Dietary cholesterol--the role of eggs in the prudent diet

The recommendation that not more than 300 mg cholesterol be consumed daily to prevent high serum cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease is often used to justify a restriction of egg intake to three or four per week. One egg contains about 200 mg of cholesterol, but eggs are also excellent and relatively inexpensive sources of essential amino acids and certain vitamins. In this paper, the place of eggs in a prudent, cholesterol-lowering diet as a substitute for other animal products, is scrutinised. The extra cholesterol, where considered as the only variable, will increase serum cholesterol levels, but the effect is relatively small. The exclusion of eggs from the diet should be weighed against deprivation of essential nutrients especially in vulnerable groups. While restriction of egg intake in westernised populations seems justifiable, the upper limit of three or four per week may not always be applicable, depending on the overall diet and lipid profile of the individual.