Butter Leads to Lower Blood Fats Than Olive Oil

[Richard D]

ScienceDaily (Feb. 9, 2010) — High blood fat levels normally raise the cholesterol values in the blood, which in turn elevates the risk of atherosclerosis and heart attack. Now a new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that butter leads to considerably less elevation of blood fats after a meal compared with olive oil and a new type of canola and flaxseed oil. The difference was stronger in men than in women.

The main explanation for the relatively low increase of blood fat levels with butter is that about 20 percent of the fat in butter consists of short and medium-length fatty acids. These are used directly as energy and therefore never affect the blood fat level to any great extent. Health care uses these fatty acids with patients who have difficulty taking up nutrition -- in other words, they are good fatty acids.

"A further explanation, which we are speculating about, is that intestinal cells prefer to store butter fat rather than long-chain fatty acids from vegetable oils. However, butter leads to a slightly higher content of free fatty acids in the blood, which is a burden on the body," explains Julia Svensson, a doctoral candidate in Biotechnology and Nutrition at Lund University.

The greater difference in men is due to, among other things, hormones, the size of fat stores, and fundamental differences in metabolism between men and women, which was previously known. This situation complicates the testing of women, since they need to be tested during the same period in the menstruation cycle each time in order to yield reliable results.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209124352.htm

[virgogal]

1. Since I have been a big butter eater my entire long life this makes

me smile.

[Warpy]

2. Woo hoo!

I've recently rediscovered my old Julia Child book and have started using butter again. It's nice that this study is coming out now. I don't care if it's contradicted in the future. I get to go on in a haze of dietary self righteousness in the short term.

The same thing happened when I abandoned margarine, although the study came out some years later that butter was superior regarding dietary lipids. I abandoned margarine because I found I could use less butter and get more flavor.

[AndyA]

3. Geez, I wish they'd make up their minds.

At one time, butter was BAD, BAD, BAD. Margarine was much better, don't you know.

Then...margarine was the ABSOLUTE WORST! Better to use olive oil, it's healthy.

Now butter is not so bad after all. OK. (Until the next time we're told something different.)

[MineralMan]

4. Mmmmm....butter and olive oil....

Butter on my toast and grilled sandwiches and to saute tender young things. Olive oil to saute other things and to use in dressings.

Best of all, a mixture of half butter and half olive oil to saute things that are going into dishes I'm making. Best of both worlds.

[onehandle]

5. --> Read the details: 'The fact that butter raises blood cholesterol in the long term is well known'

and "However, butter leads to a slightly higher content of free fatty acids in the blood, which is a burden on the body,"

This study is about the hours just after a meal. What foods do to you over time is what counts.

Olive oil still wins in the long run.

And importantly:

"Finally, all fats have high energy content, and if you don't burn what you ingest, your weight will go up, as will your risk of developing diseases in the long run," she reminds us.

[gateley]

11. Just had to rain on my parade, didn't you?

I just wanted to run with the 'butter is better' headline and not have to actually READ the article.

But I'm grateful that you did, and that you posted this -- it's always better to know the whole story (I'm just lazy and a knee-jerk-go-with-the-headline type of reader). :hi:

[onehandle]

12. Heh. I think someone from the dairy industry wrote the headline.

The science is in the details.

I wish the headline was the whole story. Believe me.

:)

[Abq_Sarah]

6. Saturated fats have been demonized

To our detriment. I use a lot of butter, lard and also olive oil. I also have low triglyceride levels.

[hedgehog]

7. I think that each of us should be eating what our great, great grandparents ate.

For me , that's potatoes, skim milk, butter, eggs, cabbage, oatmeal, some pork and some beef. For someone else, that might be pasta and olive oil.

[Richard D]

8. hmmmmm . . . .my great great grandparents were cannibals . . .

. . . just joking, but an interesting perspective.

[gateley]

9. This is great news! LOVE butter! Thanks for posting! nt

[Love Bug]

10. Paula Deen approves of this message!

Bring on the butter!

[pscot]

13. So not only does butter make you fat

it also helps you absorb other foods better, which makes you twice as fat. It's a twofer. Woowoo.

[Laura902]

14. YAY!!!!!!

:popcorn:......this popcorn has butter;)

[flvegan]

15. Wow. 47 people participated in that study.

Then they ate three meals after fasting.

How inconclusive and stupid.