Margarine & Plant-Oil Spreads: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Margarine is a spread made mostly from vegetable oils mixed with water, so it can stand in for butter. "Plant-oil spreads" are the softer, tub versions that usually have less fat. USDA describes them as "margarine-like vegetable oil spread" and "margarine, regular, hard, soybean (hydrogenated)". [1] The health story depends on which fats are inside, especially trans fat, which older hard margarines contained. This page covers the spreads as foods and separates them from hype and from older products that no longer match today's labels.

Read this first

• Trans fat is the key safety point. Partially hydrogenated oils, the main source of artificial trans fat, were ruled no longer "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA in 2015. [2] [3] The USDA tub spread in this page still shows 3.3 g of trans fat per 100 g (about 0.5 g per tablespoon), which suggests an older formula. [1] Check the Nutrition Facts label and the ingredient list for "partially hydrogenated" oils.
• Spreads are not low in calories. USDA lists about 85 kcal in 1 tablespoon (14 g) of tub spread. [1]
• Plant sterol spreads can lower LDL cholesterol. A pooled analysis of 124 studies found 6 to 12% lower LDL cholesterol at 0.6 to 3.3 g a day of plant sterols or stanols. [11] This applies to spreads that are specially enriched, not to ordinary margarine.
• Allergy: milk and soy are major food allergens that must be named on US labels. [15] Read the label of the spread you buy. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911 (or your local emergency number).
• Evidence in one line: replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat helps cholesterol and heart risk, [7] but we did not find a trial in the sources we read that tested margarine itself against butter.

What is in it (USDA values)

The values below are for a margarine-like vegetable oil spread, 67 to 70% fat, tub (USDA FoodData Central item 171431) and for regular hard soybean margarine, hydrogenated (item 171018), both SR Legacy. [1] The serving column is the USDA household portion: 1 tablespoon (14 g) for the tub spread, and 1 teaspoon (4.7 g) for the hard margarine, the only small portion USDA lists for it.

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; the serving figures are the 100 g values multiplied by 0.14 (tub) or 0.047 (hard). Vitamins A and D in spreads are usually added by the maker; these are USDA's values for those items, and labels today may differ. The USDA data are from the April 2018 release, shortly before the June 2018 US compliance date for removing partially hydrogenated oils. [1] [3] The hard margarine item lists no trans fat value, but "hydrogenated" suggests it could contain some, so we do not call it free of trans fat.

Plant compounds: USDA lists 146 mg of phytosterols per 100 g for the hard margarine item. [1] Plant sterols and stanols are added to special spreads on purpose, and trials of those spreads are described below. [11]

What research says

Eaten as food vs other forms. The sterol results come from foods and supplements with added plant sterols, not from ordinary margarine. A review of plant sterol safety notes that regular intake lowers LDL by about 10%, roughly doubles blood plant sterol levels, and that the raised blood levels have prompted safety concerns. [12] We did not read a trial settling that question.

How much is a normal serving

USDA's household portion for the tub spread is 1 tablespoon (14 g), about 85 kcal. [1] That is information, not a prescription. For limits on saturated fat, the NHS says no more than 30 g a day for men and 20 g a day for women, [6] and WHO says saturated fat should be under 10% of energy and trans fat under 1% of energy for people aged 2 and older. [4] The NHS suggests reduced-fat spreads based on olive or sunflower oil instead of butter. [6]

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Trans fat: the FDA says trans fat raises LDL cholesterol and increases heart disease risk, that most uses of partially hydrogenated oils had to stop by June 18, 2018, and that the final compliance date for products already in distribution was extended to January 1, 2021. [2] [3] Trans fat also occurs naturally in small amounts in milk, butter and meat; the FDA's action did not cover these. [2]
• Cholesterol and saturated fat: per tablespoon, USDA lists about 12% of the saturated fat Daily Value in the tub spread. [1]
• Milk or soy allergy: US law requires milk and soy to be named on labels. [15] We did not read a source on which individual spreads contain them, so check the label. The NHS says serious reactions include swelling of the lips, mouth or throat and struggling to breathe, and to call 999 (in the US, 911). [17]
• Medicines: a nutrition review notes that margarines and other foods made with certain plant oils contribute vitamin K, which matters for people on warfarin because a steady intake is recommended. [14] USDA lists no vitamin K for these two items, so ask a pharmacist.
• Sodium: USDA lists 75 mg per tablespoon of tub spread (3% of the Daily Value). [1] Salted and unsalted versions differ.
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children: we found no source naming a problem with spreads in normal food use. The saturated fat limit applies from age 2. [4] See foods in pregnancy.
• Kidney disease and diabetes: we did not read a source specific to spreads. Ask your clinician.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Read the ingredients. In the UK, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil must be listed on ingredient lists. [5] In the US, check the Nutrition Facts label for trans fat and the ingredients for "partially hydrogenated oil." We did not read the US rule that allows a label to say 0 g under a small amount.
• Look for spreads based on olive, sunflower or rapeseed oil if you are replacing butter, as these are mostly unsaturated fats. [5] [6]
• We did not read an official storage time for spreads, so follow the label and keep them refrigerated if the label says so.

Related pages

• Saturated, unsaturated and trans fats explained
• Trans fats: where they hide and the safety rules
• Butter
• Which cooking fat to choose: what health bodies say
• Plant sterols and stanols in foods
• Foods for cholesterol and heart health