Ghee is mostly saturated fat, and saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol, so for most people it is best treated as a fat to limit, not one that helps. No good evidence shows that ghee lowers cholesterol. Both WHO and ICMR-NIN advise keeping saturated fats like ghee low.
If you have high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, or take medicine for any of them, follow your doctor's advice on fat, including ghee. This article summarises published guidance and research for general reading. It cannot account for your own test results, and it is not a substitute for a conversation with someone who can.
With that said, the question deserves a straight answer, because ghee sits in an awkward place. It is a traditional fat with a loyal following, and a few small studies are often quoted to suggest it is harmless or even good for the heart. The larger body of evidence is less flattering, and we would rather say so plainly.
At a glance
- Ghee is mostly saturated fat; ICMR-NIN says saturated fatty acids raise total and LDL cholesterol, and lists ghee and butter among the fats to limit, to one or two teaspoons a day.
- WHO's 2023 guideline caps saturated fat at 10 per cent of energy for everyone aged two and over, and names ghee among the sources.
- A 2020 Cochrane review of 15 trials with 56,675 participants found that cutting saturated fat reduced combined cardiovascular events by 17 per cent, with little effect on deaths.
- The trials of ghee itself are small: 63 healthy young adults at AIIMS in 2005, where total cholesterol and HDL both rose, and 30 adults in a 2022 crossover trial, where apo B and non-HDL cholesterol rose against olive oil.
- The 1997 Rajasthan survey linking heavy ghee use with less heart disease was observational and its heavy users were younger; no trial shows ghee lowers cholesterol.
What is in ghee that matters for cholesterol?
Saturated fat. Ghee is clarified butterfat, and ICMR-NIN's Dietary Guidelines for Indians list ghee and butter alongside coconut oil, palm oil, lard and tallow as foods containing saturated fatty acids. As an animal fat, ghee also contains dietary cholesterol, which plant oils do not.
The two things are worth separating. The ICMR-NIN guidelines explain that the liver makes cholesterol itself and adjusts: it makes more when dietary intake is low and less when intake rises. On saturated fat the guidelines are direct. They say saturated fatty acids are known to increase serum total and LDL cholesterol, increase inflammation, reduce insulin sensitivity and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
For a breakdown of what a spoonful of ghee contains, see our article on ghee nutrition facts.
What do WHO and ICMR-NIN actually recommend?
Both say to limit saturated fat. WHO's 2023 guideline says that for everyone aged two and over, no more than 10 per cent of total energy should come from saturated fats, and it names ghee among the sources. ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines say to limit high saturated-fat fats such as ghee and butter.
The two bodies agree in substance and differ in emphasis.
- WHO (2023) says fat eaten by everyone aged two and over should be mainly unsaturated, with no more than 10 per cent of energy from saturated fats and no more than 1 per cent from trans fats. It says saturated fat can be replaced with polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats from plant sources, or carbohydrates from foods with naturally occurring fibre, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and pulses. It lists butter, ghee, lard, palm oil and coconut oil as sources of saturated fat.
- ICMR-NIN (2024) lists, among its points to register, "Limit the use of high saturated-fat containing oils/fats such as ghee, butter etc." It also says to limit ghee or butter to just 1 to 2 teaspoons a day, or avoid them if possible, within an overall cap on visible fats and oils.
These are guidelines for the general population. If your doctor has given you a different target because of your own health, that target is the one that applies to you.
What does the strongest evidence on saturated fat show?
The best summary is a 2020 Cochrane systematic review of randomised trials. It found that cutting saturated fat reduced combined cardiovascular events by 17 per cent, with moderate-quality evidence, and produced small reductions in total and LDL cholesterol. It found little or no effect on deaths from any cause.
The review, by Hooper and colleagues, pooled 15 randomised controlled trials with 56,675 participants. The detail matters, because both sides of the ghee argument tend to quote only half of it:
- Reducing saturated fat lowered the risk of combined cardiovascular events (risk ratio 0.83).
- It had little or no effect on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or non-fatal heart attacks.
- Replacing the energy from saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat or carbohydrate appeared to be a useful strategy.
The review asked about cutting saturated fat in general, not about ghee in particular. Ghee is one source of saturated fat among many, so the review tells you about the category ghee belongs to, not about ghee as a special case.
Have any trials tested ghee itself?
A few, and they are small. A 2005 AIIMS trial in 63 healthy young adults found ghee raised total cholesterol but raised HDL alongside it. A 2022 Iranian trial in 30 healthy adults found a ghee-rich diet raised apo B and non-HDL cholesterol compared with olive oil.
| Study | Type | Who took part | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shankar et al., AIIMS (2005) | Randomised controlled trial, 8 weeks | 63 healthy, young, physically active adults | Ghee at 10 per cent of energy, against mustard oil, raised total cholesterol and HDL; the total/HDL ratio did not change significantly |
| Mohammadi Hosseinabadi and Nasrollahzadeh (2022) | Randomised crossover trial, 4 weeks per diet | 30 healthy adults | Against olive oil, ghee raised apo B and non-HDL cholesterol; the LDL difference was not statistically significant |
| Gupta and Prakash (1997) | Observational survey (cross-sectional) | 1,982 rural men in Rajasthan | Men eating 1 kg or more of ghee a month had a lower prevalence of heart disease; they were also younger, so this shows association only |
The AIIMS authors concluded that their study did not indicate an adverse effect of ghee on the lipoprotein profile, but they were careful to add that more studies were needed in older people, people with high blood lipids and people with less healthy lifestyles before the result could be applied to the general population. Their volunteers were young, healthy and active, and the trial lasted eight weeks.
The Iranian trial compared ghee directly with olive oil in a randomised crossover design. Its authors concluded that the result added further evidence for the existing advice to replace fats high in saturated fat with fats high in unsaturated fat to reduce cardiovascular risk.
What about studies that say ghee is linked to less heart disease?
The most quoted one is a 1997 survey of rural men in Rajasthan. It found less heart disease among heavy ghee users, but it was observational. It recorded who ate what and who had heart disease at one point in time, so it cannot show that ghee caused the difference.
The survey abstract itself notes that the heavier ghee users were significantly younger and ate more calories. That is why we give more weight to randomised trials and systematic reviews than to a single survey, and why we do not treat this result as evidence that ghee protects the heart.
Is ghee better or worse than vanaspati and refined oils?
Compared with vanaspati, ICMR-NIN is clear that trans fats are worse. It says current evidence indicates trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils are more harmful than saturated fat. Compared with unsaturated plant oils, the guidance runs the other way: WHO recommends replacing saturated fats with unsaturated ones.
In practical terms, the guidance ranks the options like this:
- Avoid partially hydrogenated vanaspati as a cooking medium, because it may contain trans fats (ICMR-NIN).
- Limit saturated fats, which include ghee, butter, coconut oil and palm oil (WHO and ICMR-NIN).
- Make most dietary fat unsaturated, favouring polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats from plant sources (WHO), while keeping total visible fat in check (ICMR-NIN).
So "better than vanaspati" is true but a low bar. It does not make ghee a heart-friendly fat. Our comparison of ghee, butter and cooking oils covers the kitchen side of choosing between them.
Does the type of ghee make a difference?
We have found no trial showing that A2, bilona, grass-fed or any other kind of ghee affects blood cholesterol differently from ordinary ghee. The guidelines make no distinction between kinds of ghee; they treat it as a saturated fat, and that is how we would treat it too.
Himdhara makes A2 bilona ghee, and we think method and sourcing matter for flavour, aroma and traceability. They are not a reason to eat more of it. If anything, a ghee you can taste clearly is easier to use sparingly: a small spoon at the end of cooking does more for a dish than a large amount cooked in from the start.
The short version
Ghee is mostly saturated fat, and WHO and ICMR-NIN both advise limiting saturated fat because it raises LDL cholesterol. A Cochrane review of randomised trials found that cutting saturated fat reduced cardiovascular events, though not deaths. The few small trials of ghee itself are mixed and in healthy volunteers, and the survey linking ghee with less heart disease is observational. If you have high cholesterol or heart disease, follow your doctor's advice on ghee.
Sources
Further reading behind the figures above. Himdhara's own numbers — yields, batch results — come from our production records and the batch reports on the lab reports page.
- World Health Organization (2023). WHO updates guidelines on fats and carbohydrates. WHO news release.
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (2024). Dietary Guidelines for Indians. ICMR-NIN, Hyderabad.
- Hooper L. et al. (2020). Effect of cutting down on the saturated fat we eat on our risk of heart disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
- Shankar S.R. et al. (2005). Serum lipid response to introducing ghee as a partial replacement for mustard oil in the diet of healthy young Indians. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology.
- Mohammadi Hosseinabadi S., Nasrollahzadeh J. (2022). Effects of diets rich in ghee or olive oil on cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy adults: a two-period, crossover, randomised trial. British Journal of Nutrition.