Egg yolk

Studies in people

• Concern

  Artery plaque buildup³

  In people, eating more egg yolks over the years went with more plaque in the neck arteries.

• Concern

  Blood cholesterol levels⁴

  Eating lots of egg yolk cholesterol raised LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B in four people.

• Open question

  Egg allergy in toddlers⁶

  In young children, egg yolk allergy tests helped show whose egg allergy would go away within a year.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Heart artery health⁹

  In lab studies, egg yolk with garlic powder slowed the harmful change to blood fats that can clog arteries.

Study type not stated

• Concern

  Iron absorption from eggs⁸

  Phosvitin, a protein in egg yolk, may lower how much iron the body takes in from eggs.

Allergies and intolerances

These are about people with an allergy, an intolerance or coeliac disease. The signal is about the ingredient itself, and these are about the person eating it, so the signal does not count them.

• Egg allergy in children²

  In children with egg allergy, baked egg caused fewer reactions than egg yolk or egg white.

How it’s made and used

• Egg allergy testing⁵

  In people with egg allergy, testing for egg yolk proteins alongside egg white ones improved diagnosis.

• Improving egg component use⁷

  Egg yolk is used less than egg white, so scientists are finding new ways to use it in food.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.