The key facts

  • Dietitian Nuriya Dianova called the comparison of butter and fruit incorrect
  • Replacing fruit with butter leads to a deficiency of fiber, potassium and antioxidants
  • Moderate butter consumption is neutral for the heart if it replaces refined carbohydrates, but risky if it replaces polyunsaturated fats

The debate over the benefits of butter and fruit

In August 2026, in an interview with Nadezhda Strelets, physician Alexander Shishonin stated that butter may be healthier than fruit. To comment on this claim, Gazeta.Ru asked Nuriya Dianova, executive director of the Healthy Nutrition Research Center, dietitian and gastroenterologist, and her answer diverges from Shishonin's position: in her words, these foods cannot be compared, and attempting to replace an apple with a piece of butter will lead to an acute deficiency of fiber and antioxidants.

What the data on food composition say

Dianova explained that butter is an emulsion of milk fat (about 80%), water and protein. It contains butyrate, which is beneficial for the gut, conjugated linoleic acid (in butter from free-grazing cows), and vitamins A, E and K2, but at the same time more than 50% saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. According to her, current data show that moderate butter consumption is neutral for heart health if it replaces highly refined carbohydrates, and becomes risky if it replaces polyunsaturated fats. Fruit, by contrast, consists of water, soluble and insoluble fiber, fructose, glucose, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C and thousands of phytonutrients — flavonoids; potassium helps excrete excess sodium and lower blood pressure.

Context of consumption and alternatives

According to the specialist, the benefits of foods depend on context: a tablespoon of quality butter on a plate of stewed vegetables helps absorb carotenoids — precursors of vitamin A. As a healthier alternative for everyday use, Dianova named spreads based on olive or sunflower oil enriched with phytosterols, since they help further lower LDL cholesterol. When choosing between types of fats, she recommended preferring unsaturated options: cold-pressed olive oil, avocado, nuts and fatty fish.