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 though there are companies on the market that offer lactose-free butter.
But regardless of any issues due to lactase deficiency, it is common to think that margarine is the better alternative, being of plant origin, unlike butter which is of animal origin.
Certainly, it would be better to opt for a third alternative, therefore choosing neither of the two products, and using 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?
Butter, contrary to what one might think, is rich in nutrients and beneficial compounds such as butyrate and conjugated linoleic acid. It is also rich in vitamin A and has a decent content of vitamins D and E.
However, butter contains many calories and lipids such as saturated fatty acids. Butter, in fact, has a high caloric content of approximately 102 calories per tablespoon, so overdoing it can cause extra calories to accumulate quickly and could contribute to weight gain over time.
About 63% of the fat present in butter is saturated, while monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids account for 26% and 4% of butter's total content, respectively.
A high intake of saturated fats has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, but scientific evidence is currently inconsistent.
Recent research has not found any link between saturated fat intake and an increased risk of heart disease or death from heart disease.
However, a review of 15 scientific studies found that partially replacing saturated fat in the diet with polyunsaturated fats was associated with a 27% lower risk of cardiovascular events.
In light of this, the most recent dietary guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of daily calories.
Saturated fats like butter are particularly 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 if used in place of saturated fat.
Since vegetable oils are liquid at room temperature, their chemical structure is modified industrially to make them solid like butter, through a process known as hydrogenation.
This process increases the saturated fat content of the oil, but also creates trans fats. Trans fatty acids are responsible for reducing levels of good cholesterol and raising levels of bad cholesterol.
Today it is possible to buy margarine without hydrogenated fats, by choosing one that contains high-quality oils among its ingredients (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 state that the real problem is always not so much in the use, but in the abuse of a food.
Are you out to dinner with friends and don't know if there is butter in your dish? Don't despair, if you are intolerant you can use a lactase enzyme supplement to digest it 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