A single egg contains about 213 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol about two-thirds of the recommended daily limit . Nearly all the cholesterol in an egg is contained in the yolk.
It may be more important to monitor your intake of fat and saturated fat. Actually, saturated fats raise your blood cholesterol more than anything else you eat. However, because dietary cholesterol is found in many high-fat products, lowering saturated fat intake usually lowers cholesterol intake at the same time. Daily dietary cholesterol intake should be below 300 milligrams.
Heredity is often a big factor in the development of high cholesterol. But lifestyle choices including poor diet and lack of exercise can contribute to high cholesterol, too. Your first lines of defense against high cholesterol are to maintain a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and get regular cardiovascular exercise.
A woman's level of LDL ("bad") cholesterol typically goes up after menopause, as does her risk of cardiovascular disease. Women tend to have the same cardiovascular disease as men, but on average about 10 years later.
It is estimated that half of all Americans have too much cholesterol in their blood. (... surely not!)