How many eggs can you eat a week?

Is it really OK to eat an egg every day – even if you're at risk of heart disease? Ten years ago the answer would have been "no". That's when the advice for anyone with risk factors for heart disease was no more than two or three eggs a week. Now the word from the Heart Foundation is that six or seven eggs a week won't raise the risk of heart disease or stroke – if they're eaten as part of a healthy diet.

So what changed?

There's a better understanding of what raises levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol, the type of cholesterol that clogs arteries, explains dietitian Sonia Middleton.

"Egg yolks are high in cholesterol but it's not cholesterol in food that significantly raises LDL cholesterol. The main problem is saturated fats in foods like cream, butter, bacon, fatty meats and poultry skin, and trans fats in processed products like deep-fried foods and many commercial pies and pastries – these fats increase the liver's production of LDL cholesterol," says Middleton, from the Baker Institute which researches cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

While the consensus among health authorities in Australia and the US is that an egg a day is fine – including for people with type 2 diabetes which raises heart disease risk – there are some dissenters.

One is Dr David Spence, a stroke prevention expert at the University of Western Ontario. His 2012 research found that people with risk factors for heart disease and stroke eating more than three egg yolks a week had more plaque in their arteries than those eating fewer eggs.

Still, eggs deliver good nutrition fast for very little money (worth remembering in an age when a quick cheap meal can mean nuggets or instant noodles). They're rich in protein, selenium, folate and vitamins A, E and B12 and contain iron, along with the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin that can help protect vision as we age.

The bottom line is that eating six or seven eggs a week won't raise heart disease risk if they're consumed as part of a healthy eating pattern – yet that message often gets overlooked.

"Eat them with foods like bacon and sausage and you're likely to raise your LDL cholesterol. It's best to eat them poached or boiled and in a diet that's rich in vegetables, fruit and wholegrains," Middleton says.

And, while an egg is a perfectly fine start to the day, don't ignore other breakfast foods – such as traditional oats or untoasted muesli – with a track record of keeping cholesterol levels down.