A bit of butter can actually help you live longer

As I smeared some (butter) on my toast this morning, like I do on most mornings, I pondered over the re-emergence of the "is butter better?" debate that has simmered up again thanks to the discovery of a four-decades old unpublished (till now) study - recently retrieved from a dusty basement.

The researchers apparently studied the diets of more than 9,000 people from 1968 to 1973 with a basic intent of showcasing the popular belief that removing saturated fat from people's diets and replacing it with polyunsaturated (PUFA) fat from vegetable oils is/was a great health boosting idea, but the results showed otherwise - and that's probably why the study was relegated to - a dusty basement. Not many want to rock the boat!

Recently on discovery, this long-overlooked study was finally analysed, and the results (published on April 12 in the journal BMJ) threw up some interesting stats: while the cholesterol content of the participants who ate a diet low in saturated fat and enriched with corn oil (PUFA) did drop by an average of 14 per cent (compared with a change of just one per cent in those who didn't), their mortality did not reduce. In fact, the study found that the greater the drop in cholesterol, the higher was the risk of death during the study period. Completely foxing, isn't it?

So is saturated fat good or bad? Meaning can we (please) have our butter? Don't ask me… this new study hasn't cleared any thing for me… because when it comes to "fats" every new study rubbishes the earlier one, and we are not wiser by a dime about what kind of fats to actually eat and what to dump. Ghee, butter, olive or vegetable oils??

Well, the debate is actually not just about butter and if it is good for us or bad, but encompasses the larger ongoing discussion (actually more of a wrangle) going on about saturated fat versus unsaturated fats, particularly linoleic acid (a type of poly unsaturated fatty acid commonly known as omega 6).

There are more reports coming in that a big reason for the high incidence of lifestyle induced disorders (heart disease, diabetes, arthritis…) is because of the high content of omega 6 in our diets. And some even go on to suggest that giving up saturated fat completely was a terrible mistake. But that's a detailed subject, meant for another post maybe. Here, let's just stick to why I feel eating some butter won't really kill you (or your heart), in fact might just help your health some:

1. Stronger bones

You get a lot of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K (these vitamins need some fat to be absorbed in the body), and a lot of the difficult to find vitamin K2. Vitamins A and D help in proper absorption of calcium and K2 is absolutely essential for healthy arteries and bones. Plus there is a unique Wulzen or "anti-stiffness" factor unique to butter (thanks to a compound called stigmasterol) discovered by Dutch researcher Rosalind Wulzen, which is a potent arthritis preventer and also protects against cataracts.

2. Minerals matter

Besides multiple trace minerals like manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, butter is a rich source of a powerful antioxidant mineral selenium, a proven heart and cognitive health booster (contains more selenium per gram compared to wheat germ) too.

3. Immunity booster

The short and medium chain fatty acids found in butter have immune system strengthening properties. Whereas the excessive long chain fatty acids found in polyunsaturated oils and many butter substitutes (margarines etc) can down your immune system remarkably.

4. Energiser

These short and medium chain fatty acids by the way don't get deposited in the cells as fat (fat tissue in humans is composed mainly of longer chain fatty acids), instead get used up fat for energy - so going by this, logically butter should not make you gain weight. But, of course, only if you don't go overboard with it.

5. Cancer fighter

Butter made from milk of grass-fed cows contains high levels of conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) that provides protection against cancer. On the other hand, its alternatives tend to be high in trans fats which can actually increase your risk for multiple diseases including cancer.

Now this obviously does not mean that there is a clean chit for any amount of butter consumption. It is a high calorific food, and is packed chock-a-block with fat, so going easy on the quantity is the real idea.

But yes, it is not a pariah, so don't cast it aside like persona non grata. 'Coz let's accept that there is hardly anything more gratifying than a thin smear of butter on a freshly toasted bread slice for breakfast. I have no intention of giving up mine, regardless of what the next study says.