How Much Dietary Cholesterol Is Safe Per Day?
Cholesterol is essential to the body, but eating too much of it can raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increase cardiovascular risk. Enter your current total cholesterol level and whether you have a heart disease or diabetes risk factor to get a recommended daily dietary cholesterol limit.
If your cholesterol is in the normal range and you have no major risk factors, a general limit of under 300mg per day is commonly used. If your total cholesterol is 240 mg/dL or higher, or you have a risk factor like heart disease or diabetes, a stricter limit of under 200mg per day is safer.
Dietary cholesterol is concentrated in animal foods like egg yolks, shellfish (shrimp, squid), organ meats, and butter. A single egg yolk contains about 185mg of cholesterol — for someone with a 200mg limit, that's most of the daily allowance from one food alone. Keep in mind your body also produces cholesterol on its own, so diet alone doesn't determine your overall level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Going over on a single day isn't immediately dangerous, but repeatedly exceeding the limit over time can raise LDL cholesterol and increase cardiovascular risk, so staying under the limit on average is what matters most.
Even with normal levels now, a diet high in saturated and trans fat can raise cholesterol over time, so maintaining a balanced diet is still worthwhile.