Butter is a nutritious dairy product which is rich in fat-soluble vitamins and beneficial fats. It is made by churning fresh cream to separate the fat from the rest of the buttermilk so that the fat can be formed into a semi-solid block. Furthermore, raw milk can be left to stand before churning so that natural fermentation converts some of the milk sugar into lactic acid, giving the butter a sour taste (cultured butter). The finished butter can also be clarified in order to make ghee by heating it to remove additional milk solids and water.

Butter is a highly-valued traditional food regularly eaten without concern before the recent epidemic of degenerative diseases. These diseases are associated with a steady increase of sugar consumption, and the substitution of traditional fats such as butter, lard and olive oil, with factory fats comprised of trans fats and polyunsaturated vegetable oils (omega-6).

These type of replacement oils are promoted by the margarine industry which still encourages the lucrative saturated fat/ cholesterol myth despite the large body of evidence to the contrary. The Seven Countries Study from the 1950s, which is often cited in support of the myth, did not include data from nations such as France which would have contradicted the findings of the study by indicating that saturated fat consumption is safe in the context of an antioxidant-rich wholefood diet (the ‘French paradox’). The author of the study, Dr. Ancel Keys, nevertheless heartily recommended the largely vegetarian Cretan diet which had a low consumption of saturated animal fats, but very high olive oil intake at about 37% of calories.¹

In fact, a recent meta-analysis of 72 clinical trials found no link between the consumption of saturated fatty acids and the risk of heart disease, nor any real benefit from replacing them with polyunsaturated fats.² This finding was controversial given that it broke with the long-standing ideology, but others have supported the finding.^3–5

Unfortunately, these type of large meta-analysis studies are themselves subject to various flaws in design because they compare ‘apples with oranges’, that is clinical trials with markedly different interventions. Bias also results from selection criteria because a single trial can skew the outcome of the overall finding. Nevertheless, much earlier trials had already found no benefit in terms of mortality by substituting polyunsaturated vegetable fats for saturated fats, despite achieving apparently favourable serum-lipid measures.⁶

Margarine and other factory spreads are made from liquid polyunsaturated vegetable fats that have been converted to a thick spread by hydrogenating them, and then adding flavours and artificial colours so that they resemble butter. This results in a toxic pro-oxidant brew with the worst profile for heart disease of any oils.⁷ In addition, the corn, soy or cotton seeds used to make polyunsaturated oils are often genetically modified, and laden with glyphosate and fungicide residues. Canola oil also contains the toxic erucic acid so it is only suited for biodiesel production.

A combination of rancid fats, white sugar, pesticide residues, chemical additives, an acidic diet, stress, low fruit and vegetable consumption, poor water intake, and sedentary habits, all typical of the modern urban diet and lifestyle, are known to be the actual cause of chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. The incidence of these diseases has steadily increased since the 1950s suggesting that the ‘lipid hypothesis’ is itself a sustaining cause of the health crisis.

Organic butter contains many nutrients: it contains about 10% fat of which half is saturated and a fifth monounsaturated. Butter also contains the vitamins A, E and D, nutrients most people could benefit from given that they are common deficiencies. Just to give you some idea of the importance: vitamin A is necessary for the structural integrity of skin, bone health, vision, and immune support; vitamin E is an antioxidant, it regulates blood fats as well as blood sugar, and it is also essential for fertility; vitamin D is required for bone, nerve and muscle function, the regulation of the immune system, and for anticancer protection.

These nutrients must be added to margarine, pasteurised milk and white bread or these processed foods won’t sustain life. By comparison, wholegrain sourdough bread, that is spread with butter or accompanied by full-fat cheese obtained from the milk of grass-fed animals, has been a staple in the Swiss Alps for centuries, producing countless generations of hardy people.⁸

The saturated fats present in butter can be used by the body to make energy (a good source of medium chain triglycerides), while the cholesterol that butter contains is incorporated into all cell membranes. Cell membranes in fact need cholesterol to stiffen them when hot and soften them when cold, an important regulatory substance in the structure of the body. Cholesterol is also used to make hormones such as testosterone, oestrogen and cortisol, as well as bile acids, and cannot be removed from the diet without the body compensating and making it in every cell. In fact 15% of the dry weight of the brain is cholesterol and we would become mentally ill without it—it should be obvious why a war on cholesterol is absurd!

Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) are a class of fats which are speedily absorbed and easy for the body to utilise as energy so they are favoured for use by athletes and convalescents. They also may assist in weight loss. Furthermore, MCTs have benefits other than just promoting endurance because they display antimicrobial and antifungal activity, and butter contains 12-15%  of its fat content as MCTs.⁹

The fact that some saturated fats are healthy illustrates why a dietary approach that focusses on the exclusion or promotion of a single class of fats has failed to stem the tide or degenerative diseases. The World Health Organisation was recently taken to task for promulgating this in their latest draft guidelines with a recommendation to keep saturated fats below 10% of total energy intake. Form the point of view of naturopathy, the most important consideration is the diet and lifestyle as a whole, and to avoid ultra-processed foods containing transfats and other dangerous substances where possible.¹⁰

The reason some doctors still prohibit dietary cholesterol is because it was once believed to be the cause of plaque formation in arteries. Current research indicates that plaque is not caused by dietary cholesterol per se but oxidised cholesterol (particularly oxidised LDL). This oxidation is itself due to the consumption of rancid or hydrogenated factory fats, chronic inflammation and an acidic diet caused by excess sugar and red meat consumption. The conventional advice to eat a low-fat diet, which generally replaces any fat with refined carbohydrates, actually worsens cardiovascular disease risk.¹¹

Scientists now know that there must be prior damage to the vessel walls. Plaque begins to form as fatty streaks at these locations after oxidised cholesterol (a bystander) is engulfed by white blood cells which are in turn drawn to the location by inflammatory messengers in order to initiate healing.¹² The solution therefore is to directly treat these vascular wounds caused by a loss of tissue integrity, or stop them developing in the first place. In order to prevent them developing you have to live the kind of healthy lifestyle known to promote longevity, but this is an old-fashioned idea and most people still anticipate being rescued from their longstanding indiscretions, at the last minute following a heart ‘event’, by a ‘silver bullet’.

Functional changes are of course easy to reverse, but deep, degenerative tissue changes are more difficult, and usually dealt with by the surgeon. A preventative lifestyle is not a regime of statin drugs for life, but one where you exercise regularly and consume an antioxidant-rich wholefood diet, including specific nutrients such as the vitamin C which is necessary for collagen manufacture. You also must avoid refined sugar (sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup), factory fats or other potent pro-oxidants and vascular toxins.

In addition, you can consume certain clinical wholefoods which compensate for unavoidable degenerative processes or work actively in a clinical sense: garlic is a cholesterol solvent; fibre derived from psyllium or slippery elm stops cholesterol being recycled in the bowel; oats lower cholesterol; turmeric is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant herb; and the herb hawthorn is good for treating all aspects of the ailing cardiovascular system including plaque. Furthermore, omega-3 derived from oily fish, nuts and seeds supports immunity, down-regulates inflammation, alters lipids mediators in a beneficial fashion, and even positively influences your gut flora.¹³ In this context, we can certainly enjoy our organic butter in moderation, guilt-free.

Disclaimer: this article is intended for the purpose of general education only, and is not a substitute for diagnosis, treatment advice, or a prescription that is given in a consultation with a qualified physician.

References:

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10.       Astrup A, Bertram HC, Bonjour J-P, et al. WHO draft guidelines on dietary saturated and trans fatty acids: time for a new approach? BMJ 2019;366:l4137.

11.       Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM. Saturated fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease: modulation by replacement nutrients. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2010;12:384–90.

12.       McCance, Heuther. Pathophysiology, The Biologic Bases for Disease in Adults and Children. Elsevier; 2006.

13.       Myles IA, Pincus NB, Fontecilla NM, Datta SK. Effects of parental omega-3 fatty acid intake on offspring microbiome and immunity. PloS One 2014;9:e87181.