Swapping Butter for Plant Oils May Prevent Premature Death

HIGHER intake of butter is associated with an increased risk of total and cancer-related mortality, while substituting it with plant-based oils such as olive, soybean, and canola oil is linked to lower mortality rates, according to recent findings.

The prospective population-based cohort study included 221,054 adults from the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, spanning up to 33 years of follow-up. Participants, all free of major diseases at baseline, completed validated food frequency questionnaires every 4 years to assess their intake of butter and plant-based oils, including safflower, soybean, corn, canola, and olive oil. Mortality outcomes, including total, cancer-related, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, were determined through the National Death Index and medical records, with cause of death classified by physicians.

Over the follow-up period, 50,932 deaths were recorded, including 12,241 from cancer and 11,240 from CVD. Higher butter intake was linked to a 15% increase in total mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.08–1.22; P<0.001), while higher intake of plant-based oils was associated with a 16% reduction (HR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.79–0.90; P<0.001). Notably, for every 10-g/d increment in plant oil consumption, cancer mortality risk decreased by 11% (HR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.85–0.94; P<0.001) and CVD mortality risk by 6% (HR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.89–0.99; P=0.03). Substituting 10 g of butter with plant-based oils was associated with a 17% lower risk of total and cancer mortality (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.79–0.86; P<0.001).

These findings suggest that reducing butter intake and replacing it with plant-based oils could provide significant health benefits, particularly in reducing the risk of premature death from cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Ada Enesco, EMJ

Reference

Zhang Y et al. Butter and plant-based oils intake and mortality. JAMA Intern Med. 2025;DOI:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.0205.