Want to live longer? Replace butter with plant-based oil
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- Reviewed by Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Delicious butter has a dangerous side effect: eating lots of it may significantly shorten your life, suggests a Harvard-led study published online March 6, 2025, by JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers evaluated the self-reported health and diet information of more than 221,000 men and women who were followed for more than 30 years. Compared with people who ate the least butter, those who consumed the most had a 15% higher risk of dying prematurely. In contrast, people who ate the most plant-based oils (such as olive oil) had a 16% lower risk of dying young, compared with people who ate the least. The authors calculated that swapping about a tablespoon of butter per day for about two teaspoons of olive, soybean, or canola oil was tied to a 17% reduction in premature death, especially from cancer. The study was observational and can't prove conclusively that eating a lot of butter shortens life span. However, it's plausible, since it's high in saturated fat, which can cause chronic inflammation and lead to cancer and heart disease. On the flip side, consuming unsaturated fats (found in great amounts in plant-based oils) is linked to reduced inflammation.
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About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
About the Reviewer
Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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