“Eating egg yolks raises your cholesterol significantly.”

The idea that consuming egg yolks significantly increases your blood cholesterol levels stems from dietary advice issued decades ago. Beginning in the 1960s, health guidelines recommended limiting dietary cholesterol intake to around 300 mg per day, based on the then-prevailing belief that dietary cholesterol directly translated to higher blood cholesterol and increased heart disease risk. Since egg yolks are naturally high in cholesterol, containing approximately 186 mg per large egg, they were singled out as a food to limit, leading to widespread avoidance of this nutrient-rich part of the egg.

However, scientific understanding has significantly evolved. We now know that for most healthy individuals, the majority of cholesterol in the blood is produced by the liver, not directly absorbed from food. The liver intelligently adjusts its own production based on dietary intake. More importantly, research has consistently shown that saturated and trans fats have a far greater impact on raising LDL (bad) cholesterol levels than the cholesterol found in foods like egg yolks. This shift in understanding led to the removal of specific dietary cholesterol limits from the U.S. Dietary Guidelines in 2015.

The persistence of this myth likely comes from the initial, seemingly logical, connection between consuming a cholesterol-rich food and having high blood cholesterol, coupled with the long-standing nature of the original dietary warnings. Despite decades of updated research, old habits and information can be slow to change. Today, a moderate intake of whole eggs, typically up to one a day for most healthy individuals, is considered part of a healthy diet. Egg yolks offer valuable nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and choline, which would be missed if only egg whites were consumed.