Margarine IS better for you than butter, say scientists

EATING margarine instead of butter really does reduce your risk of heart disease, research suggests.

Experts at Harvard University yesterday cast doubt on the results of recent studies that promoted the return of butter and cream.

New research had suggested that those who cut down on full-fat milk and other dairy and meat products that are high in saturated fat are no less likely to suffer a range of diseases, including heart disease, than anyone else.

But now the Harvard scientists have said their research shows that saturated fat is bad for our health after all.

They said the reason for the other researchers’ findings may be that many of those who cut down on saturated fat then eat more refined carbohydrates such as white bread, which they found was just as big a risk factor for heart disease.

Instead, their study showed that replacing saturated fat with foods high in unsaturated fat – such as margarine, olive oil and nuts – significantly reduced the risk.

Study author Professor Frank Hu, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and his team analysed long-running diet and health information from 127,000 Americans.

They found that replacing 5 per cent of a person’s energy intake from saturated fat with foods high in polyunsaturated fat – such as fish – reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by 25 per cent.

Replacing the same amount of saturated fat intake with foods that contain high levels of monounsaturated fat – such as olive oil – reduced heart disease risk by 15 per cent.

But replacing saturated fat intake with refined carbohydrates saw no fall in heart disease risk, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports.