A lipid found in animal products. Used to make hormones and cell membranes. FDA Daily Value: 300mg.
1–30 of 4,340 foods
Cholesterol is a structural component of every cell membrane and the precursor to vitamin D, bile acids, and steroid hormones. The liver produces most of what the body uses, and dietary intake is only part of the picture.
Brain leads the ranking at around 3,100mg per 100g across species, followed by other organ meats and egg yolk. These figures are extreme relative to the 300mg Daily Value but describe foods rarely eaten in the US.
Understanding has shifted substantially. The 2015 US dietary guidelines removed the specific 300mg cap, reflecting evidence that saturated fat intake influences blood cholesterol more than dietary cholesterol does for most people.
Daily intake reference (FDA Daily Value)
FDA Daily Value: 300mg per day, still used on labels. Dietary guidance now emphasizes keeping intake "as low as practicable" within a healthy pattern rather than enforcing a hard numeric cap.
Saturated fat matters more
For most people, blood LDL responds more strongly to saturated fat intake than to dietary cholesterol. Replacing saturated with unsaturated fat is the higher-leverage change.
Eggs are no longer the villain
One large egg carries roughly 186mg of cholesterol, nearly all in the yolk. Current guidance treats eggs as acceptable within a balanced pattern, and the yolk carries most of the egg's nutrients.
Only animal foods contain it
Cholesterol is absent from all plant foods. "Cholesterol-free" on a bottle of vegetable oil is technically accurate and nutritionally meaningless.
Q. Does eating cholesterol raise blood cholesterol?
A. Less than once believed. The liver adjusts its own production in response to intake, and for most people the effect is modest. A subset of "hyper-responders" show a larger response.
Q. Which foods are highest in cholesterol?
A. Brain (about 3,100mg per 100g), then liver, kidney, egg yolk, shrimp, and butter. Organ meats dominate the top of the ranking by a wide margin.
Q. Should I still limit cholesterol?
A. The specific 300mg cap was removed from US guidelines in 2015, but foods high in cholesterol are often also high in saturated fat. Focusing on the overall dietary pattern is more useful than tracking this number alone.
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Data source: USDA FoodData Central (Public Domain) — fdc.nal.usda.gov