HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 15, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Margarine has gotten a atrocious rap for years, but a U.S. prohibition connected partially hydrogenated oils whitethorn person made it a healthier prime than butter, a caller survey suggests.
Before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned specified oils successful 2018, margarine contained these oils, which are dense successful trans fats and rise atrocious ("LDL") cholesterin levels portion lowering bully ("HDL") cholesterin levels. Eating trans fats besides increases the hazard of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
"Margarines are a amended enactment than food for heart health, with tub and compression margarines being the champion options," said pb researcher Cecily Weber, a dietetic intern astatine the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, successful Minneapolis.
The survey squad "also recovered that margarine and food blend products incorporate little saturated fat and much unsaturated abdominous than regular butter," she added.
"This is simply a nationalist wellness occurrence story. It is present easier for [U.S.] consumers to marque heart-healthy choices due to the fact that they nary longer request to interest astir checking the labels of products to look for partially hydrogenated oils for trans fat, they tin conscionable cognize the products don't incorporate them," Weber said.
For the study, which had nary backing from margarine makers, Weber and her colleagues examined the fatty acerb contented of 83 margarine and margarine-like and food blends sold successful the United States, comparing them with butter.
The investigators recovered that aft the ban, margarine and food blend products had substantially little saturated abdominous and cholesterol, compared with butter. These products besides had nary man-made trans fat.
The softer tub and compression conduit margarines contained little saturated abdominous than instrumentality margarines, which makes them the healthier prime among margarines, Weber noted.
"Stick margarines incorporate much saturated abdominous than tub oregon compression margarines, which allows them to beryllium much steadfast astatine country temperature," she said. "However, for bosom health, existent dietary recommendations are to bounds saturated abdominous intake."
Weber added that though margarines sold successful the United States are healthier than they utilized to be, they should inactive beryllium eaten successful moderation.
"While margarines are a amended enactment than food for bosom health, they should inactive beryllium eaten sparingly, arsenic they bash inactive incorporate immoderate saturated abdominous and person a precocious vigor density; that is, they incorporate a precocious magnitude of calories per serving size," she explained.
The study was published online precocious successful the diary Public Health Nutrition.
Samantha Heller, a elder objective nutritionist astatine NYU Langone Health successful New York City, cautioned that alternatively of margarine oregon butter, the truly healthier enactment is to usage rootlike oils.
"Whether the dispersed comes from cows oregon chemists, it is the contented of saturated abdominous that makes the difference," she said. "It is the saturated fat, those fats that are coagulated astatine country temperature, specified arsenic butter, lard, bacon and chickenhearted fat, and from the works world, thenar and coconut oil, that we privation to limit."
These fats summation the hazard for inflammation, and cardiovascular and different chronic diseases, Heller said.
"Try utilizing much oils that are liquid astatine country temperature, specified arsenic other virgin olive oil, canola, avocado, walnut, sesame oregon sunflower oils successful spreads, sauces and cooking," she suggested.
"Oils tin beryllium flavored with vinegars, spices, herbs and add-ins similar sun-dried tomatoes," Heller said. "Use seed and effect butters alternatively of food connected toast, and olive lipid connected potatoes and vegetables. For recipes that request coagulated fats, for illustration successful baking, past a plant-based dispersed oregon food is good to use."
More information
For much connected saturated fat, caput to the American Heart Association.
SOURCES: Cecily Weber, dietetic intern, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis; Samantha Heller, MS, RD, CDN, elder objective nutritionist, NYU Langone Health, New York City; Public Health Nutrition, Nov. 2, 2021, online
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