Last week, I came across a headline story that threw me off guard: “Canadian butter “really sucks”, says B.C. researcher.

Excuse me?

In case you are not aware, the dairy industry is huge where I come from. Saying that our “butter sucks” is literally a slap in our face.

The Vancouver Sun covered the study conducted by two researchers from the University of British Columbia-Okanagan who evaluated the omega-6 content of butter from 14 countries. Their findings revealed that Canadian butter had the highest amount of them all.

What is Omega-6?

Both omega-3 and omega-6 are essential fatty acids, meaning that the body cannot produce them. Eating foods or taking supplements is the only way for us to reap their benefits. Much of the debate has been focused on the ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. Because both of these fatty acids compete for the same enzymes, too much of one can poorly affect our health. In general, our diet tends to be richer in omega-6 than in omega-3.

The Study

The fatty acids profile of dairy products depends on the animal’s diet. In the old days, animals were “pasture raised.” Fast-forward to our times, dairy cows now follow a diet that is richer in oilseeds and grains to allow faster growth and weight gain.

The fatty acids composition of grass-fed butter from Canada, U.S., and New Zealand were similar.

Grass-fed butter contains less omega-6 fatty acids than commercial butters.

Canada and the U.S. have the highest ratio of omega-6 to omega-3.

Canada and the U.S. have the highest amount of omega-6 fatty acids.

Butter from France was the most similar to grass-fed butter.

“Canadian butter had the worst omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, it’s double what you see in French butter,” shared Sanjoy Ghosh, one of the authors. “Our butter really sucks. There’s no other way to spin it.”

Source: Vancouver Sun

According to the authors, increasing the omega-3 content of dairy fats could help to boost the daily intake of this essential fatty acids since North Americans love their butter.

“The highest n-6 PUFA was noted in the Israeli butter, whereas the highest n-3 PUFA was present in the Dutch butter sample,” according to the study.

My Thoughts

If there is a way to increase the content of omega-3 fatty acids and cut down the omega-6 fatty acids in butter, by all means, please do.

However, one thing for sure is that these two types of fatty acids hardly account for the majority of fat found in butter. Butter is made out of 80% fat, and more than 60% of its fat is saturated.

Let’s just say that butter isn’t my number food choice if I wanted to increase my omega-3 intake.

The million-dollar question that everyone asks me is: “How much butter can I eat in a day?”

One tablespoon of butter contains about seven grams of saturated fats. Considering that the daily limit intake equals roughly to 20 grams (based on 2,000-calorie diet), refraining yourself to less than one tablespoon of butter would be a reasonable move. Of course, vegetable oils like canola, olive, and avocado oils remain a better choice over butter.

Moral of the study: Our butter might suck, but it is unlikely to have a major impact on our health if eaten in moderation.

This study is funded by the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Dairy Farmers of Canada.