Health experts have revealed the ideal number of eggs a person should eat to stave off heart disease, pinpointing a single ingredient as the real threat to someone’s arteries.
While cholesterol in foods like eggs has a surprisingly minor effect on blood cholesterol, scientists warn that the true danger lies in their saturated fat content, which directly contributes to artery-clogging plaque.
Cardiologists and dietitians have identified ideal thresholds for healthy people, who should eat no more than one whole egg or two egg whites per day, and people with underlying health problems like heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol, who should consume no more than four egg yolks per week.
However, the ‘four-yolk’ weekly limit comes with an important caveat: it assumes someone is not getting significant saturated fat from other sources, such as red meat, cheese and butter. If their diet is high in these foods, they should aim for even fewer yolks.
And in a historic reversal of decades of nutritional advice, the Trump administration has flipped the food pyramid, placing saturated fat-rich foods like red meat and butter at its foundation, the space once reserved for bread and grains.
Current federal dietary guidelines recommend less than 10 percent of a person’s daily calorie intake come from saturated fat. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this means a person should consume no more than 20g of saturated fat.
A single large egg contains 1.6g of saturated fat and is a nutrient-dense food, providing important compounds like lutein, zeaxanthin, and choline. The primary dietary concern often lies not with the egg itself, but with typical high-saturated-fat accompaniments like sausage, cheese, and buttered toast.
High-saturated-fat diets and obesity prompt the liver to overproduce cholesterol. This excess cholesterol can accumulate as plaque in arteries, elevating the long-term risk of heart attack and stroke.
For heart health, cardiologists suggest healthy individuals eat up to one whole egg per day. Those with conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or high cholesterol are advised to limit their intake to four egg yolks weekly (stock)
Among the animal-based proteins at the top of the inverted food pyramid presented by Kennedy are eggs, long vilified due to the belief that the cholesterol in the yolks contributes to the buildup of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in the blood.
For about a decade, major studies involving hundreds of thousands of people have found little evidence linking eating up to one egg per day with an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
The biggest concern for heart health in a typical breakfast is not the egg itself, but what you pair it with, such as sausage, cheese, butter and processed meats, which are loaded with saturated fat.
Julia Zumpano, a preventive cardiology dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic, told The Healthy: ‘Research shows that the total saturated fat we eat contributes more to LDL than dietary cholesterol does.’
Doctors generally advise limiting saturated fat, but official guidelines have shifted focus.
Kennedy said at the new food pyramid’s reveal: ‘Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines. We are ending the war on saturated fats.’
Zumpano’s recommended one egg or two egg whites per day limit for healthy people aligns with American Heart Association recommendations.
How you prepare your eggs has a significant impact on their health profile.
Serving your eggs with classic sides including bacon, sausage or buttery toast can double the saturated fat and sodium to your breakfast, overshadowing the egg’s natural benefits (stock)
Choosing to cook an egg in butter can increase its saturated fat content by 2.5 to 3.3 grams, with the exact amount hinging on the portion of butter and the size of the egg.
The healthiest cooking methods use little to no added fat, such as poaching, boiling or scrambling in a non-stick pan with a spritz of cooking spray. These techniques avoid adding unnecessary saturated fat from butter or oils.
It is equally important to be mindful of what else is on your plate. While vegetables like spinach enhance a meal, classic sides like bacon, sausage, or cheese can double the saturated fat and sodium, overshadowing the egg’s natural benefits.
A typical egg, sausage and cheese breakfast sandwich is a major source of saturated fat, often providing nearly an entire day’s worth in one meal.
For example, a homemade sandwich with one large egg, 1.6 grams, a pork sausage patty, about five to eight grams, a slice of cheese, five to six grams and cooking butter easily totals between 14 and 20 grams of saturated fat.
Major fast-food chain versions, like a Sausage McMuffin with Egg, are comparable, providing at least 100 percent of the recommended daily limit of about 20 grams per day for a 2,000-calorie diet.
Two slices of cooked pork bacon can add roughly 3 grams of saturated fat. A single commercially made butter biscuit typically contributes about 2.5 to 3 grams of saturated fat. Altogether, these additions add at least five grams of saturated fat to an egg with a low amount to start.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that, when it comes to eggs, saturated fat is the nutrient of most concern.
This chart shows how diets impacted “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. Eating two eggs daily on a low-saturated-fat diet (EGG) lowered cholesterol significantly compared to a high-fat diet (CON). A high-fat diet without eggs (EGG-FREE) showed no clear benefit
When 48 healthy adults consumed two eggs daily as part of a diet low in saturated fat, they experienced lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol compared to a standard high-fat diet.
A diet low in cholesterol but high in saturated fat showed no such benefit, directly implicating saturated fat as the key dietary factor raising LDL levels. This suggests that enjoying eggs can be compatible with heart health when they are incorporated into an overall diet that limits other sources of saturated fat.
When LDL cholesterol levels are too high, it can accumulate and form plaques in the arteries. As plaque deposits grow, they cause the arteries to become narrow and stiff, greatly increasing the risk of a heart attack or a stroke.
The ‘good’ LDL cholesterol, meanwhile, scavenges excess LDL from the flood and ferries it to the liver for disposal.
The latest federal nutrition guidelines favor foods that have shown in clinical research to contribute to cardiovascular disease.
Doctors and public health organizations including the American Heart Association have responded to the new food pyramid with misgivings, noting that, while it still prominently features fruits and vegetables, it downgrades the importance of non-animal-based proteins, like legumes.
The AHA said: ‘Protein is an essential component of a healthy diet, and we urge more scientific research on both the appropriate amount of protein consumption and the best protein sources for optimal health.
‘Pending that research, we encourage consumers to prioritize plant-based proteins, seafood and lean meats and to limit high-fat animal products including red meat, butter, lard and tallow, which are linked to increased cardiovascular risk.’
