Margarine

Studies in people

• Open question

  Blood vessel health³

  In people, rapeseed-sterol margarine changed two blood markers tied to vessel health, but what this means is not yet known.

• Benefit

  Heart attack risk⁴

  In women, swapping butter or stick margarine for tub margarine was linked to fewer heart attacks.

• No harm found

  Childhood body size⁵

  In people, vitamin-D from fortified margarine during pregnancy showed no link to children's weight at age 7.

• Benefit

  Pregnancy blood pressure risk⁶

  Women exposed to extra vitamin D from margarine before birth had lower odds of pre-eclampsia later.

• Benefit

  Asthma in children⁷

  In children, eating margarine once or twice a week was linked to less asthma and wheezing, but the cause is not known.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Fat digestion⁹

  In lab studies, margarine made with cottonseed and palm oils released more free fatty acids, which may make it easier to digest.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Cholesterol and heart risk⁸

  Margarine with added plant stanols or sterols lowers LDL cholesterol only a little, and not in everyone.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.