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BOSTON, MA – A groundbreaking study spanning three decades suggests a simple dietary change could significantly impact longevity. Researchers from Mass General Brigham, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have found that replacing butter with plant-based oils may reduce the risk of premature death.
The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine and presented at the American Heart Association’s EPI/Lifestyle Scientific Sessions, analyzed dietary and health data from over 200,000 individuals across more than 30 years. The findings reveal that higher consumption of plant-based oils, specifically soybean, canola, and olive oil, is associated with lower overall mortality, as well as reduced deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease. Conversely, butter consumption was linked to an increased risk of both total mortality and cancer-related deaths.
“What’s surprising is the magnitude of the association that we found — we saw a 17% lower risk of death when we modeled swapping butter with plant-based oils in daily diet. That is a pretty huge effect on health,” said study lead author Yu Zhang, MBBS, research assistant at the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The key difference lies in the types of fatty acids: butter is rich in saturated fatty acids, while plant-based oils contain more unsaturated fatty acids. The study analyzed dietary data from 221,054 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS), tracking their consumption of butter and plant-based oils over time.
Researchers found that participants who consumed the most butter had a 15% higher risk of death compared to those who consumed the least. In contrast, those with the highest consumption of plant-based oils had a 16% lower risk of death.
“People might want to consider that a simple dietary swap — replacing butter with soybean or olive oil — can lead to significant long-term health benefits,” said corresponding author Daniel Wang, MD, ScD.
A substitution analysis indicated that replacing just 10 grams of butter daily with plant-based oils could lower cancer deaths and overall mortality by 17%.
“Even cutting back butter a little and incorporating more plant-based oils into your daily diet can have meaningful long-term health benefits,” Wang added.
Researchers acknowledge a limitation: the study participants were primarily health professionals, potentially not representing the broader U.S. population. Future research will explore the underlying biological mechanisms.
Disclaimer: This news article is based on the provided study information and should not be taken as medical advice. Dietary changes should be discussed with a healthcare professional. Individual results may vary, and this study does not establish a causal relationship. Further research is needed to confirm and expand upon these findings. The study was primarily conducted on health professionals, and the results may not be generalizable to the entire population.
