Which is healthier? Margarine or Butter. The answer is pretty surprising!

These days, when it comes to health and wellbeing, it’s hard to know who to believe.

Do you listen to doctors, the NHS and government institutions who have – more than once – caught out as propaganda arms for the state? Or do you believe kooky YouTubers who eat nothing but meat, butter and eggs – and somehow have made their way into the White House? It seems that we decide based on what feels right for us, rather than the facts.

Today, we’re going to discuss facts. In honesty, we are mostly finding out for ourselves, so no reason to be dishonest.

Today, we will get to the root of the problem and discuss which is healthier: margarine or butter? 

What are the arguments about?

So, it appears that there are two sides of this argument – big butter and big food (if such things exist). On one side, we have those who sit within established health advisory bodies and government agencies. They rely on often old, well-established data that has been used to advise health policy for decades. They hold the line that margarine is healthier than butter due to its high content of saturated fats, which contribute towards heart disease, increase risks of heart attacks, strokes, and even degenerative brain illnesses such as dementia. 

A good example of such an organisation would be the British Health Organisation, who claim that margarine is healthier, and it will increase “bad” HDL cholesterol. Although Peter Attia, a world renound longesvity specialist, would add nuance to this claim, which, in the light of new data, would make this appear as outdated information. 

The more eccentric, and often more compelling argument, is that butter is in fact subject to a smear campaign and, in truth, is the healthy choice. There are two parts to the argument that saturated fats and butter were wrongly attributed as the cause of a spike in heart attack deaths in the 1970s by sugar companies. The conspiracy is that sugar was the cause, but fat was given the blame to protect shareholders and profits. The second part is that margarine is made from seed oils, which are, in fact, much more harmful to us. Previously intended to be lubricants, oils such as rapeseed, grapeseed, soy and sunflower cause inflammation, cancer and other wider health problems. Figures across social media, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr, are claiming the seed oils to be toxic. 

Which is healthier? Margarine or Butter.

The problem with the modern world is that everything claimed here is true to some extent. Butter contains saturated fats, which in excess, are proven time and time again to increase all-cause mortality. Too much saturated fat increases the risks of heart disease, strokes, cancers and degenerative cognitive diseases. 

There is some truth about sugar being a catalyst for heart attacks, but not directly the cause. Insulin resistance and excess sugar, combined with saturated fat, is a killer – it increases the fat in the blood, increase visceral fat in the body and reduce blood health. Sugar is a leading cause of death, but so are saturated fats. It appears this argument is not one or the other, as social media would like you to believe. 

It’s also hard to ignore that butter is more natural and much less processed- but the quality of the butter you choose also makes a big difference to it’s nutritional value. It is also hard to define what “margarine” is, as it comes in a huge variety of formulations, which will undoubtedly change the nutritional value of the product. For example, Utterlybutterly’s formulation is vastly different to Olive Spread. 

Here is an average breakdown;

Butter and margarine are similar in calories but are very different in their nutrient profile. Butter contains roughly 717 kcal per 100 g, almost entirely from fat, with trace protein (about 0.5 g) and virtually no carbohydrates. It naturally contains fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K with trace calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Its fat is mostly saturated, with notable contents of omega-9 (oleic acid) and very small quantities of omega-3 and omega-6.

Margarine contains 700–720 kcal per 100 g, but with even less protein; its vitamin content depends on fortification rather than occurring naturally. It appears that most spreads are enriched with vitamins (usually A, D and vitamin E). The mineral content is minimal and not worth noting. This is where margarine comes into its own: Usually, seed oil spread contains higher omega-6, some omega-3 (especially in rapeseed- or flax-based versions), and more omega-9, with significantly less saturated fat than butter. Though this varies widely depending on the oils used and whether the margarine is traditionally or non-hydrogenated.

An important note is that many claim the unbalanced Omega-9 concentration in margarine is a cause of inflammation and increases the risk of colon cancer; however, consensus currently suggests there is not enough evidence to make this claim 

Studies found that higher intake of butter was associated with higher mortality rates than those who consumed seed oils. Two things to note, however, the study includes olive oil, which is dramatically healthier than almost any other oil, and there are 3 or 4 conflicts of interest noted. 

Final thoughts. 

It appears that the largest body of evidence suggests that, in large quantities, butter is indeed less healthy. The main cause is its high content of saturated fats when compared to Margarine. It is also true that butter is much better nutritionally, more natural, and tastes significantly better than the alternative. 

The brass tax is that eating too much of either will have negative impacts on your health – it is akin to comparing smoking and vaping. 

From all the research we’ve done, it really doesn’t matter that much so long as you’re eating a healthy and balanced diet already. The danger of butter comes from eating saturated fats often, and combined with carbs (butter on your pasta, or gregs). Where possible, swap cooking with butter or seed oils with the healthier alternative, olive oil.

This argument is about moderation, which makes it boring and, therefore, will never trend on social media. At least, if you’ve read this, you’ve learned something.