Both margarine and butter are fats but their chemical composition differs.Butter contains 62% saturated fatty acids ,generally called saturated fats.These fats are known to increase the bad or the LDL cholestrol in our blood.LDL can damage and narrow our arteries,thereby increasing heart disease.However our blood has a good or HDL cholestrol which helps sweeping the cholestrol out of our arteries.More the HDL ,the better for our heart.Butter fortunately does not effect HDL cholestrol.
Butter also contains 11 to 25 mg of cholestrolper 5 grams.Cholestrol is needed by our body for making of vitamin Dand various hormones.An intake of 150 to 200 mg cholestrol is permissable.Although excess cholestrol in our diet is harmful but little intake of butter should not harm.
Margerine on the other hand ,contains little or no cholestrol and only 20%of saturated fatty acid.However margerine is made up of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats.These artificial fats are manufactured by heating or frying vegetable oils at high temperature with hydrogen.This process converts the oil from their natural liquid state to a solid state called trans fat.
These junk fats contains trans fatty acids which are disorganised molecules of fat.They have been termed by bio chemists as one step away from PLASTIC !!!
They produce havoc in our system by causing a rise of bad LDL cholestrol but also unlike butter a drop in the levels of the good protective HDL cholestrol.
This makes our blood sticky with clumps together ,blocking the arteries and causing heart attack or cerebral stroke.It also promotes inflammation and suppresses our immune system.
CONCLUSION :If your diet is low in red meat and other saturated fats ,you may have a very small quantity of butter but RUN MILES AWAY FROM MARGERINE.