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Are eggs actually unhealthy?

February 17, 2017

Eggs have a bad reputation. It’s claimed they raise cholesterol levels. So how many eggs can you safely eat?

https://p.dw.com/p/1EoFd
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Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Eggs are among the most nutritious foods available. But egg yolks are high in cholesterol, which has given eggs a bad reputation. One medium egg contains 186 mg of cholesterol, which is 62 percent of the recommended daily allowance for an adult. But it turns out that when we consume high-cholesterol foods, our livers adjust by producing less cholesterol. So consuming cholesterol actually ends up having only a minor effect on blood cholesterol levels. According to a study at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, “Significant egg consumption, up to one egg per day, does not increase the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke.” But people with coronary heart disease or diabetes, and people who have high levels of “bad” or LDL cholesterol, should consume no more than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. So they should take care to limit egg consumption.