How Much Dietary Cholesterol Can You Have Per Day?

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance naturally produced by your body. It's also found in certain foods, like meat, eggs, and dairy. 

Cholesterol is essential to health and is necessary for vital processes like producing hormones and building cells. However, having high blood cholesterol levels is a major risk factor for developing heart disease, the number one cause of death in the United States.

An estimated 31.7% of U.S. adults—about 73.5 million people—have high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, making them twice as likely to develop heart disease compared to people with normal cholesterol levels.

In most cases, diet and lifestyle modifications can help reduce cholesterol levels and keep them within a healthy range.

Recommended Daily Cholesterol Intake

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends keeping dietary cholesterol intake as low as possible within a nutritious, well-balanced diet that provides adequate calories.

Though this recommendation is nonspecific, focusing on what foods you eat can help keep your dietary cholesterol intake low. Health organizations recommend limiting your intake of foods high in saturated fat, such as red and processed meats, and solid fats, like butter, which tend to be high in cholesterol.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of total calories per day. The American Heart Association recommends limiting intake to less than 6% of total calories.

If you have high cholesterol or are at an increased risk of heart disease, your healthcare provider may recommend significantly reducing your intake of high-cholesterol foods. In this case, your provider can give you further guidance on diet plans and specific daily cholesterol limits.

How Cholesterol Affects Health

Cholesterol is essential to health. It is necessary for the normal functioning of your cells and the production of sex hormones, vitamin D, and steroid hormones.

Your body, primarily your liver, produces 70–80% of the daily cholesterol it needs to function, meaning only a small percent of your body's cholesterol needs require dietary intake.

Dietary cholesterol has only a minor effect on blood cholesterol levels in most people. Studies suggest that increasing dietary cholesterol by 100 milligrams per day will increase total blood cholesterol levels by 2.2-2.5 milligrams per deciliter, on average.

While most people respond minimally to dietary cholesterol, approximately 15-25% of the population is more sensitive to cholesterol-rich foods. These people are medically known as hyper-responders, and they can experience a 3-4 times greater increase in LDL cholesterol after eating cholesterol-rich foods compared to normal-responders (also known as non-sensitives or hypo-responders).

Other factors, such as gender and age, can also influence how dietary cholesterol affects your blood lipid levels.

Effects on Heart Health

Research hasn't found a strong link between dietary cholesterol intake and heart disease risk. This is likely due to how the body manages cholesterol levels, such as decreasing cholesterol absorption and reducing internal cholesterol production when high amounts of cholesterol are consumed.

However, cholesterol-rich foods are also typically high in saturated fat, which has been linked to negative cardiovascular health outcomes. Some research suggests that replacing saturated fat with plant-based protein, unsaturated fats, or complex carbohydrates may reduce the risk of heart disease. Still, a person's overall dietary pattern is typically more important than their intake of a single nutrient.

If you have a family history of heart disease, have high cholesterol levels, or are sensitive to dietary cholesterol, talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits of replacing foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol, like red meat, with plant-based proteins and lower-fat options. 

Foods To Limit or Avoid

In the U.S., the top food sources of cholesterol are eggs, shrimp, beef, pork, poultry, cheese, and butter.

Here are the top sources of cholesterol in the average diet in the U.S. and how much cholesterol they contain:

The average U.S. man consumes around 348 milligrams of cholesterol per day, and the average U.S. woman consumes around 242 milligrams. While these numbers are averages, cholesterol intake varies widely based on overall diet.

Low-Cholesterol Dietary Choices

Plenty of low-cholesterol foods can serve as healthy swaps for high-cholesterol items for those looking to reduce cholesterol intake.

Foods with no or very low cholesterol include:

• Beans and lentils
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Tofu
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy products 
• Olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Whole grains
• Nuts and seeds
• Low-cholesterol seafood, like salmon and cod

If you're trying to lower your cholesterol levels, it's important to increase your intake of foods known to reduce cholesterol, such as high-fiber foods like beans and vegetables.

How To Manage Cholesterol Levels

There are several ways to reduce high cholesterol levels and decrease your risk of developing heart disease:

• Follow a nutritious diet rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats: Studies show that dietary patterns high in plant foods and low in ultra-processed foods and added sugar are associated with lower blood lipid levels and reduced heart disease risk.
• Reduce excess body fat: Studies show that people who lose 5–10% of their body weight experience significant reductions in triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol.
• Avoid smoking: Smoking may lower your HDL cholesterol levels, which is a good kind of cholesterol that helps remove LDL cholesterol from the body. Smoking can also increase your risk of plaque buildup in the arteries.
• Increase your physical activity levels: Regular exercise can help increase HDL cholesterol levels and manage weight, keeping LDL cholesterol levels in check.

While diet and lifestyle modifications can significantly improve cholesterol levels, some people may require medical treatment, such as cholesterol-lowering medications, to keep their blood lipid levels within a healthy range.

If you're concerned about your cholesterol levels, make an appointment with a trusted healthcare provider to develop a plan specific to your health needs. 

A Quick Review

Though there are no specific recommendations on how much cholesterol you should consume daily, health organizations recommend limiting your intake of cholesterol-rich foods, like red and processed meat and ice cream, for optimal health. 

Eating a diet high in fiber and healthy fats, getting regular exercise, and avoiding smoking can help reduce and maintain cholesterol levels. Some people may also need medication to keep their cholesterol in a healthy range.

If you have questions regarding your cholesterol intake or would like to develop a plan to reduce your cholesterol levels, consider making an appointment with your healthcare provider.