PisaczekSearch
文AEN-US
PolskiEnglish (UK)English (US)EspañolPortuguês (Brasil)DeutschFrançaisItalianoУкраїнська中文（简体）한국어Bahasa IndonesiaРусскийالعربيةहिन्दी
Diet and nutrition

Plant-Based Margarine — Healthier Than Butter for the Heart?

Sources: 4 · Article: 7 253 characters

Grażyna Cichosz cites studies in which an equivalent intake of trans isomers was associated with a 10-fold higher risk of heart disease than an equivalent intake of saturated fatty acids.

  • She also cites a study linking margarine consumption to a 66% higher likelihood of a heart attack.
  • According to Cichosz, TFAs make up to 35% of the fatty acids in hard margarines and up to 20% in soft margarines.
  • Natural trans isomers in milk fat and ruminant fat showed no association with coronary atherosclerosis.

What the authors write

Grażyna Cichosz

In hard margarines, TFAs make up to 35% of the fatty acids, and in soft margarines up to 20%.

„In Poland, TFA content is up to 35% of all fatty acids in hard margarines, and up to 20% in soft margarines. In blends known as “mixes,” made from butter and hydrogenated vegetable fats, TFA content ranges from 2.4 to 14.8% (that is, 1.8–8.1 g of TFA per 100 g of fat) (10).”W Polsce zawartość TFA w twardych margarynach stanowi do 35% wszystkich KT, natomiast w miękkich margarynach do 20%. W mieszankach tzw. miksach składających się z masła i utwardzanych tłuszczów roślinnych zawartość TFA waha się od 2,4 do 14,8% (jest to 1,8–8,1 g TFA w 100 g tłuszczu) (10).
Kwasy tłuszczowe izomerii trans w diecie człowieka (Bromatologia i Chemia Toksykologiczna 2012)
Grażyna Cichosz

Grażyna Cichosz cites studies in which an equivalent intake of trans isomers was associated with a 10-fold higher risk of heart disease than an equivalent intake of saturated fatty acids.

„A report on the impact of hydrogenated vegetable oils on human health, published by the Danish Nutrition Council in 1994, shows that, compared with saturated fatty acids, an equivalent intake of trans isomers increases the risk of heart disease by as much as 10 times. Epidemiological studies (monitoring 150,000 patients for 6–14 years as part of 3 research programs) confirmed a positive correlation between intake of artificial trans isomers and the risk of heart disease.”Raport dotyczący wpływu utwardzanych olejów roślinnych na zdrowie człowieka opublikowany przez Duńską Radę Żywieniową w 1994 r. dowodzi, że w porównaniu z nasyconymi KT równoważne spożycie izomerów trans, aż 10-krotnie zwiększa ryzyko chorób serca. Badania epidemiologiczne (monitoring 150 000 pacjentów przez 6–14 lat w ramach 3 programów badawczych) potwierdziły dodatnią korelację pomiędzy spożyciem sztucznych izomerów trans a ryzykiem chorób serca.
Kwasy tłuszczowe izomerii trans w diecie człowieka (Bromatologia i Chemia Toksykologiczna 2012)
Grażyna Cichosz

Grażyna Cichosz cites a study that linked margarine consumption to a 66% higher likelihood of a heart attack.

„Epidemiological studies (monitoring 150,000 patients for 6–14 years as part of 3 research programs) confirmed a positive correlation between intake of artificial trans isomers and the risk of heart disease. Earlier research involving 85,000 nurses showed that margarine consumption increased the likelihood of a heart attack by 66% (8).”Badania epidemiologiczne (monitoring 150 000 pacjentów przez 6–14 lat w ramach 3 programów badawczych) potwierdziły dodatnią korelację pomiędzy spożyciem sztucznych izomerów trans a ryzykiem chorób serca. Wcześniejsze badania dotyczące 85 000 pielęgniarek dowiodły, że konsumpcja margaryn zwiększa prawdopodobieństwo zawału serca o 66% (8).
Kwasy tłuszczowe izomerii trans w diecie człowieka (Bromatologia i Chemia Toksykologiczna 2012)
Grażyna Cichosz

Natural trans isomers found in milk fat and ruminant fat showed no association with coronary atherosclerosis.

„Studies of the relationship between indicators of coronary atherosclerosis and concentrations of trans fatty acid isomers in platelet phospholipids showed that natural trans isomers of the n-7 family (vaccenic acid, palmitolelaidic acid, and linolelaidic acid), found in milk fat and ruminant fat, are not associated with coronary atherosclerosis (14).”W badaniach dotyczących współzależności między wskaźnikami miażdżycy naczyń wieńcowych a stężeniami w fosfolipidach płytek krwi izomerów trans KT udowodniono, że naturalne izomery trans rodziny n-7 (kwas wakcenowy, palmityloelaidynowy i linoloelaidynowy) obecne w tłuszczu mlekowym i tłuszczu przeżuwaczy nie wykazują związku z miażdżycą naczyń wieńcowych (14).
Kwasy tłuszczowe izomerii trans w diecie człowieka (Bromatologia i Chemia Toksykologiczna 2012)

Research from PubMed · Europe PMC

We selected 2 studies with the best, positive results. This is a selection, not a full review of all research.

Total number of studies on this topic in PubMed: 3.

The review indicates that replacing butter with soft margarine lowers total and LDL cholesterol and is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events and death.

Aim of the study: This review aims to compare the impact of unprocessed animal foods with ultra-processed plant-based alternatives, particularly plant-based milks, plant-based meat analogs, and margarine, on cardiometabolic risk factors, chronic diseases, and mortality.

Results: The ultra-processed food category is highly heterogeneous, encompassing products with varying ingredients and nutrient profiles. Plant-based milks, plant-based meat analogs, and margarine, typically classified as ultra-processed foods, differ markedly from their unprocessed animal-based counterparts: they do not contain cholesterol or heme iron, have lower concentrations of saturated fat, sulfur, and branched-chain amino acids, and provide dietary fiber, which is absent in animal-based foods. Replacing dairy milk with soymilk has been shown to reduce total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and C-reactive protein (CRP), and is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Compared to unprocessed animal-based products, plant-based meat analogs are associated with reductions in TC, LDL-C, body weight, plasma ammonia, and trimethylamine oxide (TMAO).

Ultra-processed Plant Foods: Are They Worse than their Unprocessed Animal-Based Counterparts? · Curr Nutr Rep 2025
Money for the studyuniversity or foundation · Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
Do the authors have ties to companies?yes — the authors reported it
Did a manufacturer help with the study?YES
Type of studydiscussion of other studies

“Not stated” does not mean nobody paid — the database does not always record it.

The analysis found that replacing butter with tub margarine was associated with a lower risk of heart attack.

Aim of the study: Several recent articles have called into question the deleterious effects of high animal fat diets due to mixed results from epidemiologic studies and the lack of clinical trial evidence in meta-analyses of dietary intervention trials.

Results: Substituting butter or stick margarine with tub margarine was associated with lower risk of MI (HRs = 0.95 and 0.91). Subgroup analyses, which evaluated these substitutions among participants with a single source of spreadable fat, showed stronger associations for MI (HRs = 0.92 and 0.87). Outcomes of total CHD, ischemic stroke, and atherosclerosis-related CVD showed wide confidence intervals but the same trends as the MI results. This theoretical dietary substitution analysis suggests that substituting butter and stick margarine with tub margarine when spreadable fats are eaten may be associated with reduced risk of myocardial infarction.

Theoretical Effects of Substituting Butter with Margarine on Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. · Epidemiology 2017
Money for the studygovernment, public institutions · NHLBI NIH HHS, WHI NIH HHS, NIA NIH HHS
Do the authors have ties to companies?not stated
Did a manufacturer help with the study?unknown
Type of studyobservation of people
Participants71 410

“Not stated” does not mean nobody paid — the database does not always record it.

Perspectives and opinion materials

The content below presents the authors’ opinions, interpretations and hypotheses. It is not treated as equal to scientific studies and systematic reviews.

Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Opinion material
„Interestingly, without the benefit of tests or on-line research, but by simple, eyes-open clinical observation, a French doctor - in 1825 - remarked that his fat and weak countrymen would do better by eating "plenty of eggs, beef, mutton, chicken, butter and vegetables." [5] [OK, I'd recommend we back off on the meat a bit.] The idea was to displace the French grain-based diet, in which the wealthy would have been better off eating whole-grain peasant bread rather than the denuded white bread of the privileged.”Interestingly, without the benefit of tests or on-line research, but by simple, eyes-open clinical observation, a French doctor - in 1825 - remarked that his fat and weak countrymen would do better by eating "plenty of eggs, beef, mutton, chicken, butter and vegetables." [5] [OK, I'd recommend we back off on the meat a bit.] The idea was to displace the French grain-based diet, in which the wealthy would have been better off eating whole-grain peasant bread rather than the denuded white bread of the privileged.
Sugar Fraud

Pisaczek does not judge who is right. It shows what was written and where to read it. Every sentence above has its source.