- Over the years, there has been a lot of confusion about eggs’ impact on cholesterol.
- While eggs are high in cholesterol, they may not affect everyone’s blood cholesterol equally.
- This may be due to individual differences in liver function and genetics.
If a food could earn a “most nutritionally confusing” award, it would be eggs. It can feel as if one day eggs are heart-healthy, and the next, they’re heart-harming.
First, the good news: For most people, eggs can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. “Eggs are an economical source of high-quality protein and vitamins like A, D, E, K and B vitamins, as well as lutein and choline,” says Susan White, RDN, a registered dietitian specializing in heart health.
At the same time, eggs also contain dietary cholesterol. And that’s where things get sticky. Turns out, we don’t all absorb or metabolize cholesterol the same way. So, if you’re wondering what eating a daily egg (or two) will do to your cholesterol, the answer is different for everyone.
If you could use a little help figuring out how many eggs it’s OK for you to eat every day, keep reading.
3 Ways Eggs May Impact Cholesterol
Your body needs cholesterol for critical functions like hormone and vitamin D production. So, it’s not entirely a bad thing. However, too much cholesterol can raise the risk of heart disease.
Depending on the following three factors, eggs may—or may not—raise your cholesterol levels.
Everyone Absorbs Eggs’ Cholesterol Differently
We get cholesterol from foods of animal origin, especially red and processed meat, poultry with skin, butter, full-fat dairy, shrimp and, of course, eggs. One whole large egg contains 206 milligrams of cholesterol. However, the amount of cholesterol in our bloodstreams doesn’t just come from the foods we eat. “Your body’s own cholesterol production has the main impact on your blood cholesterol level,” says White. “Most people don’t realize that our own body produces 800 to 1,000 milligrams of cholesterol per day. This depends on genetics and liver function, but this is an average.”
Your genes don’t just determine how much cholesterol your liver makes. They also influence how much cholesterol you absorb from the foods you eat. While the typical person absorbs about 50% of the cholesterol in their food, this amount can vary widely from person to person. In fact, cholesterol absorption rates can range from as little as 20% to as high as 80%. So, if you happen to be one of the lucky people who absorb little cholesterol, eggs may not make much of a difference in your blood cholesterol at all. But if you’re a cholesterol-absorbing machine, a daily egg probably isn’t the best thing for your cholesterol levels.
They Are Low in Saturated Fat
The cholesterol in your food isn’t the only thing that impacts your blood cholesterol. Saturated fat is also a big part of the cholesterol picture. When overconsumed, saturated fat can promote the gunking-up of your arteries, raising your “unhealthy” LDL cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of heart disease. That’s why keeping saturated fat intake low is key for keeping cholesterol levels in a healthy range. To manage your cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat intake to less than 6% of your total daily calories. That’s about 11 to 13 grams for someone who eats 2,000 calories per day.
The good news: Eggs are surprisingly low in saturated fat, with one egg providing just 1.6 grams. The rest of their fat is unsaturated fat, which is considered heart-healthy.
They May Help with Weight Management
Overweight or obesity can increase your risk of high cholesterol. This is because excess body fat triggers the body to produce more cholesterol. On the flip side, losing about 10% of one’s body weight has been found to reduce cholesterol levels.
That’s where eggs come in. One whole egg has about 70 calories and 6 grams of protein, which helps promote satiety. This is one reason why eggs are often included in weight-loss or weight-management eating plans. In fact, eating eggs as part of a low-calorie eating plan has been found to decrease body mass index (BMI). So, as long as you’re not one of those people who absorb tons of cholesterol from food, eggs may indirectly help keep your cholesterol in check.
How Many Eggs Are Safe for Cholesterol?
In the past, guidelines have recommended limiting dietary cholesterol to 300 mg per day. Today, recommendations are more vague, telling us to keep consumption low without any specific limit. That makes it confusing to figure out where eggs fit in, especially since research can be mixed. “You might read one meta-analysis that says you don’t have to worry about eating eggs, while another says that you should stick to one per day,” says White. “It becomes challenging to weed through all of the information.”
“When it comes to the impact on cardiovascular disease risk, we still want to be conscientious of dietary cholesterol,” says White. In terms of how many eggs you can safely eat per day or week, consider your heart risk. When White works with patients with diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol, she might recommend that they consume no more than three egg yolks per week, as the yolks are where all the cholesterol is (since the whites are cholesterol-free, they can eat as many whites as they desire).
If your cholesterol is in a healthy range or you don’t have cardiovascular risk factors, you’re generally OK eating one whole egg per day. In fact, one umbrella review found no difference in mortality risk between people who ate roughly one egg per day compared to people who practically never ate eggs. However, the study authors also note that the scientific evidence on this topic is insufficient and of low strength. So, more high-quality research is needed.
Of course, some people like to eat more than one egg. After all, have you seen people on social media who might have three, four or five whole eggs for breakfast? So, what then? “There are studies that say up to two eggs per day is permissible for a healthy individual, but beyond that, I don’t think we have strong clinical evidence to provide reassurance that more is fine,” says White.
When it comes to deciding how many eggs are right for you, an individualized approach is the best way to go. This allows you to feed yourself in a way that you enjoy and find nourishing, while minimizing health risks.
Talk to your health care provider about having your cholesterol checked regularly and how often they recommend checking it. When you do, watch for any jumps in harmful LDL cholesterol that may be related to increased egg intake. If your cholesterol rises to an unhealthy level, your health care provider might recommend decreasing egg consumption and looking for alternate, lower-cholesterol or cholesterol-free protein sources. These may include skinless poultry, fish, legumes, nuts, seeds or whey or pea protein powders.
Tips to Eat Eggs for Better Cholesterol
If you’re an egg lover, these tips can help you enjoy eggs and keep your heart healthy, too:
- Eat more plants: “A plant-forward diet is associated with less cardiovascular disease,” says White. A healthy diet that contains eggs should also have lots of plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes.
- Balance your meal: Your overall diet matters, so eat eggs along with other nutrient-rich foods. For example, consider having a veggie omelet with fruit on the side or serving up a hard-boiled egg with a bowl of oatmeal topped with nuts and berries.
- Consider adding more whites: To boost the protein content of your scramble or omelet, mix a couple of egg whites with one whole egg.
- Opt for heart-healthy preparations: Hard-boiled and poached eggs don’t require any added cooking fat compared to frying or scrambling them in saturated fat-heavy butter or bacon grease. If you’re more of a fried or scrambled egg person, cook them in heart-healthy olive or canola oil.
Our Expert Take
If you’re wondering what happens to your cholesterol when you eat eggs every day, the answer is different for everyone. On the upside, eggs are rich in vitamins and minerals and contain high-quality protein, which may help lower cholesterol by promoting a healthier body weight. They are also low in saturated fat, which is a primary culprit for raising cholesterol. Although eggs do contain cholesterol, dietary cholesterol has a lesser impact on blood cholesterol levels compared to the cholesterol the body naturally produces. So, consuming one whole egg per day is generally safe for most healthy adults.
However, some people are genetically prone to absorb more cholesterol from food than others. If you notice that your cholesterol spikes when you start eating more eggs, you may want to back off. Likewise, if you have risk factors for heart disease, including diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol, your doctor may recommend eating no more than three whole eggs per week. In the end, everyone has different nutritional needs. “Historically, when we think of nutrition, too often we think of specific foods as ‘yes’ or ‘no,’” says White. But when it comes to eggs and cholesterol, one size doesn’t fit all.
