In "Cool Hand Luke," Paul Newman downs 50 boiled eggs — and they're not what does him in. But for people who are overweight, inactive, have elevated LDL ("L" equals "lousy") cholesterol, a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, prediabetes, or diabetes, they just might.

Turns out eating more than two or three egg yolks a week is almost as damaging to your blood vessels as smoking. The saturated fat in those yolks clogs arteries and increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.

So, who can eat egg yolks, and how often can you have them? If your total cholesterol level is below 200 and your LDL is below 100, you can enjoy an egg almost every day. But make sure you boil, poach, or scramble it; frying is a no-no. That high-protein breakfast is a much better way to control your appetite than eating a refined carb like a bagel with the same number of calories.

But what if you have borderline high LDL (or worse)? You're unyolked. Your absolute max: two yolks a week. And always use three egg whites to one yolk to get max protein and minimum fat and cholesterol.

Each yolk delivers 1.6 grams of saturated fat. We recommend that everyone aim for almost no saturated fat and no (zero, zed, zip) trans fat in their diet. And what about eggs from chickens eating only omega-3 fats (usually from ground flaxseed)? Well, right now there just isn't enough data, but these may be the smartest eggs in the basket.


© 2012 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.