Should you avoid eggs because they’re high in cholesterol?

Last Updated : 19 December 2025

Key takeaways:

• Dietary cholesterol from eggs doesn’t directly result in higher blood cholesterol levels for everyone.
• Most healthy adults can safely enjoy 1-2 eggs/day within a balanced diet.
• Around 30% of people are “cholesterol hyperabsorbers”, meaning they absorb more cholesterol from their diets due to genetic differences and are at higher risk of developing high blood cholesterol.
• Eggs contain around 200 mg of cholesterol per egg, but they have a moderate saturated fat content, which has a greater impact on raising LDL (“bad”) cholesterol than dietary cholesterol.
• The impact of eggs on heart health depends on the overall diet rather than on eggs alone.
• Eggs are nutrient-dense and provide protein[AT1] , vitamins, minerals, choline, and antioxidants.
• People with high LDL cholesterol or ApoB levels, or who absorb more cholesterol from their diet, may benefit from limiting high-cholesterol foods, including eggs, for cardiovascular risk reduction.

For years, eggs were seen as the culprit for high cholesterol and heart disease. Yet, eggs are also packed with nutrients and have long been a staple in diets around the world. So, should you avoid eggs due to potential impact on cholesterol levels rising, or has this idea been overcooked? Let’s look at the facts, the myth, and where the confusion comes from.

Fact: eggs are nutritious and can fit into a heart-healthy diet.

Eggs are a nutrient-dense food. One large egg (50 g) provides only 72 calories while delivering 6 g of high-quality protein, meaning it contains all essential amino acids in proportions well suited to human needs and is highly digestible. Eggs also supply essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12 (20% of the Daily Reference Value (DRV) for adults), riboflavin (14% DRV), and selenium (28% DRV).¹ Egg yolks are also rich in choline, a nutrient that supports normal lipid metabolism and liver function. They also contain the antioxidants lutein and zeoxanthin in easily absorbed forms that contribute to eye and brain health.

Although eggs contain about 186-200 mg of cholesterol per egg, dietary cholesterol is not the primary driver of blood cholesterol levels.^1,2 A more important factor is the balance between polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) and saturated fats (SFA) in the overall diet.^3,4 PUFAs are found in foods like olive oil, sunflower oil, walnuts, flaxseeds, and oily fish such as salmon or mackerel. In contrast, SFAs are commonly found in foods such as butter, cheese, cream, fatty cuts of meat, sausages, and coconut oil. This PUFA/SFA ratio strongly influences how the body responds to dietary cholesterol.

Diets higher in PUFA help the liver clear LDL cholesterol, while diets high in SFA impair this process and raise LDL levels.⁵ LDL cholesterol is a well-established predictor of cardiovascular disease risk in the general population, contributing to a higher likelihood of developing heart disease and stroke.^6,7

This means that when eggs are eaten within a diet low in saturated fat and rich in unsaturated fats, such as a Mediterranean-style diet, their cholesterol content has a much smaller effect on LDL. Conversely, in a high-SFA diet, the same amount of dietary cholesterol will raise LDL more.³

Randomised controlled trials show that saturated fat has a larger effect on raising LDL cholesterol than dietary cholesterol does.⁸ Because of these reasons, the World Health Organization recommends that saturated fat intake should be kept under 10% of daily energy (e.g., 22 g/day for a 2,000 kcal diet).⁹

Most healthy adults can safely eat 1–2 eggs per day, especially within dietary patterns rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and unsaturated fats.^2,4,5 However, as we will see below, individual responses vary, and understanding why helps explain the long-standing confusion around eggs and heart health.

Myth: you should avoid eating eggs because they’re high in cholesterol.

Eggs have often been criticised for their cholesterol content. It once seemed logical to assume that because eggs contain cholesterol, eating them must raise blood cholesterol and increase cardiovascular disease risk. However, this view overlooks how the body actually regulates cholesterol.

Only around 20% of cholesterol absorbed in the gut comes from food. The remaining 80% comes from bile, which the liver produces and then reabsorbs. Meanwhile, about 75–80% of all cholesterol in the bloodstream is produced by our liver and cells, not from what we eat. This means that a blood test showing high cholesterol doesn’t automatically mean “you ate too many eggs.”

So why do studies on egg consumption show mixed results? A key reason is genetic differences in cholesterol absorption.

In the small intestine, two transporter protein act like “doors” that control how much cholesterol enters the bloodstream:^8,10

• An “entrance door” that pulls cholesterol in
• An “exit door” that pushes cholesterol back into the gut

How well these “doors” function varies from person-to-person. About 70% of people absorb a normal amount of cholesterol and show only a slight LDL or ApoB increase[AT2] when eating eggs.¹¹

ApoB (apolipoprotein B) is a protein found on the surface of certain fat-carrying particles in the blood, including LDL cholesterol. Each LDL particle carries exactly one ApoB molecule. This means that measuring ApoB is essentially a way of counting how many LDL-like particles are circulating in the bloodstream.

Why does this matter? Heart disease develops when these particles move through the blood, enter the artery wall, and become trapped, starting plaque formation. The more particles there are, the more often this process can occur. You can think of ApoB as counting how many LDL “vehicles” are on the road. More vehicles mean more chances for traffic accidents in the arteries. It’s therefore not just about how much cholesterol is inside each particle, but about how many particles are hitting the artery wall.

Back to the cholesterol ‘doors’: about 30% have more active entrance doors and less active exit doors, making them cholesterol “hyperabsorbers,” meaning that they absorb more cholesterol from food and bile. For them, high-cholesterol foods, such as eggs, shellfish, organ meats, full-fat dairy, can have a greater impact on blood cholesterol.¹²

This biological variability explains why some people can eat eggs freely while others see a rise in LDL or ApoB.

Your doctor can check whether you’re absorbing more cholesterol from your diet. For hyperabsorbers or people with high ApoB or LDL levels, reducing dietary cholesterol (including eggs) and favouring cholesterol-free proteins (beans, tofu, lentils) can significantly lower cardiovascular risk.^13,14

Fallacy: oversimplifying the link between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol.

The belief that “eggs raise cholesterol because they contain cholesterol” is an oversimplification. Blood cholesterol is shaped by many interacting factors, and focusing on one food overlooks the broader science. Put simply: dietary cholesterol is only one piece of a much bigger puzzle.

This belief ignores that:

• Most blood cholesterol is produced by your body, not absorbed from food.
• Saturated fat has a much stronger effect on raising LDL cholesterol than dietary cholesterol.3 Eggs are often eaten together with foods high in saturated fat (fried in butter, with bacon or sausages), which confounds results seen in Western dietary patterns.¹⁵
• The PUFA/SFA balance in your diet has a bigger impact on blood cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol itself.
• Genetic variation makes some individuals absorb much more dietary cholesterol than others, resulting in higher blood cholesterol levels.
• Overall diet quality matters, including fibre intake, unsaturated fat intake, and what foods are eaten with eggs. For example, an observational study found that eating five or more eggs per week didn't adversely affect blood lipid levels, particularly within a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fish and fibre compared to Western diet.¹⁵
• Lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, weight, smoking, and alcohol, affect blood cholesterol levels far more than dietary cholesterol alone.

Because of all these interacting factors, research on egg consumption naturally shows mixed results. Two people eating the same number of eggs can experience very different cholesterol changes.

The best way to support heart health is by focusing on your overall eating habits, not by cutting out nutrient-rich foods like eggs. For most people with normal cholesterol levels, enjoying a few eggs per week can fit comfortably within a heart-healthy eating pattern.