Food Safety Science | How many eggs a day is healthier? Different people have different consumption amounts, so pay attention to a reasonable combination

Will eating too many eggs cause high cholesterol and high blood lipids?

Let me first say the conclusion: normal and healthy people don’t need to worry too much about eating too many eggs leading to high cholesterol.

First of all, the two main harmful factors that affect blood lipid levels in daily diet are saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids. The fat content in eggs is indeed not low, but the saturated fat content is not high, and there is also lecithin which is beneficial to regulating blood lipid levels.

Secondly, as for the high cholesterol content in eggs, there is actually no need to worry too much. This is because about 70% of the cholesterol in the human body comes from self-synthesis, and the cholesterol ingested from food accounts for only a small part. Moreover, the normal human body has a relatively intelligent regulation mechanism for cholesterol levels. Once the intake of cholesterol increases, the cholesterol synthesized in the body will decrease appropriately. In other words, even if the cholesterol content of eggs is high, as long as the body's blood lipid metabolism ability is normal, the cholesterol eaten will not affect blood lipids.

How many eggs is the healthiest thing to eat a day?

1. For normal adults, it is recommended to eat 1 egg (including egg yolk) per day

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)" recommends that normal adults should consume 280-350g of eggs per week . Assuming that one egg weighs 50-60g, this means eating about 6-7 eggs per week, or 1 egg per day.

2. Pregnant women, breastfeeding women, adolescent students, people who are doing bodybuilding and muscle building, and people who are recovering from a serious illness are advised to eat no more than 3 eggs a day

Their demand for high-quality protein is often greater than that of ordinary people, and eggs are a good way to supplement high-quality protein. However, if there is enough milk, meat, fish, soybeans and other foods in the daily diet, it is not recommended to increase the intake of eggs. One egg a day is enough.

3. People with high blood lipids should pay attention to controlling their total fat intake

If you do not eat too much other high-cholesterol foods in your daily diet, such as animal offal (brain, liver, heart), red meat (pork, beef, mutton), shrimp, etc., and do not consume too much fat (especially animal fat and high-fat processed foods), then it is recommended to eat no more than 1 egg a day. If you consume a lot of high-cholesterol foods, you should control your egg intake accordingly, such as eating half or only eating 2/3 of the egg yolk.

4. Obese people should pay attention to controlling their total dietary intake, including eggs. Although eggs do not contain too much saturated fat, it is still not recommended to eat too much.

On the one hand, eating a few eggs is related to the dietary structure of obese people. On the basis of a light diet, using steamed or boiled eggs to provide high-quality protein and minerals , and a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains to provide vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and carbohydrates can also be used as a weight loss diet. On the other hand, eating a few eggs is related to the blood lipid level of obese people. If you are obese and have high blood lipid levels, you should also follow the above recommendations and consume no more than 1 egg a day. You can choose other foods to supplement high-quality protein, such as low-fat skim milk, soy beans, low-fat lean meat, etc. (Wang Lu)