Butter vs. Cheese — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Calories

Both are very high-calorie foods; however, butter, consisting mainly of fats, is much higher. It contains 717 calories per 100g serving. The same amount of cheese has 404 calories.

Protein and Fats

As mentioned previously, cheese is the curdled protein of milk, whereas butter is the fat separated from milk. Naturally, cheese is much higher in protein, and butter is a lot richer in fats.

Cheese is a perfect source of all essential amino acids and is particularly high in tryptophan, threonine, and isoleucine. In contrast, butter contains very little protein, less than one gram in a 100g serving.

Butter contains almost three times more fat than cheese. However, when it comes to the breakdown of the fat content, they are quite similar. The dominant fats in both foods are saturated fats. Next in line, based on percentage, are the monounsaturated fatty acids, leaving polyunsaturated fatty acids in last place.

Carbohydrates

Cheese contains 3g of carbohydrates in a hundred-gram serving. These carbs are all sugars, consisting of glucose, lactose, and galactose.

Butter, on the other hand, contains a negligible amount of carbohydrates.

Both foods do not contain fiber.

Cardiovascular Health

A moderate association has been found between cheese consumption and lower blood pressure (11, 12). Other studies do not find a correlation between cheese intake and blood pressure (13). Nevertheless, people with hypertension have to be aware of the high sodium levels in some cheeses, especially processed and salted cheese.

Similar beneficial associations have also been found between an improvement of blood pressure and butter intake (14). Conversely, some studies find a diet rich in saturated fat to be a significant risk factor for high blood pressure (15).

When comparing regular-fat or reduced-fat cheese and their effects on cardiovascular health, research has not found a significant difference between the two (16).

The adverse effects of trans fatty acids from vegetable oils have been well substantiated. However, trans fats from ruminant sources, which can be found in butter, may not significantly affect blood plasma lipid levels, although they may reduce high-density lipoproteins levels (17).

The consumption of butter has been observed to have increased total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels more significantly when compared to cheese (18).

Overall, the negative associations between butter consumption and cardiovascular health have weakened over the years. While butter does raise blood plasma levels to undesirable levels, scientists have not found strong correlations between butter intake and all-cause mortality (18).

Butter contains stearic acid and myristic acid. Stearic acid has antiatherogenic effects, and myristic acid has pro-atherogenic effects. thus, a perfect balance and consumption in moderation are key (28)(29). 

Diabetes

Multiple studies have shown a positive association between milk and dairy consumption and a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes (18)

Cheese, being high in both protein and fat, has been shown to increase insulin secretion and significantly reduce the glycemic response when consumed prior to high-carbohydrate meals (19).

Saturated fatty acids do not have one definite effect on patients with type 2 diabetes (20). Foods rich in saturated fatty acids, such as butter, have to be viewed separately in order to see distinctive effects. Adding butter to a high-carbohydrate meal may also help reduce the glycemic response (3).

A meta-analysis of butter’s effect on diabetes has found small or neutral associations between the two (21).

Another meta-analysis suggests a significant inverse association between cheese intake and type 2 diabetes (22).

Cancer

Fermented dairy food intake, such as cheese, has been found to decrease bladder cancer, esophageal cancer, and colorectal cancer risk (23). However, another study did not find a protective association between solid cheese consumption and colorectal cancer (24).

Cardiovascular Health

While butter is not the villain it has been made out to be for some time, it still increases total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels in the blood (25). This can pose a risk for hypercholesteremic people with cardiovascular issues.

Neurological Health

High cheese consumption has been associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, potentially due to the effect of cheese on oxidation levels in the brain (26)

Cancer

Overall, most studies show non-significant associations between cheese and butter intake and cancers. However, a meta-analysis shows that cheese consumption may increase the risk of prostate and breast cancers, while butter consumption may lead to a higher risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (27).