Butter is Better? Not as Healthy as Olive Oil, but Healthier than Sugar; Reasearch Says

A lot of people are wary about consuming butter because they believe that it contains large amounts of cholesterol that could pose various health risks. There is truth to the presence of health problems brought about by eating too much butter, but studies show that people need not worry that much. New research shows that even though butter may not be as healthy as say, olive oil, it is still much healthier than white sugar.

According to a report from The Washington Post, this study was conducted using over 600,000 relatively healthy adults as test subjects. They were split into groups and given servings of sugar and butter in varying sizes every single day for about 10 years. The results definitely go against the beliefs of a considerable number of people.

The findings of the study show that eating sugar can put even a healthy adult at a high risk of contracting both cardiovascular disease as well as diabetes. On the other hand, the saturated fat from butter only caused diabetes in the study, with the thousands of subjects in the butter group keeping free from cardiovascular complications.

"it doesn't seem to be hugely harmful or beneficial," says Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian. "In my mind, saturated fat is kind of neutral overall," he adds. People must remember that the consumption of fatty foods is not all bad, but it should only be done in moderation.

Reports from TIME describe butter as a "middle of the road" type of food, as it is healthier than some, but worse than others. "Vegetable oils and fruits and nuts are healthier than butter, but on the other hand, low-fat turkey meat or a bagel or cornflakes or soda is worse for you than butter," states Mozaffarian. This could definitely change the way many people diet.