Research finds that eggs do not produce bad cholesterol

According to new research challenging dietary advice over decades, having two eggs a day can actually lower harmful cholesterol levels.

Research at the University of South Australia, funded by the egg industry, reported that it clearly shows that saturated fat in eggs, rather than cholesterol in diet, drives LDL cholesterol levels.

The world’s No. 1 crossover study of 61 adults found that LDL cholesterol consumed two eggs per day lowered LDL cholesterol compared to participants with low saturated fat compared to those with low saturated fat. The results show that it is time to open up our assumptions about this breakfast staple.

Separate cholesterol from saturated fat

The researchers designed three different five-week diets to isolate the effects of cholesterol and saturated fat. The breakthrough comes from a relatively high cholesterol, low saturated fat diet, including two eggs per day with low cholesterol, high saturated fat diet, no eggs, and both controlled diets.

Compared to controls, only an egg-rich diet lowered LDL cholesterol levels, from 109.3 to 103.6 mg/dl. Eggless high-saturated fat diet did not improve. Among all participants, saturated fat intake was positively correlated with LDL cholesterol, whereas in diet cholesterol was not correlated.

“Eggs have long been broken by outdated dietary advice,” explained Professor Jon Buckley, principal investigator at the University of South Australia. “They are unique – high cholesterol, yes, but low saturated fat. However, it is their cholesterol levels that often lead people to question their place in a healthy diet.”

The real culprit behind high cholesterol

The study’s approach reveals why previous studies may have mistaken eggs for problematic. Earlier studies frequently examined egg consumption of saturated fat in typical Western diets, so it is difficult to separate the effects of different dietary ingredients.

Key findings include:

• Saturated fat intake strongly predicts elevated LDL cholesterol (β=0.35, p=0.002)
• Cholesterol in diet has no relationship with blood cholesterol (β=-0.006, p=0.42)
• Two eggs per day in low saturated fat environments reduce cardiovascular risk markers

The study is at a critical moment, with cardiovascular disease enjoying nearly 18 million lives worldwide each year. In Australia, a person dies from heart disease every 12 minutes, accounting for one-quarter of deaths nationwide.

Bacon, not eggs, poses a heart risk

Professor Barkley’s team delivered what he called “evidence to defend the humble egg.” These implications extend breakfast options to a wider dietary pattern, emphasizing reducing saturated fats rather than avoiding cholesterol-rich foods.

“When it comes to a cooked breakfast, it’s not the egg you need to worry about, but the extra serving or sausage side of the bacon is more likely to affect your heart health,” Buckley notes.

Funded by the Egg Nutrition Center at the American Egg Board, the study was involved in a rigorous randomized, controlled design where participants performed their own controls at different dietary stages. This approach minimizes individual variation that may confuse the results.

However, the study revealed a subtle picture. Eggs in a low-saturated fat diet lower total LDL cholesterol, but they also lower larger LDL particles and add smaller atherosclerotic particles. This suggests that cardiovascular benefits may be partially offset, although the overall effect remains positive.

These findings are consistent with the latest shift in dietary guidelines that have been removed from strict cholesterol restrictions, but instead stress body diet patterns and reduce saturated fats to reduce heart health.

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