Can You Eat Eggs If You Have High Cholesterol?

Understanding Cholesterol and Eggs

It's easy to assume that eating cholesterol raises your blood cholesterol, but the two aren't as connected as they sound.

Dietary cholesterol vs Blood Cholesterol

Dietary cholesterol is what's in the food you eat. Blood cholesterol (including LDL, the "bad" kind) is what your body produces and circulates, and for most people it's influenced far more by overall diet, particularly saturated fat, than by any single cholesterol-containing food.

What Actually Raises LDL Cholesterol

Saturated fat is the main dietary factor behind raised LDL cholesterol, more so than dietary cholesterol itself. Eggs are actually relatively low in saturated fat (around 3.4g per two-egg serve), even though they contain dietary cholesterol (about 398mg per serve, mostly in the yolk). This is why an egg on its own looks very different, nutritionally, to an egg fried in butter and served with bacon.

How Many Eggs Can I Eat?

The answer depends a bit on your individual health situation, so here's how it breaks down.

General Population Guidance

Heart Foundation Australia's current position doesn't set a specific weekly limit on eggs for healthy adults. Eggs sit within the "lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds" food group in the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

Eggs do not have a numeric cap, and are considered to have a neutral relationship with heart health for the general population - neither increasing nor decreasing risk.

People With Heart Disease, Diabetes or High LDL Cholesterol

For people with existing heart disease, type 2 diabetes or high LDL cholesterol, Heart Foundation Australia suggests enjoying up to seven eggs a week. While research continues to build a fuller picture for this group, around an egg a day can be enjoyed as part of a low saturated fat, heart healthy diet.

What the Latest Research Shows

A recent Australian study found that eating two eggs a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat, significantly lowered LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (a marker linked to cardiovascular risk) - while a diet high in saturated fat but low in dietary cholesterol (containing just one egg a week) had the opposite effect.

This lines up with earlier CSIRO research, which surveyed more than 84,000 Australians and found that people who ate more eggs tended to have better overall diet quality and health.

Why the Old Advice Doesn't Hold Up Anymore

Some older dietary guidance did recommend limiting eggs for people watching their cholesterol. That advice was largely based on studies using dietary cholesterol intakes well above what's actually in an egg. As research has caught up, current guidelines now reflect that eggs have a minimal impact on blood cholesterol for most people, and that saturated fat and body weight are the bigger contributors.

Making Eggs Part of a Heart-Healthy Diet

What to Pair Eggs With

Eggs work well alongside vegetables, wholegrains and healthy fats like avocado or olive oil. Think eggs on wholegrain toast with spinach and tomato, rather than eggs on white bread with bacon and sausages. See our Mediterranean Meal Plan for more inspiration.

Cooking Methods That Matter

Boiling, poaching or scrambling eggs without butter or added salt is the better everyday choice. Pair with vegetables like spinach, capsicum, mushrooms or avocado, and add flavour with herbs and spices rather than salt.

Who Should Take Extra Care

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia

People with familial hypercholesterolaemia (an inherited condition causing very high cholesterol) may need more individualised advice, as their cholesterol metabolism works differently. A GP or Accredited Practising Dietitian can advise on what's appropriate.

Existing Cardiovascular Disease

If you already have heart disease, it's worth discussing your overall diet, including eggs, with your doctor or dietitian. As Australian Eggs notes, we're all individuals, and some people are more sensitive than others to dietary cholesterol.