Ghee, butter or sesame oil: Top cardiologists explain which fats are best for your heart

Are ghee and butter truly bad for the heart, or is moderation the key? As awareness of the connection between cholesterol and heart disease increases, a lot of people are reconsidering the fats they consume on a daily basis. Whether it is age-old traditional ghee or butter, sesame (til) oil, every fat impacts the health of our heart differently. Country’s leading cardiologists argue that the problem is not fat per se — but type, how much and even what you cook it in.

The doctors explain how saturated and unsaturated fats affect cholesterol levels, who should be worried and why reuse of oil and deep-frying can be more dangerous than we thought.

Fats have been demonized as the main driver of heart disease for many decades. But, cardiologists say, the matter is not as easy to understand as simply making all fats “bad.” It’s what kind of fat being consumed, how much is eaten at a time and eating habits over the long term.

“Fats aren’t the enemy. The trouble is that people eat a lot, they consume way too much, they have fat too often and they select what kind of fats,” explains Dr. Jyoti Kusnur, Consultant – Interventional Cardiology, Manipal Hospital, Goa.

Ghee and Heart Health

Ghee, which is present in most Indian kitchens, consists of a high amount of saturated fat. Overconsumption can raise the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol, which is a culprit in heart disease.

"Ghee has a significant amount of saturated fatty acids, and consuming it in large amounts over time can also have a positive effect on increasing the LDL cholesterol levels," Dr. Kusnur says. “Less than a teaspoon a day is generally the amount commensurate with people who have normal cholesterol and no existing heart disease causing any harm,” she adds.

When ghee is prepared traditionally, with a slow cooking process, it carries small concentrations of short-chain fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins which are high in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). But, the trouble happens when we make ghee as a base of cooking fat for all our meals.

The heart does, she emphasizes, respond to these long-term patterns of eating — not to occasional splurges.

Butter: An Occasional Treat

Butter acts the same as ghee, only perhaps a bit more problematic when it’s commercialised.

“Butter acts like ghee but causes more health problems,” Dr. Kusnur says. “With commercial butter you might have milk solids and sometimes trans fats. Consumption on a regular basis,” she added, “can cause cholesterol to rise more quickly in people who have diabetes, are obese or have a family history of heart disease.”

Butter, from the cardiologist point of view, should be an occasional treat rather than a daily staple.

Why Sesame (Til) Oil Is Special

Sesame oil is not ghee or butter, but rich in unsaturated fats and antioxidants. In it are compounds that fight inflammation and oxidative stress — two pillars of heart disease.

“Sesame oil has a good amount of unsaturated fats and antioxidants that may positively impact lipid profiles when used sparingly,” Dr. Kusnur says. “For heart health, including blood pressure, high oleic sunflower seed oil can be a better everyday option, especially for applications involving cooking at moderate temperatures,” she said.

But even healthful oils should be used judiciously.

The Importance of Smoke Point

Cooking methods play a major role in how fats influence the heart, explained Dr. Sandeep R., Senior Consultant – Interventional Cardiology, Aster Medcity, Kochi.

“Each oil whether it’s tropical oil, non-tropical oil, ghee, or butter has a smoke point. When oil is heated to the smoking point, its structure changes,” he says.

Unsaturated fats, when heated too much, can degrade and turn into unhealthy compounds such as trans fats. “Zero tolerance for deep frying and reusing oil is required,” Dr. Sandeep cautions. “Reheating oils for too long turns it from a healthy fat to an unhealthy fat.”

Understanding Good and Bad Fats

Dietary cholesterol is found in saturated fats and trans fatty acids, which elevate LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Conversely, unsaturated fats — including omega-3s — reduce inflammation, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and boost HDL (good) cholesterol.

“People need to eat fat in the range of 10 percent for good heart health,” says Dr. Sandeep.

Those with diabetes, high cholesterol or a family history of heart disease should go even lower and may need to remain under that threshold.

Where to Get Healthy Fats

Unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids are crucial because the body can’t make these on its own. You’ll find these nutrients in non-tropical plant oils, nuts, tofu and sea fish.

But ghee and butter “can’t be trusted as reliable sources of omega-3, because they have a significant amount of saturated fat,” Dr. Sandeep says, though ghee does contain vitamins A, D, E and K.

Some foods, like red meats, sugary sweets and desserts, especially ice creams, pastries, cheese and butter, provide saturated fats that can be consumed in limited quantities.

In the end, cardiologists say that balance and moderation in your diet is more important than an outright ban on any version of a food.