Eggs and Cholesterol: How many eggs a week can I eat? (2024)

FAQs

Eggs and Cholesterol: How many eggs a week can I eat? ›

Most healthy people can eat up to seven eggs a week without increasing their risk of heart disease.

If you have high LDL cholesterol levels, overweight or obesity, a chronic disease like diabetes, or a family history of heart disease, it may be best to eat no more than 1 egg per day or 4–5 eggs per week. It can be hard to evaluate so many different risk factors on your own.

If you are in general good health, seven eggs per week should be fine.

How Many Eggs Can Older People Eat? There is no limit to the number of eggs older people can eat, with the exception of those with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or any existing heart disease who can enjoy up to 7 eggs a week.

Results did not show any meaningful change in levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol) or LDL ("bad" cholesterol) between these two groups, suggesting that eating at least 12 fortified eggs each week did not have any negative effects on cholesterol levels.

One large egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol — all of which is found in the yolk. If your diet contains little other cholesterol, according to some studies, eating up to an egg a day might be an OK choice. If you like eggs but don't want the cholesterol, use only the egg whites.

A number of studies suggest that about one egg a day has no adverse effect on health outcomes. A study in my lab found that eating two eggs daily for six weeks also had no harmful effects in healthy adults, and we are even seeing similar results in people with high cholesterol.

For example, eggs typically are eaten with other foods high in salt, saturated fat and cholesterol, such as bacon, cheese and butter. These foods are known to increase heart disease risk and should be eaten sparingly. Most healthy people can eat up to seven eggs a week without affecting their heart health.

In fact, some studies have found that even though consuming eggs on a daily basis may lead to marginal increases in LDL, it also increases HDL. This means that the total cholesterol to HDL ratio, an important predictor of heart disease, remains steady.

What is the healthiest way to eat eggs? ›

Overall, shorter and lower-heat cooking methods cause less cholesterol oxidation and help retain most of the egg's nutrients. For this reason, poached and boiled (either hard or soft) eggs may be the healthiest to eat. These cooking methods also don't add any unnecessary calories.

There is no specific number of eggs that a person should eat as part of a healthy diet. There may be some health benefits to eating a certain number of eggs, but more research into how many eggs a person should eat per day is necessary.

According to the Reynolds Institute on Aging, Seniors should aim for 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day, or approximately 1.5 liters. Have your senior sip on water throughout the day. Sometimes using a straw is easier and leads to more water consumption. Offer a full glass of water when they take medications.

Eggs may not impact cholesterol levels as much as once thought, new research suggests. Preliminary results from a new study show that people who ate 12 or more fortified eggs a week had cholesterol levels similar to those who didn't eat eggs.

Those people, however, should consider reducing the sources of saturated and trans fats and dietary cholesterol in their diets—in that case, it may be best to limit egg consumption to 4-5 eggs per week.

Eating a dozen eggs per week may not affect your cholesterol, study suggests. Written by Jessica Freeborn on April 2, 2024 — Fact checked by Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph. D. Eggs have many nutrients, but recommendations for egg consumption have changed over the years.

Eating one to three eggs per day can have several health benefits, but this varies from person to person. At this level of consumption, people can expect minimal changes in their cholesterol levels. It is unclear whether there is an upper limit on how many eggs a person can eat per day.

It can take 3-6 months to reduce cholesterol by eating healthy and exercising, potentially longer for cisgender females. Some people may still need to take medications. Your cholesterol levels are directly tied to your heart health, which is why it's so important to make sure they're in a healthy range.