How many eggs should different groups of people eat a day? Can you still eat eggs if you have high blood lipids? This article tells you the answer!

"When eating eggs, you should remove the yolk, otherwise it will increase cholesterol." "You can only eat one egg a day." "The yolk is where the nutrition of the egg lies." There have been many discussions online about this topic in recent years, and there are many different opinions.

If we take an ordinary egg as an example, which is about 50 grams, the cholesterol content is 324 mg, which does seem to be a lot. After all, it is recommended that people with hyperlipidemia should consume less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day.

So, does eating eggs really raise cholesterol levels? How many eggs should the elderly eat a day?

Health Times

Does eating eggs really increase cholesterol?

Zhang Xiaowei, deputy chief physician of surgical nutrition at Hebei Provincial People's Hospital, published an article in the People's Daily Health Account in 2023, stating that the human body is not a beaker. It does not mean that the beaker will contain as much reagent as you pour into it. The levels of many nutrients in the blood are not proportional to the total amount of nutrients consumed.

In recent years, many medical studies have shown that blood cholesterol levels are more related to factors such as fat intake and physical activity level, and have little to do with the total amount of cholesterol consumed daily.

For ordinary people, there is no need to worry about eating eggs. In addition, many studies have found that eating eggs in moderation is beneficial to cardiovascular health.

A 2018 study published in the prestigious journal Heart showed that people who ate an egg a day had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who did not eat eggs.

A nested case-control study conducted by a Peking University research team and published in the journal eLife in 2022 found that moderate egg intake (about 1 egg per day) leads to higher levels of beneficial proteins and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (i.e., "good cholesterol") in the blood, especially apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) levels that are significantly higher than normal people;

There are fewer harmful proteins and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (also known as "bad cholesterol"), thus protecting the cardiovascular system.

Research screenshots

The researchers said that this study may provide guidance for "egg consumption in my country". At present, my country's dietary guidelines recommend eating one egg a day; but data show that the average egg intake of the Chinese population is far less than the recommended amount. Therefore, people need to be encouraged to eat eggs in moderation to reduce the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.

Can I still eat eggs if I have high blood lipids?

If an ordinary egg weighs about 50 grams, the cholesterol content is 324 mg. However, eggs also contain protein, 12 kinds of vitamins, potassium, iron, lecithin, monounsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients. It can be said that they are rich in all the nutrients needed for the development of chicks.

People who already have hyperlipidemia or hypercholesterolemia can eat eggs in moderation, but the amount should be limited.

The "Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Hyperlipidemia (2023 Edition)" recommends that daily cholesterol for people with hyperlipidemia should be less than 300 mg, and for people with hypercholesterolemia, daily cholesterol should be less than 200 mg.

"Guidelines for China's Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases" also recommends eating eggs in moderation. If you have high blood lipids, you can eat 3 to 5 eggs a week.

How many eggs do different groups of people eat at most in a day?

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022" recommends consuming 300 to 350 grams of eggs per week, which is about one egg a day on average. It clearly states not to discard the egg yolk, which means do not throw away the egg yolk.

In 2023, Dr. Zhang Xiaowei published an article in the People's Daily Health Account, introducing that from a nutritional point of view, in order to ensure that the body's needs are met without causing overnutrition, under normal circumstances:

Elderly people: It is better to eat 1 to 2 per day.

Young and middle-aged people: For those who engage in mental work or light physical labor, eating 2 eggs a day is more appropriate; for those who engage in heavy physical labor and consume more nutrients, they can eat 2 to 3 eggs a day.

Teenagers and children: As they are growing and have fast metabolism, they can eat 2 to 3 pieces a day.

However, people with liver and kidney problems need to consult a doctor to decide how many eggs to consume, because eggs are rich in protein and too much protein will increase the burden on the liver and kidneys.

How to eat eggs more healthily?

Dr. Zhang Xiaowei published an article in the People's Daily Health Account in 2023, introducing that there are many ways to eat eggs. In terms of nutrient absorption and digestibility:

The digestibility of boiled eggs is 99.7%, scrambled eggs is 98%, fried eggs is 97%, steamed eggs is 92.5%, fried eggs is 81.1%, and raw eggs is 30%-50%.

In addition, different cooking techniques have different effects on the nutrients contained in eggs.

Image from "Zhang Xiaowei Health Science Studio"

Therefore, the generally recommended order of eating is:

1. Boil the eggs: Put the eggs in cold water, heat slowly, and cook for 3 minutes on low heat after boiling. Then soak for 5 minutes after turning off the heat. The eggs cooked in this way will have tender egg whites, solidified yolks but not old, and the egg whites will be the best denatured and easiest to digest.

2. Steamed eggs: Do not add oil or salt at the beginning of mixing, as this will easily destroy the egg gelatin and make the steamed egg custard rough and hard. After stirring the egg liquid evenly, add the seasoning, stir it a few times to ensure that the air is mixed evenly, and then put it into the steamer. This way, the egg custard will be very soft when it comes out of the pot.

Fried eggs and scrambled eggs: It is best to use medium heat, and avoid high heat, otherwise a lot of nutrients will be lost. However, it is not good to use too low a heat, because it takes a relatively long time, and more water will be lost, and the fried eggs will be dry, which will affect the texture.