There have been studies that suggest that perhaps the negative effects of eating eggs are more related to other high-fat, high-cholesterol foods consumed along with them. For example, processed foods, fried foods, cheese, and even yogurt. (6) In general, experts agree that more human studies need to be done in order to truly understand the cholesterol in eggs and whether or not it is good for human health. For the moment, they generally agree that eggs don’t produce a strong threat to health, particularly for those who have no cholesterol and heart disease problems already. For those that do, then being more cautious is always better.

For the last decade or so, eggs have been on a bit of a nutritional rollercoaster ride. One day they are good for you, the next they’re saying they are contributing to heart disease, and the next they’re back to being “the perfect protein”. The question remains: Are eggs good for you or not? We’re here to hopefully clear up a bit of that confusion.

Eggs are likely one of the most highly-consumed proteins in the world. After all, they’re a breakfast staple in many countries and are included in hundreds of dishes from cultures around the world. On top of that, you’ll find them in most baked goods like cakes, cookies, brownies, and more. Despite their popularity, they’ve been up and down in the court of opinion when it comes to their health status. This has primarily been because of cholesterol. Let’s dive into whether or not the cholesterol in eggs is good, bad, or somewhere in between.

For a long time, eggs were considered a healthy food. Then, as heart disease edged its way into being the leading cause of death around the world, eggs started to get a bad rap. This is because eggs, particularly egg yolks, contain cholesterol. For many years, health professionals began to believe that eating eggs were contributing to this problem, particularly raising the risk for those who already had high cholesterol. (1, 2)