You probably already know that eggs are one of the best sources of high-quality protein (as well as important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants), however, the yolks of eggs are also filled with cholesterol, and HealthLine notes that a medium-sized egg contains 186 mg of cholesterol — 62 percent of the recommended daily intake. With this in mind, would eating eggs every day be good for your health, or could it cause damage to your heart?

The general consensus seems to be that if you are healthy, you can eat eggs, but as to how many per day, well, the science on that remains unclear. While the recommendations of egg yolks have reportedly been a maximum of 2 to 6 per week in the past, according to Today, studies have been conducted on people who eat eggs once a day and they have not been found to have an increased risk of heart attacks, and have reportedly felt more full when eating a meal that contains eggs. A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that there was no evidence to suggest that eating an egg a day would increase heart risks.

While eggs are filled with cholesterol, HealthLine reports that the cholesterol is essential for every cell membrane and is important for the body, which is why the liver naturally produces cholesterol. However, when we eat cholesterol in our foods, the liver ends up producing less, which means that the total amount of cholesterol in the body will change by very little.

Health also spoke with cardiologist Peter Schulman, MD, about the cholesterol in eggs, and he explained: “Now we know that what really raises your cholesterol is saturated fat in the diet and not so much the cholesterol in foods.” However, according to Today, it is advised not to consume more than 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day, and for those with underlying conditions, like type 2 diabetes or high LDL (which is the bad cholesterol), the American Heart Association and National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) says to limit the daily intake to 200 milligrams.

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