For years, people have debated whether eggs are a superfood or a tasty death trap. Maybe you avoid eggs because of their cholesterol, or maybe they're part of your breakfast or snack routine.
Good or unhealthy for you: eggs? Eggs are a great source of protein, but are they bad for your heart?
The Egg Claim One big egg contains six grams of protein.Taking a whole egg means consuming the yolk, which contains cholesterol. One egg has 186 mg of cholesterol.[1]
The question of whether whole eggs are nutritious has been their cholesterol. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day a decade ago to protect heart health.
[2] Former guidelines have been removed. Understanding cholesterol in the body helps explain this and the course reversal.
Your liver produces waxy cholesterol for digestion and hormone synthesis.[3] Red meat, poultry, shellfish, eggs, and dairy contain cholesterol. High cholesterol increases the risk of arterial plaque development and heart disease or stroke.[3]
While high blood cholesterol is bad for you, research on its causes has evolved throughout time. “Prior to around 2000, the recommendation was to limit dietary cholesterol intake, and by implication, eggs — since they are a major source of dietary cholesterol,”
says Alice Lichtenstein, DSc, senior scientist and Gershoff Professor at Tufts University's USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. However, subsequent research revised that recommendation. “