Eating Eggs Every Day May Actually Lower Your Cholesterol, New Study Suggests

Yahoo

20 hours ago

Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RDKey Points
A new randomized controlled trial found that eating two eggs per day may help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
The study compared three diets to isolate the effects of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat.
Saturated fat intake—not dietary cholesterol—was significantly linked to higher LDL cholesterol.Eggs have been riding a nutritional rollercoaster for years. One month they're a protein-packed superfood, the next they're blamed for clogging arteries. Maybe you've heard that eggs are fine in moderation—or maybe you've read that just three a week could increase your risk of heart disease. The science has been, to put it mildly, scrambled.
That's part of the reason why one new study is grabbing headlines. Published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the research zeroes in on a long-standing question: Are eggs themselves the problem, or is it the foods that tend to come with them—like bacon, butter and cheese?
To find out, researchers at the University of South Australia ran an experiment. What they discovered might surprise even seasoned breakfast skeptics: eating two eggs a day lowered LDL cholesterol when the rest of the diet was low in saturated fat. In fact, the real culprit behind rising cholesterol levels turned out to be saturated fat—not the dietary cholesterol in eggs.
The findings don't mean eggs get a free pass in every context. But they do add a compelling new layer to the conversation and offer reassurance to those who've long enjoyed eggs but worried they were making the 'wrong' choice.
How Was This Study Conducted?
This was a randomized, controlled, cross-over trial involving 61 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 60. All participants had normal LDL cholesterol levels at the start of the study and were not taking medications that could affect blood lipids.
Each participant completed three different diet phases, each lasting five weeks:
CON (control diet): High in cholesterol and high in saturated fat (including only one egg per week)
EGG: High in cholesterol and low in saturated fat (including two eggs per day)
EGG-FREE: Low in cholesterol and high in saturated fat (excluding eggs)
The diets were isocaloric—meaning participants ate the same number of calories in each phase—and were carefully designed and monitored by dietitians to ensure adherence. The order of diets was randomized, and blood lipid levels were measured at the end of each phase.
What Did the Study Find?
Compared to the control diet, the EGG diet significantly reduced LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and ApoB, a marker of the number of atherogenic lipoprotein particles. The EGG-FREE diet, despite being low in cholesterol, did not significantly change these markers.
Importantly, the researchers found that saturated fat intake was strongly associated with higher LDL cholesterol and ApoB levels, while dietary cholesterol was not. In other words, eating more saturated fat—regardless of cholesterol—raised LDL, while eating more cholesterol (from eggs) did not.
However, the results weren't entirely sunny-side up. The EGG diet also led to an increase in small LDL particles, which are considered more atherogenic, or likely to contribute to plaque buildup in arteries. At the same time, it lowered levels of a specific HDL subspecies (H4) that has been linked to reduced heart disease risk. These nuanced changes suggest that while total LDL dropped, some aspects of cardiovascular risk may have shifted in more complex ways.
As compelling as these results are, the study does come with some limitations, including the small sample size of 48 participants. The study also took place for just a brief duration—five weeks in total. And it's worth noting that the study focused on a population of healthy adults, which can limit generalizability. Additionally, the study was funded by the Egg Nutrition Center, which could introduce bias. Researchers did note that the sponsor had no role in the study's design or analysis.
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
If you've been avoiding eggs for fear of raising your cholesterol, this study adds to the evidence that you may not need to. What seems to matter more for heart health is saturated fat—not just whether you eat eggs.
When eggs are part of a diet low in saturated fat—meaning you opt for cooking methods like poaching or boiling and pair them with veggies instead of bacon and butter—they may actually support better cholesterol profiles. That means your Sunday brunch can still include eggs—just go easy on the sausage and cheese.
This study also reinforces the broader nutrition message that saturated fat is more closely tied to heart disease risk than dietary cholesterol. Swapping in plant-based fats like olive oil, eating lean proteins and choosing lower-fat dairy may go further in supporting heart health than counting cholesterol grams alone.
The Bottom Line
A small new study suggests that eating two eggs a day as part of a low saturated fat diet may lower LDL cholesterol, challenging the long-held belief that dietary cholesterol from eggs is harmful. Instead, saturated fat appears to play a much bigger role in raising LDL and ApoB levels. While more research is needed—especially in larger and more diverse populations—these findings add to the growing consensus that eggs can be part of a heart-healthy diet.
Read the original article on EATINGWELL