The Effect of Whole Egg Consumption on Dietary Cholesterol

At Chino Valley Ranchers, we stand by the goodness of a whole egg. Whether they are scrambled, fried, poached or hard-boiled, eggs are versatile and inexpensive sources of quality nutrients. But, they’re also so much more.

A study from Nutrients journal lets us in on how eggs affect the way dietary cholesterol is absorbed after a meal. The researchers measured changes in cholesterol levels on the TRLs, or triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins. TRLs indicate how much cholesterol gets absorbed in the blood.

In the study, men and women were given meals containing canola oil and vegetables. Egg amounts were added into their diets, ranging from no egg to a whole cooked egg. After each meal with the varying increments of eggs consumed, the participants’ TRL levels were measured.

The findings? The cholesterol that’s contained in whole eggs has little to no effect on TRL levels and cholesterol concentration in the body. The study also concluded that the dietary cholesterol found in eggs doesn’t affect the body in an acute way. So, even though eggs have cholesterol in them, consuming them doesn’t have a significant impact on the actual cholesterol concentration in your blood.

The researchers believe that the protein in the egg white and the egg yolk help to limit the absorption of cholesterol. There is some cholesterol that does make its way into your body and it’s called high-density lipoprotein, or HDL for short. However, it’s the kind of cholesterol that isn’t linked to increasing your risk of heart disease.

It’s not very often you find a food that tastes great and is also good for you – but eggs do just that! Check out Chino Valley Ranchers to make sure that you are getting the best and healthiest egg products. For information on where to get our eggs, visit our store locator!