, butter contains a lot of calories and lipids such as saturated fatty acids. In fact, butter has a high calorie content of around 102 calories per tablespoon, so overdoing it can cause the extra calories to build up quickly and could contribute to weight gain over time.

About 63% of the fat in butter is saturated, while monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids account for 26% and 4% of the total butter content, respectively.

High saturated fat intake has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, but the scientific evidence is currently inconsistent.

Recent research has found no link between saturated fat intake and increased risk of heart disease or death from heart disease.

However, a review of 15 scientific studies found that partial replacement of dietary saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat was associated with a 27% lower risk of cardiovascular events.

In view of this, according to the most recent dietary guidelines it is recommended to limit the intake of saturated fat to less than 10% of daily calories .

Saturated fats such as butter are especially useful for high temperature cooking as they are resistant to oxidation and have a high smoke point. This can help prevent the buildup of harmful free radicals during cooking.

Is margarine bad for you?

Vegetable margarine is a food, designed to resemble butter.

Modern types of margarine are made from vegetable oils , which contain polyunsaturated fats that can reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol when used in place of saturated fat.

Since vegetable oils are liquid at room temperature, their chemical structure is industrially modified to make them solid like butter, through a process known as hydrogenation .

With this procedure, the saturated fat content of the oil increases, but trans fats are also formed. Trans fatty acids are responsible for lowering good cholesterol levels and raising bad cholesterol levels.

Today it is possible to buy margarine without hydrogenated fats , choosing one that among the ingredients contains good quality oils (extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil ...), avoiding those that contain tropical oils as they have a high saturated fat content.

In conclusion , we can say that the real problem is always not so much in the use but in the abuse of a food.

Are you having dinner with friends and you don't know if there is butter on your plate? Don't despair, if you are intolerant you can use a lactase enzyme supplement to digest better.

References:

• De Souza RJ et al. (2015). "Intake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies." BMJ
• Chowdhury R et al. (2014) "Association of dietary, circulating, and supplement fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Ann Intern Med
• Hooper L et al. (2015) "Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease." Cochrane Database Syst Rev
• Samantha A Vieira et al (2015). “Challenges of Utilizing Healthy Fats in Foods” Adv Nutr
• https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/
• Mills et al. (2017) "What are interesterified fats and should we be worried about them in our diet?" Nutr Bull