An NHLBI-funded study found that the higher the consumption of dietary cholesterol or eggs, the higher the incidence of cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and stroke, and death from any cause among U.S. adults.
The findings are sobering news for Americans who have been freely eating eggs, the most cholesterol-rich food in a typical U.S. diet, since the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines dropped the limitations on cholesterol and egg consumption.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reports that 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day is linked to 17 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease and 18 percent higher risk of death. An average adult typically eats about 300 milligrams per day of cholesterol and three or four eggs per week.