How Much Cholesterol Is in an Egg & Should I Avoid Them?

Cholesterol Sensitivity

A diet that's high in cholesterol can give you high cholesterol levels in your blood. Chicken eggs do have a great deal of cholesterol in them, but dietary cholesterol doesn't affect everybody the same way. Some are more sensitive to it than others, as is the case with sodium and high blood pressure.

Who Should Limit Their Cholesterol & How Much?


Before you choose whether to exclude cholesterol from your diet and to what degree, you should know what the daily cholesterol limits are. People without heart disease and that are otherwise healthy should keep cholesterol in the diet to less than 300 mg a day. People with heart disease, high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), prediabetes or type 2 diabetes should limit cholesterol to under 200 mg per day.

What Are Healthy Levels of Good and Bad Cholesterol?

-Total Cholesterol: If you're over age 21, your total cholesterol should be between 100 and 199 mg/dL.

-HDL (Good Cholesterol): High density lipoprotein (HDL) should be higher than 45 mg/dL but you should aim to make it higher.

-LDL (Bad Cholesterol): Low density lipoprotein (LDL) should be less than 70 mg/dL for people with heart disease or who are at risk for heart disease. For others, LDL should be less than 130 mg/dL.

How Much Cholesterol Is in an Egg? 

On average, one egg has about approximately 213 mg of cholesterol in its yolk. Egg whites are cholesterol-free. If you have high cholesterol any other risk factors listed above, it doesn't mean you can't eat egg yolks or eggs. It just means that if you have egg yolks on any particular day, you should watch the amount of cholesterol you eat during the remainder of the day.

If You Really Like Eggs...

If you want to keep eggs in your diet, you can eat egg whites or buy an egg substitute in the dairy section of the grocery store. In recipes, use a healthy substitute of two egg whites for one whole egg.