Vegetable oils or butter! Which is better for heart health?

European experts say that avoiding animal fats, such as butter, and choosing vegetable oils is the best choice for heart health.

Experts urge reducing the amount of saturated fat and switching to unsaturated vegetable fats to reduce the risk of heart disease.

They explained that saturated fats raise the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood, which leads to the accumulation of fatty deposits that can lead to narrowing of blood vessels, which increases the risk of stroke. Excess consumption can also lead to weight gain, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Now, Swedish and German researchers have shown that people who eat lots of vegetable oils reduce their chances of heart attacks and strokes by a third, and their risk of diabetes by a quarter.

The study included examining the blood fat results of 113 Britons who followed a diet rich in saturated animal fats for 16 weeks, in addition to following another group who followed a diet containing a high percentage of unsaturated vegetable fats, such as olive oil and nuts.

Blood lipid levels were then assessed using the “multiple lipid score” (MLS), which measures different types of fats in the blood.

“A high MLS indicates a healthy blood lipid profile, a high intake of unsaturated vegetable fats and a low intake of saturated animal fats,” explains Dr. Fabian Eichelmann, a nutrition expert at the German Institute of Human Nutrition. 

The analysis showed that those with higher MLS scores, indicating a diet rich in unsaturated fats, had a 32% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 26% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Examining the results of another study of 7,500 people, researchers found that people with low MLS scores who then switched to a diet containing unsaturated fats saw their risk of developing diabetes drop by 42%.

“Our study confirms the health benefits of a diet rich in unsaturated vegetable fats such as the Mediterranean diet, and could help provide targeted dietary advice to those who would benefit most from changing their eating habits,” said Clemens Wittenberger, an expert in food and nutrition.

It should be noted that the results were based primarily on Europeans, and therefore may not apply to other population groups.

The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.