Replacing butter with vegetable oils can prolong life and cut disease risk

A comprehensive study involving over 220,000 people has found that consuming vegetable oils instead of butter significantly improves longevity and reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular issues.

Published in JAMA Internal Medicine and cited by New Atlas, the study analyzed 30 years of dietary data and concluded that butter intake is associated with higher mortality, while vegetable oils — especially olive, canola, and soybean oils — offer clear protective benefits.

• Individuals who consumed the most butter had a 15% higher risk of death.
• Every 10 grams of vegetable oil consumed daily reduced the risk of — Cancer death by 11%; cardiovascular death by 6%; conversely, every 10 grams of butter raised the risk of cancer death by 12%.
• The study’s substitution analysis found that replacing 10 grams of butter per day (about ¾ tablespoon) with vegetable oils could reduce the overall risk of death by 17%.

Researchers attributed the benefit to the unsaturated fats in vegetable oils, which are healthier than the saturated fats in butter, known to raise LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and increase heart disease risk.

Lead researcher Yu Zhang called the findings “surprising,” noting the “huge impact on health.” Co-researcher Dr. Daniel Wang emphasized the public health significance, saying the shift could prevent many deaths linked to chronic diseases.