Cholesterol in Chicken Eggs: How Many Eggs Can You Eat Daily? | PRO7fitness.com - The Honest Website About Nutrition in Sport, Supplements, Muscle Gain, Weight Loss and Health

Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods that exist on our planet.

Just imagine: a mother hen needs to pack all the necessary substances into the shell so that a chick can grow from a single cell…

Eggs are very popular in bodybuilding as a source of high-quality, easily digestible protein and a great alternative to sports protein, as well as being beneficial for weight loss.

Some scientific studies even show that they are more effective for gaining muscle mass than egg protein.

In the picture of egg idyll, there is only one dark spot – the cholesterol contained in the yolk. Because of it, eggs have gained a not-so-good reputation in the world of dietetics, medicine, and in the mouths of self-proclaimed experts.

Main thoughts:

In some countries, there are no official norms limiting dietary cholesterol intake, as scientists do not confirm a link between its content in food and the risk of cardiovascular diseases

Blood cholesterol levels remain approximately the same: if we eat a lot of eggs, the liver produces less cholesterol; and vice versa, the liver compensates for its deficiency when there is not enough in the diet

Consuming eggs increases the level of “good” high-density cholesterol in the blood. The level of “bad” low-density cholesterol hardly changes. 3 eggs a day is considered an acceptable amount for healthy individuals

Scientific research indicates that regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of heart disease. The only exception may be diabetics

There have been no scientific studies on how many eggs a day is too much for an adult. At least one case is known where a man at 88 years old ate 25 eggs a day and had normal health indicators

The question “how many eggs can an adult eat in a day?” actually boils down to another: “what amount of harmful cholesterol is safe for health?”

A medium-sized chicken egg contains about 186 mg of cholesterol, which is ~60% of the recommended daily allowance ².

In some countries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, and India there are no official restrictions on cholesterol intake at all ²; the fact is that existing scientific data indicate no correlation between dietary cholesterol intake and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, as will be shown below using the example of chicken eggs.

Simple arithmetic clearly suggests that two eggs a day – and the norm is exceeded…

But in reality, things are a bit more complicated than obvious arithmetic.

Let’s find out how dangerous cholesterol in chicken eggs is and how many eggs can actually be eaten per day.

In some countries around the world, there are no official norms limiting dietary cholesterol intake, as scientists do not confirm a correlation between its content in food and the risk of cardiovascular diseases

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Eggs, cholesterol, and testosterone… The important role of cholesterol in the body

In our society, the word “cholesterol” is surrounded by a negative aura. This understanding is quite firmly embedded in our consciousness.

Just follow the associations that arise in your mind when you hear “cholesterol“, and you will hardly find anything other than: heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, death…

In reality, cholesterol plays several very important roles in the body:

cholesterol is a structural element of the membrane of every cell;
testosterone is synthesized from cholesterol – the main anabolic hormone, thanks to which muscles grow and which bodybuilders even inject in synthetic form as anabolic steroids to stimulate muscle growth;
with the participation of cholesterol, other hormones (estrogen, cortisol) are created.

In a sense, without cholesterol, a person could not exist and, moreover, engage in bodybuilding to increase muscle mass.

That is why cholesterol MUST always be present in our body. When there is a deficiency in the diet, the liver can synthesize it; when there is enough coming from food, the liver produces less ¹.

On average, the cholesterol content in the blood is always approximately the same, regardless of how much is ingested from food ^2,3.

The level of cholesterol in the blood always remains approximately the same: if we eat a lot of eggs – the liver produces less cholesterol; and vice versa, the liver compensates for its deficiency when there is not enough in the diet

How many eggs can an adult eat per day without harming their health?

A popular recommendation for a long time has been to limit egg consumption (primarily yolks) to 2-6 per week. The logic behind this limitation is as follows:

chicken eggs are high in cholesterol
when we eat eggs, the cholesterol level in the blood rises;
high cholesterol levels increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

But there is NO scientific basis for such a limitation ^2,4.

Scientific studies clearly indicate that there is no correlation between egg consumption and the risk of heart disease and that this is primarily a matter of overall dietary patterns, rather than the exclusion of a specific type of food, such as chicken eggs.

In such experiments, two groups of people are typically studied: one group consumes several eggs daily, while the other excludes eggs from their diet. Over several months, researchers monitor cholesterol levels in the blood.

There are different types of cholesterol: good or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and “bad” or low-density lipoprotein (LDL). It is important to keep this in mind during any verbal battles about low and high cholesterol, and the harm of foods that raise it.

The results of such experiments can be summarized as follows:

in almost all cases, the level of good high-density cholesterol (HDL) increases ^6,7,14;
overall, the total cholesterol level and “bad” low-density cholesterol hardly change, sometimes slightly increasing ^8,9,14;
if the eggs are enriched with omega-3, then the level of triglycerides in the blood decreases – one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases ^10,11;
there is a significant increase in the levels of certain antioxidants in the blood (lutein and zeaxanthin) ^12,13;
insulin sensitivity improves ⁵.

Researchers at Examine.com, based on an analysis of available scientific data on the benefits and harms of cholesterol in eggs, state that the body’s response to egg consumption is individual²⁴.

About 70% of people do not experience negative effects on their blood cholesterol levels from eating eggs; 30% show increased sensitivity, and cholesterol slightly increases ¹⁴.

But even when the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol increases, it is not a problem. Individual studies confirm that the consumption of eggs leads to a change in the size of bad cholesterol particles from small to large ¹⁵; the larger their size, the lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases ¹⁶.

To summarize the scientific data, the answer to the question “how many eggs can an adult eat per day?” would be: 3 eggs a day every day is a safe amount for a healthy adult.

Of course, it is very important how much cholesterol you consume in total in your diet: if, for example, you are a fan of pork and consume it regularly, it is difficult to talk about a specific number of eggs at which you will remain healthy…

Consuming eggs increases the level of “good” high-density cholesterol in the blood. The level of “bad” low-density cholesterol remains virtually unchanged. 3 eggs a day is considered an acceptable amount for healthy people.

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Eggs and Heart Health

There are many studies on the impact of egg consumption on heart and vascular health. Among them, there are a huge number of long-term observations.

Without going into details, the statistical analysis of all such studies yields the following result: people who regularly consume eggs do NOT have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases than those who do NOT eat them ¹⁹.

Some of them even demonstrate a reduction in the risk of stroke and heart attack ^17,18.

But this applies to generally healthy individuals.

Some studies show a correlation between egg consumption in diabetics and increased risk of heart disease ¹⁹.

However, even if this is the case, it is very difficult to say which of the many possible factors affects health deterioration, as it is evident that people with diabetes generally lead an unhealthy lifestyle.

The overall diet matters.

A well-known fact: a low-carbohydrate diet, for example, ketogenic, is beneficial for health both in diabetes and for its prevention, and also reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer ^20,21.

Most diabetics are carbohydrate lovers.

Scientific studies indicate that regular consumption of eggs does not increase the risk of heart disease. The only exception may be diabetics.

How many eggs a day is too much?

Unfortunately, there are practically no studies where subjects consumed more than 3 eggs a day every day. Therefore, all statements like “3 eggs is fine, but 5 is certain death” contain a large degree of subjectivity.

However, there is one interesting case present in the scientific literature:

An 88-year-old man ate 25 eggs every day… had normal cholesterol levels and excellent health ²².

Of course, a single case is too little for definitive statements. Nevertheless, the fact is quite interesting.

Although you must agree that our “folklore” is filled with amazing stories about the incredible strength and health of grandfathers and great-grandfathers who smoked and drank their whole lives and died at 100 years old… because they tripped.

Just as it would be erroneous to conclude that the secret to their longevity lies in smoking and alcohol, the same applies to any conclusions about the benefits or harms of eggs in the described single case.

It is also very important to keep in mind that NOT all chicken eggs are the same. All eggs on the shelves of modern stores come from chickens raised in factories, fed with grain-based feeds, soy, and other growth-promoting additives.

The most health-beneficial eggs are enriched with omega-3 or come from chickens that are kept in natural free-range conditions. In simple terms, “farm-fresh” eggs. They are much more valuable in terms of nutrients: they contain significantly more omega-3 and important fat-soluble vitamins ²³.

Scientific research on how many eggs a day is too much for an adult has not been conducted. At least one case is known where an 88-year-old man consumed 25 eggs a day and had normal health indicators.

Postscript

Chicken eggs are one of the most nutritious foods on earth.

Common opinions about the harm of eggs due to their cholesterol content are refuted by scientific studies that indicate that regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

3 eggs a day for healthy adults is a safe amount for daily consumption.