Eggs raise LDL a little, about 5.5 to 8 mg/dL in trials, and in studies of about 1.7 million people, one egg a day wasn't linked to more heart disease or stroke.
For decades, eggs were the first food people cut when their cholesterol came back high. A large egg does carry a lot of cholesterol, about 186 mg (USDA FoodData Central). For most people, though, the cholesterol you eat raises the cholesterol in your blood only a little.
Below is what the trials and the long-term studies found, and how many eggs fit most people.
The book's grade: Cutting back on eggs: PLAUSIBLE (very small effect). Priority: Optional extras. The myth that eggs are off-limits gets the book's OVERSTATED stamp, because the LDL effect is real but small.
How much cholesterol is in an egg?
Cholesterol in food comes from animal foods (Dietary Guidelines). Worked out from USDA data (USDA FoodData Central):
- One large egg: about 186 mg
- 3 ounces of cooked shrimp: about 160 mg
- 1 tablespoon of butter: about 30 mg
- Vegetable oils, oats and beans: none
So a bottle of oil labeled "cholesterol free" was never going to have any. The butter number looks small, but butter's problem is its saturated fat, which I'll come back to.
Do eggs raise LDL cholesterol?
Yes, a little. Eating more cholesterol does raise LDL, but not by much for most people.
- Egg trials: adding eggs raised LDL about 5.5 to 8 mg/dL (review of trials, review of trials). One of the two reviews also found HDL up about 2 mg/dL.
- All dietary cholesterol: a review of 55 trials found each extra 100 mg a day raised LDL about 2 to 5 mg/dL, depending on the math model used (review).
- Cutting back: in metabolic ward studies, where all the food is provided, avoiding 200 mg a day lowered LDL about 4 mg/dL (review). That's a bit more than one large egg.
To put 4 mg/dL in context, an LDL of 150 would go to about 146. That's why the grade says "very small effect."
Some people respond more than others, and that explained part of the spread between trials (review). If your LDL is very high, your own response is worth a conversation with your doctor.
Do eggs cause heart disease?
In long-term studies, eggs weren't linked to more heart disease for most people. Across 33 estimates covering about 1.7 million people, some followed for up to 32 years, each extra egg a day carried a relative risk of 0.98 for heart disease and stroke, which means no clear change (review).
That result comes with two cautions.
- Type 2 diabetes. In people with diabetes, the risk ran about 25% higher per daily egg, though that result could have been chance (review).
- These studies can't settle it alone. In the three large U.S. groups behind that review, people who ate more eggs also ate more red meat and were less often on a statin (review).
What comes with the egg matters more
Bacon, sausage and butter bring saturated fat, which raises LDL more than the egg does. Moving 10% of your calories from butter to a liquid oil lowered LDL about 9 to 16 mg/dL (review of feeding trials).
Processed meat such as bacon, sausage and deli meat is a separate worry. The book doesn't give it a lab grade, but long-term studies link it, as a regular food, to more heart risk.
Several guidelines now focus more on saturated fat than on cholesterol in food. The 2026 U.S. guideline says limiting saturated fat and adding unsaturated fat lowers LDL more consistently than cutting cholesterol in food (2026 guideline). The American Heart Association now advises looking at your whole eating pattern instead of a single cholesterol number (AHA advisory). Britain's NICE removed its cholesterol limit in 2023 (NICE), though the U.S. food label still lists a Daily Value of 300 mg (FDA).
How many eggs a day is OK with high cholesterol?
For most people, about one egg a day looks fine.
- If you like eggs, one a day fits most people's plans.
- If you have diabetes or a very high LDL, ask your doctor whether fewer makes sense.
- Look at the whole plate. An egg with black beans, a corn tortilla and salsa, cooked in a little oil, is a very different breakfast from eggs with bacon, buttered toast and sausage.
- Shrimp is similar. It's high in cholesterol but has almost no saturated fat. When 23 men ate about 8 ounces of prawns a day for 12 weeks, their LDL didn't change (trial). Go easy on fried shrimp and butter sauce.
If your LDL is high, start here instead
Cutting eggs is an Optional extra, low on the list. These Start here changes do more:
- Cook with olive, canola or another liquid oil where you used butter, lard or coconut oil.
- Eat oats or barley daily, about 3 grams of beta-glucan, which lowered LDL about 7 to 10 mg/dL (review, review).
- Add ½ to 1 cup of beans or lentils a day, for LDL about 5 to 7 mg/dL lower (review, review).
When to call your doctor: an LDL of 190 or higher deserves an appointment, since it can point to an inherited problem your relatives may share. Keep taking any cholesterol medicine you've been prescribed; diet changes add to it and never replace it.
Bottom line
Eggs nudge LDL up a little, about 5.5 to 8 mg/dL in trials, and cutting about one egg's worth of cholesterol a day lowered LDL only about 4. In large long-term studies, one egg a day wasn't linked to heart disease or stroke. The bacon, sausage and butter next to the egg usually matter more. If you have diabetes or a very high LDL, ask your doctor whether fewer eggs make sense for you.
Questions people ask
Are eggs bad for cholesterol?
Not for most people, though they do raise LDL a little, about 5.5 to 8 mg/dL in trials. Up to one egg a day wasn't linked to heart disease or stroke in studies of about 1.7 million people. Saturated fat from what's served with them raises LDL more.
How much cholesterol is in an egg?
A large egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol, based on USDA data. The U.S. food label still uses a Daily Value of 300 mg, though Britain's NICE dropped its limit in 2023.
Do eggs raise LDL?
A little. In trials, adding eggs raised LDL about 5.5 to 8 mg/dL, and some people respond more than others. Cutting about 200 mg of cholesterol a day lowered LDL only about 4 mg/dL.
Are eggs bad if you have high cholesterol?
About one egg a day fits most people's plans. If you have diabetes or a very high LDL, ask your doctor whether fewer makes sense, since the risk in people with diabetes leaned slightly higher.
Are eggs good for cholesterol?
They don't lower LDL. One review found HDL up about 2 mg/dL, but raising HDL isn't a goal on its own, so that isn't a reason to eat more eggs.
More food verdicts from the book
Eggs are one of many food verdicts in my book, Your Cholesterol by the Numbers. Coconut oil as your everyday fat is graded HARMFUL (clear harm), compared with liquid oils. Paper-filtered coffee is fine, while switching from French press to a paper filter is SUPPORTED at about 10 to 16 mg/dL lower LDL for people who drink 5 to 6 cups a day. Nuts, about an ounce a day, are SUPPORTED with a small effect. The book is coming soon. For the full LDL ranking, start with how to lower cholesterol naturally, or read what oatmeal and psyllium really do.