Clarification of Association's recommendations on egg consumption

American Heart Association
Wednesday, 20 March 2002

Recent reports in the media may have understandably left many individuals confused about the American Heart Association's dietary recommendations in reference to eggs. Members of the public may mistakenly believe that it is "ok to eat an egg a day," no matter what other foods are consumed that day.

"When the American Heart Association revised its dietary guidelines in 2000, we did not change our long-standing recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol to less than 300 mg daily," says Alice Lichtenstein, DSc., the vice-chair of the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee and professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston.

"A single egg contains about 213 milligrams of dietary cholesterol. So an egg a day could fit within an individual's dietary budget only if dietary cholesterol from other sources, such as meats, poultry and dairy products were limited.

"For example, if an individual ate one egg for breakfast, drank two cups of coffee with a tablespoon each of half and half, lunched on a turkey sandwich, composed of four ounces of lean turkey breast without skin and one tablespoon of regular mayonnaise, and had a 6-ounce serving of broiled, short-loin porterhouse steak for dinner, they would have consumed about 510 milligrams of dietary cholesterol that day, above the recommended limit of 300 milligrams," says Lichtenstein. "To have that egg, individuals might want to consider substituting some vegetarian choices, without added cheese, for one of their meals."

"In order to fit an egg a day into a healthy diet, an individual needs to be conscious of dietary cholesterol from other sources, including baked goods. Individuals need to make choices in the context of their total diet, which should be low in saturated fats, and abundant in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry and fish," says Lichtenstein.

The American Heart Association issued Dietary Guidelines: Revision 2000, in October 2000. The new guidelines were written to emphasize the importance of consuming a dietary pattern that helps individuals achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in the blood. The body needs cholesterol to form cell membranes and some hormones. But a high level of cholesterol in the blood is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack.

People get cholesterol in two ways - the body (mainly the liver) produces it, and it can also be consumed in food products, such as eggs, meats and dairy products. Typically the body makes all the cholesterol it needs, so people don't need to consume it. Both dietary cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, found mostly in animal products, such as meat, butter and cheese, raise blood cholesterol.

For more information, or to contact American Heart Association, see their website at: www.americanheart.org