Is cooking with beef fat really healthier than seed oils?

What’s more divisive than politics? Try talking about which type of fat you should cook with.

The conventional wisdom tells us butter, lard and beef tallow (dripping) – produced from rendering beef fat – are high in ‘bad’ saturated fats that raise cholesterol and heart disease risk; while seed oils, such as rapeseed and sunflower, contain healthier fats that can reduce cholesterol and protect the heart.

But wellness influencers and contrarian doctors have recently started championing the idea that seed oils are harmful. This has now moved centre-stage in US politics, with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr vowing to improve the nation’s health by encouraging a shift from seed oils to beef tallow, which he says is healthier; the nation is being ‘unknowingly poisoned’ by seed oils, he has said.

Seed oils have attracted criticism partly because they’re high in a polyunsaturated fat called linoleic acid which, it’s claimed, causes inflammation in the body.

That’s because animal studies have shown that linoleic acid is converted to arachidonic acid, triggering the release of inflammatory compounds. But this harmful effect has only ever been found in mice given large doses.

In 2011, US researchers analysed this link in humans and found it didn’t hold. In fact, increasing dietary linoleic acid, even by up to six times more than usual, did not raise arachi- donic acid levels in blood or tissues, reported the journal Nutrition & Metabolism.

If anything, we now have a wealth of research showing that seed oils might even lower, rather than trigger, inflammation.

For instance, in a study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2011, when overweight men ate muffins made with either butter or sunflower oil, the butter muffins were found to raise markers of inflammation and blood vessel stress, while the sunflower oil muffins lowered them.

Importantly, many of these studies are independent (i.e. run by scientists and not funded by the food industry) so the findings can’t be dismissed as biased.

This benefit from seed oils likely comes from the fact that they’re so rich in healthy fats, mainly polyunsaturated fats, and in some cases monounsaturated fats, which are used by the body to build healthy cell membranes, including in immune cells that help control inflammation.

Another concern raised about seed oils is the way they are manufactured. The oils are extracted under high heat and pressure, then treated with chemicals to remove colour and smell, which can feel far from ‘natural’.

But the issue here is less about proven harm in humans – there isn’t any strong evidence for that – and more about where these oils end up.

Indeed, one reason seed oils get bad press is because they are found in many ultra-processed foods (UPFs) such as crisps, biscuits and cakes.

As a result, studies have linked them to poor health outcomes, when it’s actually the poor overall diet and lack of helpful nutrients in UPFs that’s the true problem, not the seed oils.

Another common argument is that when seed oils are heated, they oxidise and make toxic by-products.

It’s true that the fats in seed oils can break down more easily with heat compared to fats such as butter or lard. But for the average person cooking with seed oils at home, this should not be a problem.

Studies haven’t shown typical home use of seed oils produce harmful levels of oxidation products under normal cooking conditions.

And most seed oils you buy are refined, which makes them more stable and less likely to degrade when you cook with them (cold-pressed oils, on the other hand, aren’t refined, so they’re better used in salad dressings).

The issue with toxic by‑products comes when oils are heated over and over again, as happens with deep-fat fryers in restaurants. That’s very different from cooking with a smaller amount of fresh oil each time. Overall, the best evidence shows seed oils aren’t harmful. Replacing butter with seed oils is a good idea for your health, and helps lower your intake of saturated fat for a healthy heart.

Olive oil is still the top choice, but seed oils are a solid, budget-friendly option, and definitely not something to worry about.

And, as always, the overall picture of your diet matters too, such as how much fruit and veg you’re getting.

Here’s my lowdown on fats and oils to help you navigate the information out there and decide which you should use when…

BEEF DRIPPING

This is said to be healthier than seed oils because it’s ‘natural’ – but that doesn’t mean healthier (similarly, ‘processed’ doesn’t automatically mean harmful).

It comes down to the nutrients, and the food they’re found in.

Fats that are high in saturated fat, such as beef dripping (which is about 50 per cent saturated fat), have consistently been linked to increased ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular risk.

A 2017 review published in the journal Circulation found that swapping saturated fats in the form of butter and fatty meat for seed oils cut the risk of heart disease in both people with and without existing heart problems by about 30 per cent.

COCONUT OIL

Not too long ago, coconut oil was the fat everyone was talking about for its supposed health benefits – but here again, the science didn’t quite match the hype.

The idea was that unlike other saturated fats found in butter, for example, the lauric acid in coconut oil might behave differently in the body and actually be beneficial and anti-inflammatory.

Yet a 2021 review of studies, published in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, found that coconut oil is not a heart-healthy choice when compared to oils such as olive oil. Despite raising ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, it has a stronger effect on raising ‘bad’ LDL, outweighing the benefits.

That doesn’t mean coconut oil is off the table, just save it for dishes that suit its flavour, such as curries, coconut rice, granola, or bakes such as banana bread, rather than replacing your everyday olive or rapeseed oils in cooking.

OLIVE OIL

Olive oil, particularly extra-virgin, stands out for its anti-inflammatory benefits.

A 2020 review of studies, published in the journal Nutrition, found that regular consumption of extra-virgin olive oil reduced some key markers of inflammation, especially in people at risk of or living with chronic conditions such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes.

These effects are likely thanks to olive oil’s high content of unsaturated fats and antioxidant plant compounds called polyphenols – which help tackle excess inflammation.

The most consistent benefits were when olive oil was consumed daily over three months or more.

To make the most of it, use extra-virgin olive oil for salad dressings, drizzle over roasted vegetables, or stir into soups and stews before serving.

It’s also perfectly safe to cook with – contrary to popular myth, it holds up well to moderate heat, rather than breaking down into harmful compounds.

RAPESEED OIL

Rapeseed oil is a great everyday choice, especially for heart and liver health.

A 2024 trial published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that swapping ghee (a type of butter) for rapeseed oil helped people with fatty liver disease reduce their liver fat, shrink their waist and lower their cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

These benefits weren’t just from weight loss. That’s likely because rapeseed oil is low in saturated fat and rich in healthy unsaturated fats, the type that helps lower harmful cholesterol. It also contains those beneficial polyphenols.

Use refined rapeseed oil for roasting and frying, and cold-pressed for dressings or drizzling.

BUTTER

The latest research backs up what decades of nutrition science has already shown – when it comes to heart and overall health, unsaturated plant oils come out on top.

A 2025 study in JAMA Internal Medicine, one of the largest and longest of its kind, linked the highest butter intake with a 15 per cent higher risk of early death.

It’s the swap that matters. Replacing just 10g butter a day (about two teaspoons) with plant oils such as olive, rapeseed or soybean, was linked to a 17 per cent lower risk of dying prematurely from any cause.