DUBAI: Contrary to the common belief that pure butter should be avoided because it is bad for health, an Abu Dhabi-based doctor has said that there is enough evidence that shows it can be good for the body if eaten in moderate quantities.
Dr Rachel Leiper, Family Medicine Specialist, at King’s College Hospital London Medical and Surgical Centre, Abu Dhabi, said that the dairy product, made up largely of saturated fats, “is not as bad for you as we once thought” and sometimes replacing pure butter with other butter substitutes is not always the best option.
“Dairy products are good in providing vitamin K and also calcium,” she says. “Furthermore, the butyric acid is surprisingly good for your gut ‘healthy’ bacteria which is increasingly interesting in health and nutrition. Also, Some dairy also contains something called CLAs (conjugated linolenic acid) and these seem to have some health benefits but these have to be grass fed dairy.”
Dr Leiper pointed out that though some butter substitutes can be lower in fat, some margarines for example can often be worse than pure butter, especially those that are high in transfats and hydrogenated fats.
“Butter substitutes can vary, so it depends on the substitute. The margarines to avoid are those which are full of transaturated and hydrogenated fats. They now tend to be less common fortunately but there is good evidence that these are actively bad for your heart health.”
