Replacing butter with vegetable oils may lower your cholesterol but may not curb heart disease risk or help you live longer, a new study has revealed.
Vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid reduced blood cholesterol, based on findings by US scientists who re-analysed data from two old experiments, including the Sydney Diet Heart Study.
But this did not translate into improved longevity or a lower risk of heart disease.
In fact, people who had a greater reduction in blood cholesterol had a higher, rather than lower, risk of death.
The scientists said their findings add to doubts about the widely held belief that vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid – an omega-6 polyunsaturated fat – are good for heart health.
Omega 6 polyunsaturated fat sources include margarine spreads and corn, sunflower and sesame oils.
University of Queensland senior lecturer Lennert Veerman said the benefits of choosing polyunsaturated fat over saturated fat now “seem a little less certain than we thought”.
