Which of the two fats is best to use in the kitchen?
The general rule is now known to many: an excess of saturated fats (contained in butter) and trans or hydrogenated fatty acids (contained in margarine) increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and some forms of cancer.
However, it is often asked which of these two types of fat is potentially the most harmful. So in the kitchen is it better to use butter or margarine?
To limit them both would, of course, be the simplest and most spontaneous answer; however, wishing to investigate the matter from a biochemical point of view we come to the conclusion that between the two it is generally preferable to use butter.
In fact, margarine is a fat that does not exist in nature but derives from a mix of vegetable oils - sometimes with the addition of animal fats - processed through industrial chemical processes.
First point against margarine : fats and oils used to make it are often of poor quality and with very low food value. For example, tropical oils are used, such as palm and palm kernel oils.
Since vegetable oils are liquids in nature, they are made solid by chemical processes, among which the hydrogenation one stands out .
Second point against margarine : the hydrogenation process inactivates some substances that are positive for the body; moreover, it alters the structure of some fatty acids with negative repercussions on cardiovascular health: it has in fact been seen that a diet rich in trans hydrogenated fats increases levels of low-density lipoprotein, the famous LDL or bad cholesterol.
Third point against margarine : recent studies have shown that a margarine rich in trans fatty acids, unlike butter, not only increases the so-called bad cholesterol, but at the same time decreases the good one, with highly deleterious effects on our health.
Having to choose between butter and margarine it is therefore better to prefer the first one, paying attention to its quality and origin and, of course, without exaggerating with the quantities. From the energy point of view both foods have the same calorific value.
The 100% vegetable margarine is cholesterol free and often this feature is well publicized on the packaging, almost as if it were a healthy food and preferable to butter.
The Revenge of Margarines - Dietary or Functional Margarines
The food industry has responded to fears about excess trans fats in the diet by developing production processes that bypass traditional hydrogenation. Today, it is also possible to find margarines "without hydrogenated fatty acids" (with a negligible content of trans fatty acids); not only that, we can also find margarines fortified with plant sterols and omega-three, both with positive effects on cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, but also with Vitamin D, which in addition to the known effect on bone health could contribute to the reduction of cardiovascular risk . These new generation products can be considered a sort of "revenge of margarines" which in this way become a better food than butter in terms of metabolic impact and cardiovascular health. However, the doubt remains as to the quality of the oils used in their production, which at least in theory cannot ignore the use of a certain percentage of coconut and palm oils. More generally, the solidity of margarine requires, for physical reasons, the presence of a certain amount of saturated fatty acids. Therefore, in the absence of added functional molecules (omega-three, sterols, vitamin D, Vitamin E etc.) it is questionable to consider a non-hydrogenated vegetable margarine better than butter, also in consideration of its highly elaborate nature (extraction and chemical refining of the oils, interesterification with chemical catalysts etc.).
Finally, it should be remembered that margarine is found in many pre-packaged foods such as pasta, biscuits and the like, therefore it is advisable to also limit the intake of these foods and carefully read the nutritional labels at the time of purchase. For these uses, in fact, very often economic "old generation" industrial margarines are used, therefore rich in trans fatty acids.
