Cholesterol & Eggs: How Many Eggs Can You Eat Per Day?

You eat 40 whole eggs per week. 5 to 6 eggs daily at breakfast. You eat them with veggies, really like them and feel full of energy at the gym each time your day starts with an omelet.

But everyone tells you you’re crazy eating so many eggs. They tell you eggs are unhealthy because they’re full of cholesterol. You’ll clock your arteries and die if you continue. Sounds familiar? Truth or myth? Let’s see.


Why People Say Eating Lots of Eggs is Unhealthy. Eggs contain high amounts of cholesterol. 1 large egg has about 200mg cholesterol and 5g of fat. Almost half of that fat is saturated fat.

The logic is that since eggs are high in cholesterol, a high egg consumption will increase your blood cholesterol. So by cutting eggs from your diet, your blood cholesterol will decrease. This, however, isn’t how your body works.

Facts on Cholesterol. You can find studies showing that high cholesterol levels will make you live longer and more immune to infections & diseases than low cholesterol levels. More facts:

* Your Body Makes Cholesterol. Your liver makes 3-6x more cholesterol than you can get eating eggs and other animal products.
* Cholesterol is Vital To Your Body. You need it for the production of steroid hormones like Testosterone and to build & repair cells.
* Dietary Cholesterol Isn’t Bound to Blood Cholesterol. There’s no relation to cholesterol & saturated fat intake to higher cholesterol levels.


Benefits of Eating The Egg Yolk. Eating the yolk makes your life easier since you don’t have to separate it from the egg white each time. Eating the yolk is also healthier for 3 reasons:

* More Vitamins. The yolk is full of vitamins A, D, E. Vitamin D is especially important since most people lack vitamin D.
* Twice The Protein. Eating whole eggs doubles the protein intake you’d get eating egg whites only: the yolk contains half the protein.
* Increased Testosterone Levels. Saturated fat and cholesterol increase testosterone production. Both are heavily present in the egg yolk.


How to Protect Yourself Against Heart Diseases. This is the real concern people have regarding cholesterol. Some things you can do.

* Lose Fat. People with high cholesterol usually have excess body fat. Read the article on fat loss and apply.
* Exercise. This will make you lose fat and improve your health. Check StrongLifts 5×5 if you don’t know where to start.
* Eat Healthy. No more junk food, sodas, artificial trans-fats and refined sugars. Apply the 8 nutrition rules.
* Get Antioxidants. Like berries and green tea. These keep your LDL particles acting normal, preventing blockage in arteries.
* Relax. Stress can negatively influence your cholesterol levels. Relax, take breaks, exercise, think positive,...

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Low cholesterol diet for a healthy heart

Eating healthy is about making choices. When it comes to cholesterol- free food, there are many choices. In addition to cholesterol-free foods, a heart- healthy diet often calls for foods that contain some cholesterol.

Cholesterol-free foods originate from plants — fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. A low cholesterol diet will usually include a combination of cholesterol- free foods and low cholesterol foods, such as low-fat dairy products, poultry, and fish. By choosing cholesterol-free foods, one can easily lower risk of heart disease.

Types of cholesterol-free foods include vegetables, fruits, whole-grains and legumes.
Eat at least three to five servings of fruits and vegetables and six to 11 servings of whole grains and legumes each day as part of a cholesterol lowering diet. Fruits and vegetables are low in saturated fat and total fat, and have no cholesterol. A diet high in fruit and vegetables may also help keep cholesterol levels low. Fruits and vegetables are great substitutes for foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Breads, cereals, rice, pasta, and other grains, and dry beans and peas are generally high in starch and fibre and low in saturated fat and calories. They also have no dietary cholesterol, except for some bakery breads and sweet bread products made with high fat, high cholesterol milk, butter, and eggs.

Chicken is relatively low in saturated fat and cholesterol, especially when the skin is removed. Low cholesterol foods also include most fish. Fish also tends to be low in saturated fat.

While some types of shellfish would be classified as low cholesterol foods, others would not. But shellfish do have little saturated fat and total fat. Even shrimp can be enjoyed occasionally on a heart healthy diet, provided you eat less.

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Healthy lifestyle and cholesterol levels

A new study links cholesterol levels in young adults to changes in lifestyle between childhood and adulthood.

Previous research had looked at whether blood fat levels, such as cholesterol and triglyceride levels, remain steady from childhood to adulthood. Although previous studies found that youth levels correlate well with adult levels, they have shown that a substantial proportion of youth with high-risk levels will not have high-risk levels in adulthood and that a substantial proportion of adults with high-risk levels have normal levels as youth.

For the new research, researchers looked at the cholesterol and triglyceride levels in 539 Australian young adults both in childhood and as young adults: levels were measured in 1985 when the participants were 9, 12 or 15 years of age and again between 2004 and 2006, when they were in their 20s and 30s. High-risk levels were defined as a total cholesterol level of 240 milligrams per deciliter or higher, an LDL or "bad" cholesterol level of 160 milligrams per deciliter or higher, an HDL or "good" cholesterol level of less than 40 milligrams per deciliter or a triglyceride level of 200 milligrams per deciliter or higher. In addition, their height, weight, waist circumference, skin-fold thickness, smoking behaviors, cardiorespiratory fitness and socioeconomic factors were recorded at both time points.

It was found that substantial proportions of individuals with high-risk blood lipid and lipoprotein levels at baseline no longer had high-risk levels at follow-up. Those who continued to have high levels were more likely to have gained body fat and either started or continued to smoke. Those who went from low risk in childhood to high risk as adults were also more likely to have gained body fat, were less likely to improve their socioeconomic conditions and become less fit. When looking only at HDL or "good" cholesterol, it was found that participants who did not improve any lifestyle factors between youth and adulthood had more than double the prevalence of low HDL levels than the study average. Conversely, those who had improved at least two lifestyle factors had a prevalence of low HDL less than one-fourth that of the study average.

The above findings suggest that beneficial changes in modifiable risk factors (smoking and adiposity) in the time between youth and adulthood have the potential to shift those with high-risk blood lipid and lipoprotein levels in youth to low-risk levels in adulthood. The findings also emphasise that preventive programmes aimed at those who do not have high-risk blood lipid and lipoprotein levels in youth are equally important if the proportion of adults with high-risk levels is to be reduced.