Pass the butter, not the margarine

In what's touted as the biggest study yet conducted on the subject, Canadian researchers have concluded that, while there are plenty of proven risks associated with ingesting trans fats (margarine, shortening), a reasonable amount of saturated fat (animal-derived fats, mostly) in a person's diet results in no significant health risks.

According to the Toronto Sun, the study, published in BMJ, showed that “saturated fat intake was not tied to coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke or type 2 diabetes,” while “[c]onsuming industrial trans fats was associated with a 34 percent increase in all-cause mortality, a 28 percent increased risk of heart disease mortality and a 21 percent increase in the risk of heart disease.”

So, go ahead and eat that real butter.