A soft margarine spread is the healthier choice in the long-debated butter-or-margarine controversy, maintains Jo Ann Carson, clinical nutritionist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2007

A soft margarine spread is the healthier choice in the long-debated butter-or-margarine controversy, maintains Jo Ann Carson, clinical nutritionist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Margarine made from vegetable oil is cholesterol-free and higher in polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats, which help reduce a person's "bad" LDL cholesterol level.

Butter, made from animal fat, contains dietary cholesterol and saturated fat, which tend to raise that "bad" cholesterol level.