Recently, a woman decided to eat eggs at every meal—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—for five months. Her meals included omelets and scrambled eggs in the morning, egg salad at lunch, and dishes such as quiche or shakshuka at dinner. Because she was eating far more eggs than older dietary advice recommended, she expected her cholesterol levels to rise.

When she went for a routine checkup, she was prepared for her doctor to criticize her diet. Instead, the results were unexpected. Her LDL, often called “bad” cholesterol, had decreased, while her HDL, the “good” cholesterol, had increased. Her triglycerides also remained in a healthy range, suggesting that her overall lipid profile had improved during the five-month period.

The results are consistent with a broader understanding of how dietary cholesterol affects the body. Cholesterol found in foods such as eggs does not necessarily cause a major increase in blood cholesterol for everyone. The body produces much of its cholesterol in the liver, and when dietary cholesterol increases, the body can often respond by producing less.

The experience challenges the idea that eating eggs automatically leads to unhealthy cholesterol levels. Nutrition research has increasingly shown that the effect of dietary cholesterol can vary from person to person, while the overall quality of the diet remains important. Eggs also provide protein and other nutrients, making them a common part of many balanced meals.

Still, eating eggs at every meal for months is not necessarily appropriate for everyone. Individual health conditions, existing cholesterol levels, and the rest of the diet all matter. The woman’s experience simply shows that the relationship between eggs and cholesterol may be more complicated than older advice suggested.