BUTTER DOESN'T MAKE PEOPLE SICK - STUDY

Eating butter has only a small negative impact on total mortality, it does not worsen cardiovascular health, and it may help to protect against diabetes, according to research published in .

Butter is bad for you...or is it?

Saturated fat is generally considered unhealthy, and dietary guidelines recommend avoiding it.

In 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) noted that consumption of butter in the U.S. was at an all-time high.

In view of this, the authors of the current study felt that an investigation into the impact of butter consumption would be "highly relevant and timely."

A growing number of experts have been rethinking the focus on isolated macro-nutrients, such as saturated fats, and their impact on chronic conditions.

Instead, there is a call toward food-based paradigms. This type of approach might better take into account, for example, the fact that the specific fatty acid profile of one food that is rich in dairy fat will be different from the profiles of other foods.

The argument goes that a range of items that are similarly high in dairy fats may also contain other substances that could have different lipid and metabolic effects.

For example, dairy products such as yogurt and certain cheeses have been found to have metabolic properties that may help to prevent type 2 diabetes, despite being dairy fats.