How Much Cholesterol Do Eggs Have
Medically reviewed by Rosanna Sutherby, PharmD on April 10, 2021. To give you technically accurate, evidence-based information, content published on the Everlywell blog is reviewed by credentialed professionals with expertise in medical and bioscience fields.
In terms of nutrition, eggs are best known for being a good source of protein without too many calories. One egg typically has about six to eight grams of protein and just 70 calories. Eggs also contain a whole host of nutrients, which has made them a good go-to for athletes, bodybuilders, and anyone looking to build muscle.
However, one of the constant questions surrounding eggs is their cholesterol content. Eggs do contain cholesterol, but how much do they contain and is it an unhealthy amount? Read on to learn more about the answer to these questions and whether or not you should consider taking a cholesterol test based on your diet.
Cholesterol In Eggs And Egg Whites: Understanding The Myth
Written byCarly RaffiekPublished onFebruary 17, 2017
Weve often been told that eggs are full of cholesterol and are not a good choice for those who need to monitor their cholesterol, but does that mean we need to skip this great source of protein all together? The amount of cholesterol found in egg whites and egg yolks differs drastically, but there is nutrition to be found in both.
Continue reading to learn about the nutritional value of eggs whites and egg yolks, as well as the potential health benefits of adding eggs to your diet and how this may impact your risk of developing heart disease.
Highest Cholesterol Content Per 100g
Using the list below for the 4 different egg whites nutrition entries in our database, the highest amount of cholesterol is found in Egg, white, dried, stabilized, glucose reduced which contains 20 mg of cholesterol per 100g. The associated percentage of RDA is 10 %. For this 100g serving the Calories content is 362 kcal, the Protein content is 84.63 g, the Fat content is 0.48 g, the Carbohydrate content is 4.72 g.
The lowest amount of cholesterol in 100g is in Egg, white, raw, fresh which contains 0 mg. This gives as percentage of the recommended daily allowance 0 % of the RDA. For this 100g serving the amount of Calories is 52 kcal, the amount of Protein is 10.9 g, the amount of Fat is 0.17 g, the amount of Carbohydrate is 0.73 g.
The difference between the highest and lowest values gives a cholesterol range of 20 mg per 100g. The range for the other nutrients are as follows 310 kcal for Calories, 73.73 g for Protein, 0.31 g for Fat, 0 g for Carbohydrate.
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Egg Whites Vs Whole Eggs
In another study2, a carefully controlled clinical trial published in 2006, researchers at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil fed three egg whites daily to one group of healthy young men, and three whole eggs daily to another group of men, also young and healthy. The study lasted 15 days.
Except for the egg variations, all the men were eating the exact same thing. Their meals, prepared daily by the university, were heart-healthy-style fairly low in fat and high in a variety of whole foods like fruits, green vegetables, beans, chicken, and fish.
Are egg whites healthy? Yes. Egg whites are part of the heart-healthy Pritikin Eating Plan.
Among the men in the group eating three egg whites daily, total intake of dietary cholesterol averaged only 174 milligrams per day.
Among the men eating three whole eggs a day daily dietary cholesterol intake averaged a whopping 804 milligrams.
Healthy Ways To Eat Egg Whites
The classic way to use egg whites is to replace some or all of the whole eggs with them in an omelet, adding lots of fresh vegetables, a little cheese, and some potato hash or whole-grain toast on the side for a balanced, satisfying meal, Newell suggests. You can also use egg whites in nontraditional ways, such as baking it into your granola or mixed into homemade protein bars .
Of course, whipped egg whites are essential to baked treats such as meringues, souffles, and angel food cake. Youâll get the best results with these recipes using egg whites separated from the whole egg rather than boxed egg whites sold at supermarkets.
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Hdl Vs Ldl Cholesterol
If youre concerned about eating eggs, you might be wary of your own cholesterol levels. Now, there are two different types of cholesterol in the blood one good and one bad.
The problem with cholesterol is that it can accumulate in the arteries. This impedes blood flow, increasing the risk of heart issues. LDL cholesterol causes this build-up. When LDL levels are too high, it can pose a serious health risk.
HDL cholesterol has a positive effect. It helps wash LDL cholesterol from your bloodstream. This helps your body to get rid of dangerous LDL of it before it builds up in your arterial walls.3If you want to eat to balance your cholesterol and keep levels healthy, your best bets are:
- Consuming fatty fish
- Reducing your sugar and alcohol intake
Benefits Of Egg Whites
Good source of protein. Egg whites are an excellent way to add protein to your diet without adding calories. Protein helps your body build strong muscles and maintain muscle mass as you age.
Heart-healthy. While egg yolks are fine in moderation, if you are already at risk for heart disease or stroke, your doctor may recommend a heart-healthy diet. With no cholesterol, egg whites are a great addition. You could also mix one whole egg with another egg white for added protein without the added cholesterol and fat of the second yolk.
Keep in mind that eggs are often paired with breakfast meats like bacon and sausage. You may also be tempted to season your eggs with salt or fry them in oil. While egg whites are healthy, these additions to your diet are not. Donât be tricked into thinking that by choosing to say no to the egg yolk, you can make less healthy choices in other places.
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Are Egg White Omelettes Healthy
While choosing straight-up egg whites does lower the omelets calorie, fat, and cholesterol content, it also makes the meal void of vitamins B2, B12, D, and iron. If youre concerned about getting enough of those nutrients, a good option would be to eat an omelet made of one whole egg and two egg whites.
Eggs And Heart Disease Risk
According to a large foundation of research, the cholesterol taken in through food consumption has a much smaller impact on total cholesterol levels than previously thought. While eggs yolks have been singled out for their high cholesterol, which may have a small influence on blood cholesterol levels, they are also packed with important vitamins and minerals that can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Healthy adults can confidently consume one whole egg daily without increasing their risk of heart disease, though those who have difficulty controlling their LDL and total cholesterol levels may need to be more cautious. The Nurses Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study recommends that those with diabetes or heart disease consume a maximum of three egg yolks per week.
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Is It Healthy To Eat Eggs Every Day
Eggs have been in the news a lot again. It seems like every few years, questions arise about these meals in a shell. Are they good or bad for you? What about their protein and cholesterol?
Looking at the nutritional breakdown, one egg contains roughly 75 calories, 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, 0 carbohydrates, 67 milligrams of potassium, 70 grams of sodium and 210 milligrams of cholesterol. Eggs are also a great source of vitamins A, D and B12, as well as choline, which is a nutrient that’s essential in many steps of metabolism. Except for its cholesterol content, one egg is a healthy option for breakfast lunch or dinner.
Research shows that the cholesterol in eggs doesn’t seem to negatively affect the human body compared to other sources of cholesterol. For example, eggs typically are eaten with other foods high in salt, saturated fat and cholesterol, such as bacon, cheese and butter. These foods are known to increase the risk of heart disease, and they should be eaten sparingly.
Most healthy people can eat up to seven eggs a week without affecting their heart health. Some choose to eat only the egg white and not the yolk, which provides some protein without the cholesterol.
Here’s how eggs stack up nutritionally in dishes that feature eggs:
How To Make Soft
Soft-boiled eggs are delicate and can be tricky to make.
Take them out 1 minute too soon and youll have a raw egg that barely holds its shape. But if you leave it for 1 minute extra, it may end up being nearly hard boiled.
To make perfectly soft-boiled eggs, simply follow our guide:
One example is this soft-boiled egg wrapped in a meat layer, which results in a delicious, runny egg center.
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Eggs And Cholesterol / Saturated Fat Per 100 Grams Of Egg:
Chicken eggs average out with an eggs cholesterol level of 548mg and 3.3gms saturated fatDuck eggs average out with an eggs cholesterol level of 880mg and 3.7gms saturated fatQuail eggs average out with an eggs cholesterol level of 839mg and 3.6gms saturated fatTurkey eggs average out with an eggs cholesterol level of 995mg and 3.6gms saturated fatGoose eggs average out with an eggs cholesterol level of 851mg and 3.6gms saturated fat
Why Do People Only Eat Egg Whites
However, there has been a constant debate on how eggs also contribute to increased cholesterol level that is generally found in the egg yolk, which is why most people opt for only egg whites. Eating only egg whites instead of whole may lower the amount of calories, fat and saturated fats you consume.
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Egg Yolks Contain Most Of The Nutrients
Yolks are the gooey golden orbs in the center of an egg and are full of flavor. Not only is the yolk the tastiest part of an egg, but it is also the most nutritious.
However, not everything about the yolk is golden when compared to egg whites. Compared to the whites, egg yolks contain:
Less protein: 2.7 grams vs. 3.6 grams. More fat: 4.5 grams or 99 percent of an eggs fat. Less magnesium: 0.85 milligrams vs. 3.6 milligrams. Less potassium: 18.5 milligrams vs. 53.8 milligrams. Less riboflavin: 0.09 milligrams vs. 0.145 milligrams. Less niacin: 0.004 milligrams vs. 0.035 milligrams. More calories: 55 calories vs. 17 calories. All the cholesterol: 210 milligrams. All the saturated fat: 1.6 grams.
Before you scoop the yolks into the trash, though, consider the sunny-side of the yolk. In comparison to egg whites, egg yolks contain:
Thats a ton of nutrition for only 55 calories that gets left behind when you only eat the whites.
A Satisfying Source Of Protein
Another good reason to eat eggs is that they help keep you feeling full. An egg, a few slices of whole-grain toast, and half a grapefruit is a low-calorie breakfast that will keep you satisfied until lunch. As you face the challenge of losing weight, it’s important to eat foods that are naturally nutrient-rich and stave off hunger between meals. The egg is an “eggcellent” example.
Eggs are easy to eat, well-tolerated by young and old, adaptable to any meal, and inexpensive. Whether you prefer designer or generic eggs, manage your egg intake over the course of a week. On days when you enjoy eggs for breakfast, it’s wise to limit foods high in cholesterol and saturated fat for the rest of the day.
Of course, it’s a good idea to know your blood cholesterol level and talk with your physician about the cholesterol and saturated fat content of your eating plan. People with high cholesterol levels should follow their doctor’s advice about eating eggs.
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Are Eggs Healthy Ask The Experts
Are eggs healthy? Egg whites are. Egg yolks are not.
Though eggs are packed with protein and nutrients, egg yolks are also packed with cholesterol, which research, described in this article, has shown can harm our hearts.
Are eggs healthy? Is the dietary cholesterol from egg yolks harmless? Get the science-based facts from the nutrition experts at Pritikin.
Can Egg Whites Be Harmful
While egg whites are a good source of protein and a great option for those suffering from diabetes, high cholesterol or cardiovascular disease, people should be careful not to assume that egg whites provide all the same nutritional benefits of whole eggs. Most of the vitamins and minerals are contained in the yolk, said Kanter. Nutrients found exclusively in the yolk include choline, vitamin B12, vitamin D and iron among others.
A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2002 caused a stir when it found that raw egg whites interfere with absorption of biotin. Biotin is a B vitamin that is important to fat and sugar metabolism and blood sugar regulation, according to Worlds Healthiest Foods. Egg whites contain a glycoprotein called avidin, which binds to biotin and makes it absorbable by the digestive tract. This problem is solved by cooking egg whites. According to Healthline, the heat changes the structure of avidin, making it less able to bind to biotin.
When raw, both egg whites and whole eggs can present a risk of infecting eaters with salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control recommends cooking all types of eggs until both the white and yolk are firm.
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Yolks Vs Whites: The Truth About Eggs
Should you just eat the whites, or is the whole egg best?
There are few things more polarizing than the simple egg. Some people swear its best to only eat the whites, since eliminating the yolk cuts way down on fat, calories, and cholesterol. Thats why so many breakfast restaurants offer an egg white omeletwith no cheese, of courseas a way for people to feel theyre ordering something super-healthy. Meanwhile, others scoff at that idea and claim you need to eat the yolks or youre missing all the nutrients. Those people dip toast in their runny yolks with glee, as if theyre liquid gold. So whos right?
First, lets start with the basics. A large egg has about 70 calories, 4.75 grams of fat, and 186 milligrams of cholesterol. It also has 6 grams of protein. To compare, just the egg white from a large egg has only 17 calories, practically no fat or cholesterol, and 3.6 grams of protein. You can start to see why so many see the egg white as an ideal diet food.
And theres another reason to keep the yolk in your next omelet: Thats where almost half the protein and most of the nutrients are. A lot of the vitamins and minerals found in eggs, like vitamin A, vitamin D, folate, and calcium, are almost completely in the yolk. So are lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients important for eye health. Adding a whole egg to a veggie-based meal, like a raw salad, was found in a small study to increase the vitamin E your body absorbs from the vegetables.
Understanding The Eggs And Cholesterol Facts And Figures:
The concentrations of egg cholesterol and egg saturated fat may differ from one flock of birds to the next. For example, quail egg cholesterol can range from about 76 mg up to a massive 400mg of cholesterol per 9 gram egg!
Further, Bair and Marion made an interesting observation – egg yolk cholesterol appears to decrease with the age of the hen, at least in chickens anyway.
The concentrations of cholesterol and saturated fat reported in any common food table should be treated strictly as a guideline, NOT a fact. Likewise, egg cartons may only give the average cholesterol level for the species, rather than from the farm that produced them.
All this means that eggs and cholesterol is a very difficult topic to discuss with any precision, but the guidelines provided here on eggs and cholesterol should provide a solid reference point to work from at least.
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Here’s What Eating Egg Whites Every Day Actually Does To You
Once you get the hang of separating egg whites from egg yolks, egg whites can be an extremely nutritious option for those looking to reap the benefits of eggs while dieting, or trying to slim down. Of course, if you don’t get the hang of separating the parts of the egg, you deem it to be overly messy, or you feel bad about throwing away egg yolks, there are a number of brands that make boxed liquid egg whites which can simply poured into a bowl or a pan could eating egg whites get any easier?.
High in protein, but without cholesterol or saturated fat, egg whites are the perfect choice for people on a healthy diet . At the same time, they lack some of the important nutritional aspects of the egg yolk.
Here’s what happens to your body if you eat egg whites every day.