Is Eating Butter Bad For You?

Most of us absolutely love eating butter, either with our food or sometimes alone in general. Bread and Butter has almost become a universal breakfast, for its fulfilling and creamy taste. Butter is also used for baking as well as cooking, for its trait of making foods taste better. But this delicacy comes with a lot of consequences, and you should think twice before dabbing spoonfuls of butter on that slice of bread, or bakery, or mashed potato, as it can lead to bad effects on our health.

In this article, we will tell you about butter, and what are the health hazards that you may have to face if you like eating butter too much.

What Butter consists of?

Butter is a dairy product that is churned out of milk in a large vat at high speed, which separates the solid fats from the liquid which is known as buttermilk. Butter is mostly extracted from cow's milk, the one that is commonly used and found in the market.

The creamy texture of the Butter is due to the high concentration of fats present in it, and can also be used instead of oil in cooking, which ends up providing it that creamy aroma. Eating Butter is a popular choice especially when it comes to desserts, breads, and bakeries.

Butter mainly consists of Fats, Calories, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin K. Though, the proportion of Fats is highest, the presence of Vitamin A in it improves skin health, immunity, and healthy vision. The presence of Vitamin E supports heart health and acts as an antioxidant to protect the cells from free radicals. Being a dairy product, it also contains calcium and phosphorus in a small proportion.

Side Effects of Eating Butter Too Much

The prime health hazard that we all know of eating butter too much is sudden weight gain and obesity because of its high fat content. This can directly have a dangerous effect on your heart health, and increase the chances of strokes.

Here is a list of 5 major side effects of eating too much butter:

1) Can lead to Obesity:

It's not a new thing to know that consistently eating butter too much for a long period of time can lead to sudden weight gain and obesity. One tablespoon of butter has almost 100 calories, and most of it is from saturated fat. Sudden accumulation of so much fat in the body, can additionally contribute towards causing heart diseases, and diabetes, as well as heighten the risk of cancer.

2) Increases the risk of Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia:

Studies have found that the consumption of foods with high saturated fats can significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer's Disease and dementia. High amounts of fats have very harmful effects on the brain, and butter has been listed as one of the most terrible foods for brain health.

3) Hightens the chances of Heart Disease:

Foods containing high amounts of saturated fats such as butter can significantly increase the chance of heart attacks and strokes because it clogs the arteries. Eating butter has very negative effects on our cardiovascular system, as it blocks the arteries and decreases free blood flow from the heart to the entire body.

4) Major source of Bad Cholesterol:

Due to the presence of high saturated fats, almost seven grams in a single tablespoon, eating too much butter in a single day, can easily exceed our healthy daily intake limit, which will lead to the accumulation of bad cholesterol (LDL and HDL) which are the prime reasons for diabetes, blood clots, strokes, and health attacks.

5) Gives you a Fat Belly:

Eating too much butter increases the chances of visceral fats, which are mainly stored around the belly and intestine region. If this persists continuously, over time it will result in a fat belly, which is one of the regions that is the hardest to shred during weight loss.

Is Eating Butter completely bad?

Though eating too much butter has always been connected with health side effects research shows that consumption of butter in a moderate amount, with a balanced diet, and a lifestyle including exercises can lead to positive health benefits.

The old saying goes that everything too much is bad. Butter is one of the best examples of it. The recommended intake of saturated fat in a day is less than 10% of our daily calorie intake, including with a healthy lifestyle.

Hence, there is nothing to be tensed off, if you are eating under that moderate amount. You don't have to sacrifice your dear bread and butter breakfast. Just that the next time you feel like dabbing multiple spoons of butter on your bread slices, just think for a moment, and limit it to 1-2 tablespoons for a day. You are good to go.