Eggs are an excellent low-calorie way to get protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other healthful compounds into your diet. One whole large egg contains 6 grams of high-quality protein in just 70 calories. Eggs also contain varying amounts of 13 essential vitamins and minerals. But how many eggs is it safe to eat per day?
For many years eggs were vilified due to their high cholesterol content and potential association with heart disease. However, most recent studies show that the cholesterol that you eat has very little impact on the amount of cholesterol in your body.
Cholesterol is a compound found in the body. It is needed to make hormones, vitamin D, and certain substances that help you to digest your food. Your body makes cholesterol. In addition to the cholesterol you make, you also get a small amount from some of the foods you eat. It used to be thought that the cholesterol from your diet had a significant effect on the amount of cholesterol in your blood. However, that is no longer thought to be the case. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans no longer consider cholesterol to be a nutrient of concern, partly for this reason.
So where does that leave us with eggs? How many eggs is it safe to eat per day?
Eating 1 egg per day is consistent with a healthy diet, and is unlikely to have any significant impact on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease among healthy men and women. In fact, eating 2 or 3 eggs per day is highly unlikely to increase the risk of heart disease in the majority of the population, although there may be some risk for people with diabetes.
That being said, some studies suggest that eating 5 or more eggs per week may have adverse health consequences, including an increased risk of heart failure in men, or breast cancer in women. However, the research is weak, and any possible increased risk is likely outweighed by the healthful nutrients found in eggs.
The safety of eating more than 3 eggs per day is unknown because no studies have examined that. While it is possible that adverse health consequences could result from eating more than 3 eggs per day, what is more impactful is the quality of a person’s overall diet.
If you want a healthy way to get more eggs into your diet, why not try this recipe for banana oatmeal protein pancakes. They are easy to make and provide you with a good dose of protein in the morning.
The bottom line
Eating up to 3 eggs per day is safe for the majority of the population. People with diabetes may increase their risk of heart disease by eating more than 1 egg per day. However, overall diet quality is far more important to heart health than the number of eggs you eat each day.